REACTION TO THE NEW STAR WARS TRAILER
A long time ago, back in 1977, a movie came out that changed the lives of millions of people around the world. That movie was Star Wars.
As an eleven-year-old boy that saw it after it had been in the theatre for several months, it gave me the chills. The way it was shot, the special effects, it just blew me away. I had never seen a movie like that before in my life.
Then, in 1981 The Empire Strikes Back was released. That movie changed my life forever. The cinematography was spectacular. The story amazing. The biggest reveal in movie history knocked us off our seats. Irvin Kerchner created a masterpiece. It made me want to be a filmmaker in the worst way. That movie made me make a promise to myself, that I would somehow make a living with a camera.
In 1983 The Return of the Jedi was released. My mother allowed me to miss school and actually drove myself, my brother, and a few friends to the Blue Star Shopping Center in Scotch Plains, NJ. We stood in line from 5:30 a.m. waiting for an 11:30 a.m. screening of what we thought would be the final Star Wars Movie. The crowd applauded when the Lucasfilms logo appeared. They booed when Darth Vader made his entrance. They cheered when we saw Chewie, Han, Leia, and Luke. To this day it is an experience I will never forget.
Then George Lucas decided to make the first three movies in the saga. I carried on the tradition of allowing my daughter, Stephanie, to miss school and we went to see the new trilogy. I was so disappointed. These three movies felt generic and had no heart to them. Lucas seemed to rely on creating his story in the computer instead of capturing the magic on film as in the first trilogy. Again, we were told those would be the last movies in the Star Wars Saga. To be honest, I was glad. If we had to live through more of these movies the way the first trilogy was made, I would rather not see them.
In October of 2012 it was announced that Disney bought Lucasfilms and that new Star Wars movies were coming. Once again, I was excited, but also cautious as I was afraid that we were going to get the heartless movies George had directed.
Then it was announced that J.J. Abrams would be directing the new Star Wars film. I was intrigued. Especially after seeing how he resurrected the Star Trek franchise.
In November of 2014 we were shown an 88 second teaser trailer for the new movie. It was okay, but after seeing the Millennium Falcon again, I was hooked.
Fast forward to April 16, 2015, the second teaser trailer for Episode 7 has arrived. I have to say, it brought me back to that day back in 1977 when I first saw Star Wars.
The cinematography looks like it did in the original trilogy. Especially since it was shot on film. Something J. J. Abrams promised us he would do. The special effects look incredible. Come on, its ILM. They are the best in the business at transporting us to those far off worlds that existed along time ago in a galaxy far far away. The effects seem more natural and less forced. They are there to help the story along, not become the story.
It seems J.J. Abrams is trying to capture the magic from the original trilogy. If this trailer is any indication of what we have in store for the feature, I have a feeling we are all going to be blown away by this new installment. This trailer embodies the heart and soul of what the original trilogy had. This trailer brought me back to that day in 1977 when I first saw Star Wars.
Seeing Han and Chewie again, well that put me over the top. I was originally skeptical about the original cast returning, so many years later. I am glad my skepticism was wrong.
But, do you want to know the real reason why I think this movie is going to be great? It gave me the chills. It brought back that nostalgic feeling that I remember as a young boy seeing Star Wars for the very first time.
I can’t wait to see a full trailer and the movie itself. I am a fanboy at heart, and this trailer has rekindled my passion about Star Wars.
Written by: Michael C. Marotto
