Is It (the Force) In You?

Sorry for the long absence, but life keeps interfering. There are several things I need to get to (in particular, the end of my 10 best list of last year, reviews of Furious 7, Wild Tales and my guide to what to watch or skip this summer. For now, let's get to the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (due out December 17), which, par the course for J.J. Abrams, hasn't revealed much of anything about the newest installment of the space opera franchise. In fact, the most I know about the story is that it takes place 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Basically, Abrams is going back to his "mystery box" shtick again. Hopefully, he doesn't pull another Khan.

What I can infer from the trailer, is that Abrams and the filmmakers have shot this film to within an inch of their life to please the fanboys (like myself), which might be a good thing. The last time we were this excited to see the Star Wars universe was in 1999 with The Phantom Menace, and we all remember how that movie turned out, along with the rest of the prequel trilogy. But if the idea is to please us fanboys, Abrams winds up risking leaving casual fans and newcomers left to figure out what the hell is going on for themselves, and eventually alienating them. I think J.J. won't make that mistake, mostly because it's the same mistake he made when filming Star Trek Into Darkness.

Personally, though? I really couldn't be more pleased. I still like the idea that Abrams is guarding the plot of the film to the chest. I love the style and look of the film, which honors what came before, but still feels very much like an Abrams feature; I love seeing Harrison Ford's Han Solo and Chewbacca paired together, albeit briefly; and I love hearing John Williams scoring the trailer music for the film. So what if we know jack squat about this latest installment? I feel that, eventually, it'll be worth the wait.

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