Star Wars: Episode VII Force Awakens New Details Look Promising?

The internet is flooded with Star Wars: Episode VII Force Awakens rumors, speculations, and predictions on how well it will be received.  Up until yesterday nobody really had a feeling for what the movie would truly be like.  Will it have the same nostalgic feel as the old movies or the over produced, over CGI feel of the later movies?  Before speculating on that question, I feel it important to disclose my predispositions and biases about the director of the latest Star Wars movie - Mr. JJ Abrams.

Anyone that frequents this site regularly will know two things: 

• I’m  a huge Trekkie
• I’m NOT a fan of JJ Abrams Star Trek

In my opinion JJ Abrams (or as I more commonly refer to him as Jar Jar Abrams) ruined what Star Trek meant to its core audience.  He dumbed down the plot to appeal to the masses.  While no one could deny he made Star Trek a commercial success in this process, he also turned it into a two-dimensional universe that had more in common with the last three Star Wars movies than the Star Trek we’ve all loved and grew up with in our youth.  

Mindless action, overdone CGI, lens flare, camera shaking, sharp metal ships, face tattoos on the bad guys and low end bass rumble during bad guy scenes are all too common in movies these days, especially ones produced by JJ.  Don’t get me wrong, JJ has done some respectable work like the TV series Lost and the movie Super 8, but for the most part, I’m just not a fan.  Enough said, haters gonna  hate and I’m here to spread a little love for once.

Most Star Wars fans were split on the news of Disney buying the franchise.  I mean on one hand, could anyone really stomach more cheese from Lucas recent incarnations of Star Wars that again involved over-CGI,  bad acting and scripting (sans Obi-wan as he was brilliant)?  In my opinion, Disney has proven itself time and again that they could handle these types of films with respect and dignity.  Anyone doubting that needs to look no further than their recent treatments of remakes of classics like Cinderella, Maleficent, Tron and of course the whole Toy Story movie series.  I must admit I was on the fence about this whole proposition, especially with JJ Abrams involvement.  But, it was always clear to me that Abrams was a huge Star Wars fan, hence his half-assed attempt to terraform the Star Trek universe.  In the back of my mind, I always felt he did that in order to get noticed and to one day be asked to take over the helm of Star Wars. Well, he got his wish and here we are.

New Star Wars Lightsaber

Up until yesterday, very little had been revealed about the new Star Wars movie other than a glimpse of an African American storm trooper (hey aren’t they all supposed to be clones of Jango Fett?), a soccer ball robot designed to out-cute R2-D2 and a funky new crossguard lightsaber that looks like something Jesus might wield if he ever decides to come back to bring balance to the force or the middle east.

Star Wars: Episode VII Force Awakens Official Trailer #2

Well all of that has changed with the latest trailer which managed to get over 20 million views in less than one day on YouTube and that’s just one of many multiple postings of it.

I must admit this latest trailer has me pumped.  Seeing Vader’s charred helmet, and a crashed Star Destroyer was both epic and eerie.  Hearing Mark Hamill reprising his role as he explains to a child about their family blood line being strong with the force gave me goosies. Is he going to be the leader of a new Jedi Council or is he just a hermit like Obi-Wan was in his later years hoping to train new Jedi to pass down the saber to?  Of course, seeing Han Solo and Chewbacca at the end was just golden.  Harrison Ford playing Han Solo again alone is worth its price of admission.  The fact that Jar Jar Binks wasn’t in the clip gives me hope that he won’t be in the movie at all.  I think JJ Abrams has better sense than to do that to be honest.

I am usually pretty good at fleshing out a movie’s potential just by seeing clips and trailers.  I can sense the synergy between the actors and if there is potential for good story telling. Perhaps my midichlorians have provided me with such ability or maybe it’s my Audioholics BS meter?  Whatever it is, I have a high confidence that the Star Wars: Episode VII Force Awakens won’t disappoint.  I sense it will please old and new Star Wars fans alike.  I sense it will bring balance back to the series of movies that went a bit awry especially in Episode II: Attack of the Clones.  The Force is strong in this one.

In any event, I must give Mr. Abrams some much due respect.  I believe he is handling the new Star Wars series quite well from what I’ve seen thus far.  As long as he can keep the lens flare and camera shaking at bay, I think we are all in for a treat on December 18, 2015.   It almost makes me forgive him for Star Trek….Almost.

What do you guys think?  Are you optimistic for the new Star Wars movie?  Share your thoughts in our forum.