As a young kid growing up, I have very special and fond memories of all things Star Wars. But far removed from Landspeeders and Lando were thoughts of 9 Star Wars movies. While my memory of where I read it is a bit foggy, I’m pretty damn sure I read it in a Return of the Jedi magazine all those years ago. It wasn’t a big spread, more like a paragraph somewhere that blew my young mind. Lying down on the couch, I promptly put the mag on the floor and vomited all over the front cover.
Stomach bugs aside, it’s a memory that’s stayed with me for 30 odd years and one that often crops up when ever I think Star Wars. But as we all know, back then it didn’t take long for the hopes and dreams of Star Wars fans to go up like Alderaan, when it was announced that there would be no more Star Wars movies. The sadness and despair are still all too vivid. I didn’t care about prequels back then, I didn’t care where Anakin Skywalk came from. Hell no. I wanted to see what happened to Han, Luke, Leia and Chewie next.
But holy shit, has J.J. Abrams filled me up with childhood memories a plenty this afternoon as the first teaser for Star Wars Episode VII smashed it’s way onto the internet. Part of me was dreading what this 88 seconds would hold. Part of me wondered what the younger me would have thought of today. Fears and nostalgia aside, what J.J. Abrams has released today, blew my mind.
While we got a brief glimpse of John Boyega sweating (on Tatooine possibly) in a Stormtrooper costume and Daisy Ridley riding a giant USB key as well as a dark and mysterious character sporting a medieval style lightsaber, the real highlights were those X-Wings flying a few feet off the surface of a lake / ocean. The mist they kicked up was glorious and something that we’ve never seen before. Sure, this has been done in a million movies, but we’ve never seen a X-Wing like this and that’s incredibly refreshing and exciting. But the real piece de resistance came in the closing seconds as the Millennium Falcon burst onto the screen with incredible John Williams fanfare. The way the Falcon rolled and dived while avoiding the oncoming Tie-Fighters was absolutely jaw dropping, helped no end by an amazing chase cam.
So first impressions are pretty high I have to admit. J.J. has knocked this one right out of the park. Now roll on the full trailer and then December 18th next year. Regardless of what’s to come in the months ahead, this 88 seconds has been some of the best 88 seconds I’ve had in my life (don’t tell my wife). To see shit that I never thought possible? That’s as good as it gets right there! Thanks J.J.
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