is that Rogue One music by Giacchino in the trailer? lol.
Meh. It didn't dazzle me.
It was just a "teaser" so that's all it did... a drop of water on the tongue. It wasn't really supposed to be a 'real' trailer from my perspective. So it did meet that bar. I would expect a true trailer to have more substance.
I suppose my expectations are low these days. Force Awakens was good, but there was...something missing. I'm more excited to see what they do with future anthology films.
I liked TFA a lot on first viewing, but I think some of that was "Hell, yeah -- finally an ACTUAL MOVIE with real acting and dialogue" after having had to sit through three crappy prequel movies that were barely tolerable if that.
On second viewing and later, I didn't like it as much because then all of its deficiencies came into view. I can give it the most credence as a "transitional" movie that was meant mainly to (1) connect with the older fans, yes, we know Star Wars and can do a decent movie, and (2) draw in new/younger viewers who might not be as acquainted with the old movies. Unfortunately, there was too much shadowing of the original Star Wars for repeated viewings to hold up and I wish it had been more original.
I've seen Rogue One twice now. While it isn't like a 5-star drama, it's actually crafted well for what it is -- a franchise movie that tells its own story rather than replicating another -- with all the right plot beats, humor, etc. It's basically on par with the best MCU movies, even if it has its own formula. They did do some last minute tinkering, but the tinkering included the Darth Vader scene, having them need to transmit out the coordinates (versus escaping with them, which would have seemed too unbelievable), the reopening with Jyn trying to escape from rescuers, and all that... pretty good changes.
I'm sure people will be analyzing the shit out of this trailer and coming up with a kajillion fan theories. Snoke is, like, totally Dexter Jettser and this whole thing is a plot to get his chain of diners established across the galaxy. Kylo only thinks he is training to be a sith, when in fact he is meant to be regional manager for the outer rim diners. Rey is Obi-Wan's barber's granddaughter who also happened to be best friends with Ahsoka's twin sister who we conveniently never heard of until now.
I don't even bother anymore.
(1) the film will reveal whatever the film reveals, regardless of my guesses, and (2) I'd rather be surprised and enjoy the movie versus figuring it all out ahead of time, and (3) I don't want to be disappointed at what they don't do.
I am expecting more from this movie than I did from TFA, since Johnson can write interesting scripts.
I have a feeling that the title "The Last Jedi" has overlapping meanings and that Luke is likely to die here. It didn't take long before Obi-Wan bit the bullet. The Star Wars franchise doesn't shy away from killing off Jedi masters. Furthermore, this trilogy already borrows heavily from its predecessors.
Yeah the passing of the torch. The old must step aside so that the new can take place; it's not just the cycle of life, but it's sometimes necessary because the old order has to be eradicated completely, including even the ones who are tried to do the right thing... their time is passed, that framework must be abolished completely if the new is to prosper. (The "V for Vendetta" graphic novel captured it poetically.)
If this trilogy follows the pattern of episodes 4-6, then this movie will use archetypes relating to hermits, retreat, self-reflection, preparation, and a good demonstration that Rey is capable of handling the final conflict in episode 9. Relatively speaking, Luke is to Rey what Yoda is to Luke. The aspects of self-reflection may also reveal Rey's origins. Seeing how powerful Rey has become in such a short span of time, she may prove her worth by pulling off something even more spectacular than raising an x-wing from swamp water. The audience needs more explanation for more crazy stunts to gain public approval, IMO.
It seems like she basically already had a very deep well of power, but someone had stuck a "block" in her mind so that she could not access the Force. However, it weakened over time and when Kylo mucked around in her head, he accidentally removed the block.
But yeah, it needs explanation. I do like that her fighting style wasn't so great in the first movie. She was basically doing staff maneuvers with a 1H saber. The weirdness of that threw off Kylo, plus he was badly wounded and hadn't actually been challenged by someone who was a 'force peer" for years. So I could buy in that surprise matchup that she could best him momentarily. Her fighting technique needs a lot of work for another matchup. But she does seem to have access to raw power and we need to understand why.