Star Wars spoilers and a new The Force Awakens trailer (with footnotes)
A long time ago…
Back when they did the Star Wars Special Edition releases in 1997, I became a big fan of the website that was known as Red 5. The site leaked all kinds of information about the changes that were expected. I’m sure I visited that site several times a day in anticipation of this re-release. I’m a bit ashamed to admit it, but when the movies were finally released, I almost felt a little bit of Star Wars fatigue.
I know. That’s borderline blasphemy.
But it’s true. And I think some of it had to do with the fact that I was following all of the leaked information so closely in the months and weeks leading up to the release.
Fast-forward to Episode I.
I pretty much knew the whole story before the movie was released, thanks to leaks, the song listing on the Phantom Menace soundtrack, and Weird Al Yankovic.
So I left the movie feeling…underwhelmed. While I know the film could never live up to the hype generated by the 16 year buildup of anticipation between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, the movie itself falls pretty flat (no, this isn’t a reference to the 3D re-release. I almost kind of liked that one, oddly enough). I’m convinced that part of my initial lackluster response to Episode I had a little bit to do with having been inundated with spoilers during the time leading up to the film’s release.
Don’t get me wrong. Episode I was awful. It’s still awful. But it was made even more awful-er because of the spoilers.
Yep. The spoilers spoiled the movie. That’s why they’re called spoilers.
No more spoilers.
When Episode III came around, I avoided spoilers like the plague. I did a pretty good job, for the most part. Still managed to find out ahead of time that Anakin becomes Darth Vader and that Chancellor Palpatine becomes Emperor Palpatine.* But other than that, I was able to attend the midnight showing of Revenge of the Sith without knowing very much about how this pivotal film was going to unfold.** I left the movie in awe at what I had experienced.
With the new onslaught of spoilers,‡ leaked information, and marketing overdrive that’s already happening, my Spidey-spoiler-senses are on heightened alert. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make it until December‡‡ without unintentionally stumbling upon some unwelcome spoilers, but I’m going to try.º And I’m convinced that this will make my Star Wars: The Force Awakens experience even more memorable as I watch it at the midnight showing with my family.ºº You’re welcome to follow all the spoilers/leaks/speculations that you’d like. It’s your prerogative. But please don’t share them with me. I’d like to experience this new entry into the Star Wars saga with as few preconceived ideas as possible.
Besides, this whole avoiding spoilers and leaks and all things behind the scenes from the upcoming film thing also makes days like today even more exciting. This little gem was released on instagram today. It’s a new The Force Awakens trailer:
It’s only a few seconds long, but, oh man. This gets me excited. December 18th can’t get here soon enough.
It will be a day long-remembered.
* Yes. That’s a geek’s lame attempt at a joke.
** This experience did lead me to swear off midnight showings altogether because I had a final the next day. That was miserable.
‡ In spite of my best efforts, I’ve heard a few leaks and theories about Han Solo’s role in the movie. I have an idea for a twist that few people would see coming. But I’m not going to talk about it here. I might save that for another post.
‡‡ Why, oh why wasn’t this released in May?
º Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you’re going to say:
ºº Did I just say that I swore off midnight showings? I’m pretty sure there’s a clause in that oath that exempts watching Star Wars releases with your teenagers who have never seen Star Wars on the big screen (except for Episode I 3D, which really doesn’t count).
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