It’s in the music, the visuals, and the message: the Rebellion lives.
In the background, there’s been a great deal of concern over Rogue One, the next movie in the Star Wars megaverse. From a number of sources with knowledge of the production’s late-stage change, I’ve heard a growing chorus of voices saying that they’re worried this will be the first bad Star Wars movie of the new era. It’s not something I’ve wanted to believe, as Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) is a director that has not led me astray yet and this cast is out-of-this-world great. But walking away from these conversations over the past month or so, I’ve had my doubts.
Let’s allow this final trailer for Rogue One, released this morning, to settle this debate for the moment. It looks incredible. For the first time, we’re getting a sense of what last-minute composer hire Michael Giacchino is going to do with the music. It’s upbeat. Decidedly Star Warsian, but a far more energetic version. This is also the first time we’re seeing Mads Mikkelsen’s Galen Erso and where he fits into the narrative, something that lines up nicely with what we’ve been hearing about his character since the beginning. This movie is about war, and the hope that the Empire can be defeated, but it’s also about family.
Watch the trailer for yourself below:
Yup, that works.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to hold open some emotional room for disappointment. Any movie that’s gone through this many late-stage reshoots and changes carries with it an inherent risk of getting messy. But if we’re judging a movie by its best trailer shots, Rogue One has the goods. Below you will find some of these fine trailer shots, including X-Wings and droids, AT-ATs and tropical island planets, as well as Darth Vader moving in an unsettlingly swift manner.
Read also: The Unspoken Burden of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One is due in theaters on December 16th.
Related Topics: Fantasy, Star Wars, Trailers
