So, you’ve probably heard there’s a new Star Wars film in the works; The
Force Awakens, first of a new trilogy slotted to open this Christmas. As befits a new Star Wars film this is a pretty big deal. Force Awakens will
mark the beginning of Disney’s cinematic stewardship of the property and a
major step in repairing some of the major tarnishing the franchise suffered
throughout the ‘00s. This is also
a pretty big step for director J.J. Abrams. Abrams has been brewing in Hollywood for a while now as a writer,
director, and show runner. He was
the mind behind Lost and Alias as well as the director of the
abysmal Star Trek reboots, though to
his credit the direction in those films was pretty spot on. He’s generally synonymous with an
infuriating marketing gimmick known as the “mystery box” that involves teasing
out very unimpressive reveals about his films via viral marketing and
such.
Thankfully he’s decided to eschew all of his worst impulses
when it comes to Star Wars, relying
on a marketing campaign that’s preserved the film’s secrecy without making that
mystery central to enticing audiences.
Instead the trailers and teasers for Force
Awakens have all worked through a unique blend of evocative tone and
beautiful iconography. It’s a
ballsy move that just grabs the viewer and says, “this is Star Wars, YOUR Star Wars,”
and so far it’s worked like gangbusters.
However info leaks still happen and I’m addressing one here today when a
bunch of Force Awakens action figures
& set photos leaked online.
