That disturbance in the force can only mean one thing: Star Wars: The Force Awakens has released new footage.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ new clip is short, but the lightsabers are stunning
Caroline Framke wrote about culture, which usually means television. Also seen @ The A.V. Club, The Atlantic, Complex, Flavorwire, NPR, the fridge to get more seltzer.
Granted, it’s not a whole lot of footage, since the clip was released on Instagram. In fact, this latest chapter of the Star Wars franchise has played it particularly close to the vest as far as new video goes. There have been plenty of photo shoots, but the most substantial video so far came from a brief teaser released in April, and from the first 90-second teaser released in November of last year.
That paucity of footage is unusual by modern blockbuster standards. At this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, which has become a frequent host to blockbuster premieres, Star Wars: The Force Awakens opted to show a behind-the-scenes clip instead of the expected full-length trailer.
If there’s anything Star Wars fans are good for, however, it’s combing through whatever they get for anything of possible interest — and luckily, this clip has plenty to dissect.
The 15-second video opens with a sweeping shot of an enormous Stormtrooper army. The R2-D2-adjacent BB-8 (who adorably rolled through the first trailer) and Daisy Ridley’s Rey (whom many theorize is Leia and Han’s daughter) look to the sky.
Most riveting, however, are the final shots of a cloaked figure wielding the new two-pronged lightsaber as John Boyega’s character, Finn, brandishes his own blue one — but it shakes in his hands.
With its bombastic drums and ominous voiceover, this clip sets the stage for a darker chapter of the Star Wars franchise. The same low growl that opened the first trailer whispers the same line: “There’s been an awakening ... have you felt it?”
On behalf of all Star Wars fans everywhere, it feels safe to say: yes. Yes, we have.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18, 2015.
