While there’s no question the latest trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer works like gangbusters — especially the moment with C3PO saying goodbye — let’s not forget they all work like gangbusters and have so far failed to live up to the hype.
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In fact, the hype factor has kind of been a thing with this new trilogy so far, a thing that has even extended to the theater experience. You’re so excited to see a new Star Wars movie, so happy to be there, so in awe of the spectacle and callbacks, so happy George Lucas has been removed, that you failed to realize that The Force Awakens and the Last Jedi were not very good — at least until you tried to watch them again at home where you found your iPhone more interesting for uncomfortably long stretches.
There’s also the matter of how Last Jedi dumped all over the franchise’s own mythology, most especially surrounding the Jedi, and how these movies keep killing off the only characters we care about. This new trailer has a quick shot of Billy Dee Williams, but instead of getting excited, all I could think of was how they intend to kick Lando Calrissian’s bucket.
And what’s Poe doing there — is the sexist oaf of Last Jedi heroic again? Is that allowed? Unlike our own, does the Star Wars universe offer forgiveness for #MeToo perpetrators?
I see Palpatine is back… So Darth Vader died for no reason.
So they’re killing off Luke, Han, Vader; they’ve lost Leia, but Palpatine lives on… why, exactly? Is there going to be some awkward third-act reveal of a sinister Master Plan that wraps up all nine chapters? Or will we see Palpatine leave the dark side, get killed off (again), and do a spirit dance among the Ewoks?
Maybe his return has something to do with how Rian Johnson killed off that Snoke guy before we had any clue who he was or what he was up to. Or the fact that none of the plot threads at the end of Last Jedi were interesting enough to draw fans back for another chapter. Or the fact that Kathleen Kennedy injecting juvenile politics into the series has hurt the bottom line — big time.
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that JJ Abrams was brought back for a cleanup on Aisle Disney. But with so many new characters, this doesn’t look like it’s going to be a lean, straightforward escapist fantasy. It’s looking a lot more like Abrams just said “fuck it” and dumped all of his unused ideas onto the screen.
The social media response to the trailer has been mixed. Let’s just say that a whole lot of detractors have a whole lot of questions:
- “I’m sure we’ll get answers but the plot holes from 8 are gonna carry over. C-3PO met Rey twice and suddenly he’s sentimental for her. I’m sure it’ll be a good movie and maybe I’ll enjoy it maybe even like it but this trilogy should have never happened. I’m just glad it’s over now.”
- “Why should I care? This new franchise has destroyed every character I loved front to back and, in Return you replaced them with dead replicas and plot progression worse than most fanfic.”
- “So she’s training on Endor, Kylo shows up, Palpatine has wanted to get these two together, has had a fleet hiding underwater/on an iceberg? And Kylo and Rey team up again?”
- “So is this one be as feminist sexist as the last one? After all, they killed off most of the main characters in the last one, so can’t get much worse. Though I am sure Disney will find a way to take its final [poop emoji] to destroy the Star Wars franchise.”
- “‘People keep telling me they know me. No one does.’ You’re right. And that’s a problem when we are entering the THIRD chapter of your story.”
- -“Where were these million ships in the last two movies? Oh and the Emperor looks like he survived for real and is on a floating machine thing? So that’s great. So much for Anakin’s sacrifice.”
- “A cavalry charge. On the top of a star destroyer. In space. With what looks like regular horses with tusks. I- did I have a stroke? Tell me I had a stroke.”
- “Thanks to Rian Johnson. JJ has to give answers to who is Rey, who is Snoke, who are the knights of ren, how did palps get back and many more things all in just 150 minutes… I want to be hyped for ep 9 but im almost certain that it is not gonna give the fans satisfaction.”
This guy sums it up best: ” Be honest – In these trailers… it’s always the music that gets us more than these characters.”
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.