Here it is, fans: the best look at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story yet. For those keeping count, this is Trailer #2. But in this fan’s heart, it’s number one because it looks terrific!
Since the first trailer Lucasfilm showed us, I’ve been struck by how different Rogue One looks. Sure, it’s full of costumes and props we all recognize. But there’s a different style at the heart of this movie. The color palette is more subdued and realistic. There is more handheld camera work and more shallow depth-of-field than I expected.
Even in close-ups, The Force Awakens felt epic and sweeping. Rogue One, from the look of the trailers, feels strikingly intimate. And I think that’s going to do wonders for the movie, both in its smaller dramatic moments and in its action. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Rogue One‘s visuals look so great, but here we are.
What I’m not surprised to see, however, is Darth Vader. We got a little tease of him in the previous trailer, but Lucasfilm wants us to feel his presence more heavily — he’s on the new poster, too. Clearly, he’s relevant to the plot. That makes me wonder if his role was expanded in Rogue One‘s rewrites and additional photography. Whatever the case may be, we’re Star Wars fans. I’m sure we won’t mind a bit more Vader in the movie.
Also, where are the aliens in this trailer? We see a tentacle-faced cellmate and a few masked bounty hunter looking types. But where are Pao and Bistan? Perhaps they’re saving their moments for the movie. Or maybe Lucasfilm didn’t want to overload this story-focused trailer with rubbery monkey-lizard people. That’s not a jab, by the way — practical aliens are one of the reasons we all love Star Wars. Bring on the rubbery monkey-lizard people.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story arrives in cinemas on December 16.