Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Trailer Highlights

Star Wars: The Last Jedi New Poster

So Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) comes out in December and we're only now getting the second trailer, just two months away from the release date. Either Disney has seriously dropped the ball on the promotional campaign or they're just so confident in this film that they feel it doesn't require a lot of publicity for fans to get excited about. My guess would be the latter. Since the past two Disney-Produced Star Wars films have both raked in a combined total of $3,124,280,897, It'd be safe to say that Disney would think that. However, right before the trailer was released last night, director Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) suggested to fans that they should avoid this trailer. WHAT?! What kind of a marketing tactic is that?! Perhaps if you wish for fans to avoid spoilers then you should urge the marketing campaign to avoid them at all costs.

Initial Thoughts

Yeah! This trailer has me more intrigued about the story than ever, and I was already pretty damn excited to see where this story went after The Force Awakens (2015). I don't really understand Rian Johnson's concerns. Whilst the trailer does allude to some, seemingly, crucial scenes from the film it doesn't really spoil anything. Instead, it leaves them as cliffhangers which gets the audience riled up and wanting to know the outcome of said scenes. Surely you'd want fans to see that?! They already knew scenes like this would happen! So why tell them not to watch the trailer?! But this is a very good trailer that definitely sells The Last Jedi really well! Before we dive into the highlights, here is the trailer:

1. The AT-M6 Walkers

New AT-M6 Walkers looking threatening

In the second shot of the trailer, we get a look at the new AT-M6 Walkers, which look like the AT-ATs from Empire Strikes Back (1980) on steroids! I really like their design. They've got more of an ape-like quality, particularly with the front legs looking more like arms. So maybe the First Order can more use out of the arms. Although, I'm not quite sure how practical that would be. Also, this shot is framed just so well. Looking like a painting more than anything. With these, seemingly unstoppable, metallic forces walking up to this natural cliffside. It looks great! However, I was a little disappointed to first see the AT-M6 as it just reminds me of the AT-AT fight from Empire Strikes Back. One of my biggest criticisms of The Force Awakens was that it was far too similar to A New Hope (1977). And now it seems like, once again, this new trilogy is just re-treading old ground. I hope I'm wrong... But with everything else happening in this trailer I don't think I am.

2. Luke

Luke is concerned about Rey's immense powers

And the prodigal son returns! Mark Hamill (Star Wars, Village Of The Damned) didn't really get a lot to do in The Force Awakens, as he only had 30 seconds of screentime. But in this, we get a new glimpse at what Old Man Luke is like. And he clearly wants nothing to do with Rey (Daisy Ridley)! After witnessing her power he's reminded very much of when he tried to train Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and ended up being betrayed by him. It makes sense as Luke doesn't want history to repeat itself. But surely he would learn from his mistakes rather than just avoid them. It's a little disheartening to see the face of hope and optimism in this franchise turn into this dark, pessimistic character. But perhaps that's the point. For Rey to rekindle that old hope? I hope so. Luke's story does look bleak. But it'll be interesting to see how, and why, his character has changed so much.

3. Kylo Ren and General Leia

Leia hoping that Kylo will make the right decision

This is possibly what Rian Johnson was referring to when he said not to watch. In a middle of a space battle, Kylo Ren seems to have a clear shot at the main resistance ship, where General Leia (Carrie Fisher), his mother, is stationed. The sequence ends on a cliffhanger. With Kylo clearly undecided on whether he's going to take the shot or not. This would get the audience intrigued. Since Kylo has already killed his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in the previous film. What would be to stop him from killing Leia? Although, perhaps in this film, he's being haunted by his actions of killing Han and killing Leia would just push him over the edge. The only way to find out the conclusion of this sequence is to see the film!

4. Finn Vs Phasma

Finn and Phasma go head to head in this amazing shot!

A reunion that I wouldn't have expected, but completely get. Kind of like those "I didn't know I wanted it until I had it" moments. For many Game Of Thrones (2011) fans. Many were disappointed in Gwendoline Christie's role as Phasma in The Force Awakens. But now it seems that she's back and packing more of a punch, as she faces off against former soldier and student, Finn (John Boyega). Whilst we have Kylo Ren fighting against his family. we also have the Flip-side of this, with Finn fighting against the people who raised and mentored him. Finn is now wielding the awesome Z6 Riot Control Baton, used against him in the previous film and Phasma wields a.... Thin metal staff... I'm sure it has more uses than is shown. This looks to be an epic, and hopefully, an emotional fight between the two stormtroopers!

5. Rey joins the Dark side? Kylo joins the Light side?

Kylo Ren offers a hand out to Rey. Could this be the start of a beautiful friendship?

In the very last shot, we see Kylo Ren offering a hand out to Rey. Now, the reasons behind this are cleverly left out. It starts with Rey saying "I need someone to show me my place in all this." Does that mean she's decided to join the First Order? Had Luke really ticked her off to the point where she thinks the Dark Side is better? It happened with Kylo so it could happen here. Or is it the exact opposite? And Kylo has decided to join the resistance. We've already seen him try and make a hard decision as to whether he should kill his mother or not. Perhaps he couldn't go through with it and Leia found a way to get through to him? Who knows! This trailer does a really good job of showing plot points that could mean anything! They have no clear path and so people really want to find out where they lead!

Conclusion

This was a very good trailer. Whilst it does show off some really good visuals it also does a brilliant job of alluding to plot points but not so much that it spoils anything. In fact, it makes people more interested in what's going to happen in this film as now questions have been raised that demand answers. Although, I'm still concerned that this will be a rip-off of Empire Strikes Back. We already have a Walker fight and the main protagonist is off to a distant world to train in the ways of the force by an old, wise master. And the bad guys appear to have the upper hand in this one... Hopefully, there's enough to differentiate the film from its predecessor.

So that's my Trailer Highlights for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. What did you think of the trailer? Was there anything you wanted to talk about that I missed? If so then leave a comment down below. And if you liked this post then please subscribe for more content. Thank you for reading.