AMBER MATTICE
Staff Writer
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — also known as 2005 — the third movie in the beloved “Star Wars” franchise was released. Now, 10 years after the release of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” a new addition is being released. On Dec. 18, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will hit the big screen in theaters around the world.
This is, of course, has caused excitement among the franchise’s fanbase. From longtime fans to more recent ones, everyone with a love for “Star Wars” is preparing to see the comeback of the well-known and much adored characters such as Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and Princess Leia, not to mention the main protagonist, Luke Skywalker, who has been kept out of all previews.
Junior music industry and video production double major Ryan Daughenbaugh is anticipating Skywalker’s appearance the most.
“I think he has been intentionally hidden from the promotions and the trailers,” said Daughenbaugh, “so I think he’ll be really important towards the end of the movie.”
There is also a lot of talk about the new characters coming into the plot of the upcoming movie. The new female lead, Rey, for example, as well as the main antagonist, Kylo Ren, whose signature lightsaber is of great interest, are causing a great deal of fan theories and speculations to arise. Opinions of these new characters are varying: some fans are more skeptical, while others anticipate them with great enthusiasm.
“I’m probably most looking forward to seeing how the new cast will adopt this world that has been established and run by the same group of people throughout the first two trilogies,” said freshman computer science major Colton Butler. “They have a lot to live up to and I think they will since they’re under good direction.”
Despite the many speculations about what Skywalker’s role will be and how the new characters will be incorporated, the overall view of the new movie, based off of the trailers, is positive. Fans are excited to see what the new technology of this generation will bring to the screen.
“It will be cool to see the new computer-generated effects, because that was something in ‘The Phantom Menace’ that was really neat,” said Lily Markley, a freshman biology major. Markley also stated, “my biggest worry is it getting away from what the original Star Wars was. I think it’ll be hard for them to come up with a new plot that is as strong as the original story.”
Based on the trailers that have been released, director J.J. Abrams seems to be attempting to tie in a lot of the characteristics that were so well received in the first six movies.
“I like that there’s still a connection to the old, original ‘70s movies. I’m excited, and I think that it’ll be pretty cool,” Daughenbaugh stated.
Fans are certainly anticipating how modern technology and computer-generated graphics will tie into and work with the more classic aspects of the first two trilogies.
It will also be interesting to see what direction Abrams takes the movie. He was announced director in 2013 and, according to Geek News, has had a hand in rewriting the script that the movie will follow.
He is the first director to cross galaxies; he was the director of the more recent “Star Trek” movie and its sequel, so many fans are anxious to see how this has added to the overall atmosphere of “Star Wars.”
Regardless of the many fan theories and speculations that have accompanied the released trailers, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is going to be a movie worth going to see. Not only has it been 10 years since the franchise hit theaters, but the new addition is full of new perspectives and characters that make it unique.
So, prepare over the next few weeks to embrace the inner Jedi once again, and welcome the new film that will soon make its way into the galaxy that is no longer in the past.