STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Trailer
The introductions are complete, Luke’s lightsaber has passed to Rey, and it’s time for the Star Wars sequels to come into their own. Or for the First Order to strike back. Or for the Jedi to end? Either way, the saga continues this December with the ominously titled Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the first trailer has set off the requisite internet freak out.
For better or worse, this is a series that knows it’s comfortable nostalgia, that many fans just want Force mythology, lightsabers, familiar characters, and those rousing leitmotifs, and that’s precisely what the first trailer for The Last Jedi delivers. All of the returning players get their moment, including a wistful shot on the back of the late Carrie Fisher, but the trailer truly belongs to Mark Hamill’s Luke and Daisy Ridley’s Rey, one of which, presumably, is the titular last Jedi.
It all feels very much like The Empire Strikes Back, with our young hero in rustic training and the rest of the group scattered by the escalating war. The trailer certainly doesn’t quell concerns that the sequels are retreads of the original series, but it does at least continue to feel like a loving, well-made retread. Besides, Empire is widely regarded as one of the best entries in the series (it’s my personal favorite), and I’d be quite happy if Last Jedi culminates in a bigger, more skilled lightsaber battle like Empire did.
What’s disappointing about this marketing tract is that it doesn’t give us much information about the new additions, particularly leaving out any defining marks director Rian Johnson may put on the film and the new character played by Kelly Marie Tran. Presumably these elements will be teased in future trailers, but for now, we’re just getting a quick reminder of what fans already love about Star Wars.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is directed by Rian Johnson and stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Mark Hamill. It will be released in the U.S. and the U.K. on December 15th, 2017. For international release dates, click here.
Are you ready to find out who the last Jedi is? Let us know in the comments!
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