Should You Watch the New ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Trailer?
The new trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi—which debuted at halftime of ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast—will test every ounce of will power for fans wanting to go in fresh when the film hits theaters this December.
The debate of whether “to watch, or not to watch?” was initially sparked by director Rian Johnson, who tweeted that he was “legitimately torn” over whether or not fans should give in and watch the two minute clip. “If you want to come in clean, absolutely avoid it. But it’s gooooood….“
This isn’t the first time Johnson has suggested fans eschew anything that might spoil his film in even the slightest way. In August, the director seemed resigned to the fact that Disney controls every aspect of how The Last Jedi will be marketed, and urged fans to their best in avoiding the film’s juggernaut promotional machine. “That’s the nature of the beast,” he wrote. “But I fully endorse avoiding everything you can from now till December!”
A director advising audiences to shun a film’s trailer is highly unorthodox, but Johnson is in the enviable position of not having to worry about whether or not his film will succeed. The Last Jedi’s box office supremacy is already preordained, which means Disney is marketing this film in the spirit of tradition rather than necessity.
As those of you his did watch the trailer can attest, it’s pretty heavy on the spoilers. There’s that shot of Kylo Ren getting ready to destroy a spaceship that just happens to carry his mother, Leia Organa. There’s Rey asking Kylo Ren to “show me my place in all this” before he extends his hand to her, suggesting a possible alliance. There’s our first look at Supreme Leader Snoke not in hologram form, and thrilling shots of Luke training Rey on the island where the last film ended. It’s everything you’d want in a trailer unless of course, you don’t want a trailer.
Obviously we watched the damn thing, which means for us there’s no going back. So while you decide whether or not you’re going to give in to temptation, where going to go ahead and watch it again and again and again. It’s just that good.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15. Watch the trailer here.
