Geekery: Final Rogue One Trailer is Amazing
The rebellion ignites!
Mads Mikkelsen has been on the cast list for a year, but we’ve seen precious little of him in press material. This trailer gives us a first look at him… and so much more. So, so much more! Watch this full screen if you can.
I’m almost speechless… this takes the franchise into new territory story-wise, and it just looks… epic. I’d be upping my game if I were Rian Johnson, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, or Colin Trevorrow. Based on what we’re seeing here the final installments of the new trilogy will have a lot to live up to.
We’ve gotten a build up with all of the teasers and trailers – an introduction to the time period, the characters, the level of action. In this trailer we get major plot points and an idea of the scale Gareth Edwards is using – it’s huge. That white speck in the bottom half, center of this shot is a transport ship.
This movie has grand, sweeping scenes that show how beautiful the Star Wars universe can be. Lucas took inspiration from a lot of brilliant directors in the original trilogy – and you can see some of them here, too. Kubrick, Lean, and new visuals influenced by Scott and Lucas.. I have no doubt Rogue One is going to cement Edwards a place on the list of great film makers.
The CG team from Lucas Arts has set a new bar and is going to be picking up all of the Oscars this year. The composite work, lighting, motion… it’s insane.
Head cinematographer Greig Fraser shot the movie with the new 6K resolution Arri Alexa 65 camera and some of Panavision’s brand new 70mm lenses, which gives it all the advantages of 65mm large-format IMAX film and a crystal clear digital picture. Basically: it’s going to be super pretty.
If you have an IMAX theater near you invest in a ticket – it’s how the film was meant to be seen.
We also get new interactions, new locations, some new set pieces, and the origin of the movie’s name. Jyn’s story, which has been talked about for a few months, is finally solidified. There’s plenty of new action to take in – X-Wings and TIE fighters tearing across the screen, AT-ATs lumbering across the beaches of Jedha, AT-STs in a fire fight on tight city streets, and a new shot of Vader looking menacing with his cape billowing behind him.
The cast shines with a shared speech about how hope must be found in the darkness that gets right to the heart of the every rebellion story set in the Star Wars universe. Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, and Riz Ahmed are all featured. Click here for more about the characters they’re portraying.
When you watch it again take an extra pause at 1:43 for a scene that harks back to the original trilogy. There is a fair amount of tributes in this one – just like there were in The Force Awakens.
I’m definitely not worried about the re-shoots folks were freaking out about a few months ago. The new trailer reinstates Rogue One as the movie to see this year.
They also released a beautiful new poster:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story arrives in theaters December 16, 2016
