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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Entertainment
Alex Needham and Lanre Bakare in New York with Luke Holland in London

Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer - as it happened

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: watch the trailer

And we’ll leave you with this - our film critic Peter Bradshaw’s take on the trailer. May the force be somewhere quite close to you.

Updated

A certain someone is currently tweeting about a certain trailer, and that certain someone only happens to be the actual William Shatner AKA James Tiberius Kirk AKA The Shat AKA William “William Shatner” Shatner.

His tweets are titled What Bill Learned From The Star Wars Trailer which will hitherto be known as #WBLFTSWT – or “wibbleftswoot”. It’s the greatest thing that’s happened to the internet since that time the trailer came out for Episode VII. He doesn’t seem happy.

Keep checking the great man’s feed for further updates.

#lightsaber gate continues apace. Someone’s offered a few engineering tweaks to make the crossguard design a little bit safer. Because safety’s the most important thing when you’re swinging around a white-hot blade made of pain and fire.

Truth. But Princess Leia wasn’t exactly in prison overalls all the way through Return Of The Jedi...

This actually might.

Is it Benedict Cumberbatch doing the voiceover on the trailer?

This guy think so, and he’s a reporter, so he MUST know.

But then there’s this:

Or is it Max von Sydow? The internet still doesn’t know.

Here at the Guardian we learned eight things from the Star Wars trailer. Here are those eight things.

Ostentatious, energy-inefficient lightsabers aside, reactions seem to be fairly positive so far. All together now –

In-depth stuff here from the mighty Den of Geek.

It’s the next logical step.

Doesn’t really have the same ‘zing’ to it...

Some conclusive proof that the quality of the trailer is inversely proportional to the quality of the film.

Aaaaaand here come the thinkpieces.

An urgent plea here. Anyone?

Right, Lanre and I (Alex) are handing this blog over to the aptly named Luke Skywalker ... sorry, Holland.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer Photograph: PR

Hitfix have dug into the trailer and found “eight universe changes” you won’t have noticed including: “the Stormtroopers have a new suit design,” “that Sith clearly built his lightsaber without the help of a Master” and perhaps most impressively “the Millennium Falcon replaced the destroyed satellite dish with a newer model.” That piece is here.

Oh, the internet:

This person is going for a total immersion:

Time Out are getting their gif on:

Meanwhile, the Telegraph’s film critic Robbie Collin has reviewed the trailer. Or, as he puts it:

His review concludes:

But for me, the most encouraging things are the cartoonish energy of Boyega’s leap into the frame and the clenched-jaw, Carrie Fisher-ish look on Ridley’s face: both suggest a franchise getting back in touch with its sense of swashbuckling fun. Those 88 seconds didn’t tell us much, but they’re strangely reassuring.

The trailer’s dividing families:

And meanwhile, the merch bandwagon is getting sporty. Here’s a Death Star football.

A lightsaber meme has started. Of course it has

My colleague David Batty tweets:

Indiewire have written an interesting piece called Here are the three big lessons rrom the Star Wars: the Force Awakens trailer.

The three lessons are that “studios don’t sell you story any more”, “fandom rules all” and “special effects aren’t enough”.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer Photograph: PR

Meanwhile, something to look forward to:

Film director Edgar Wright approves:

Meanwhile on YouTube, that lightsaber really has rattled some cages. pears009 is furious.

Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!! , LIGHTSABER!!! Why do “They” think, (and keep... the Double-Edge Saber form Episode One...) F-ING with the Lightsaber design!!! This “New” design in neither “COOL” NOR Functional in a fight... YoU’d cut your own FREAKING hand off in a fightwith a Tweak of the wrist!!! Uuuuggghhhh!!!

Back in the comments of this blog, DanAshcroft is nonplussed by Disney’s drip-drip teaser trailer approach:

User avatar for DanAshcroft

I suspect there'll be a lot more trailers between now and next December. There's so little footage in this one and too little indication of what the movie is about. Maybe Disney should have waited till they had more footage ready for release that would give a proper feel and flavour of the new film.

In what is definitely the Star Wars fact of the day:

There is, naturally, much more on the linguistic merits of “awakens” over “awakes”:

User avatar for Odradek_

The name is 'Awakens' and not 'Awakes' because 'Awakes' would end the title on an unstressed syllable and, as Giles Coren will tell you, it sounds fucking awful.

In a “there but for the grace of the Force” moment:

Jordan Hoffman, who watched the trailer at the Regal cinema in New York, has written his report. He says:

As the lights dimmed, the frustration began. Trailers for every movie in the pipeline played first. Insurgent, The Hobbit, The Interview, some new Chronicle-meets-time-travel thing called Atlas something-or-other and then, finally, a movie with no studio logo, then darkness, a desert and a voice that may have been Andy Serkis or possibly Adam Driver doing his best Brit villain. Either way, when he intoned: “There has been an awakening,” I began to weep like Malakili the Rancor Keeper.

Perhaps it’s self-justification, but there’s no doubt it sounded far superior in surround sound than it would have on laptop speakers.

Read the full story here.

Those funny YouTube comments are in full flow now, which reminds us of Adam Buxton’s amazing comment-based humour, which in turn reminds us of Adam And Joe’s lo-fi geek sketch Star Wars In Their Eyes ...

Surely there are some emojis that can express a minute-long trailer?

Have another screengrab, knock yourself out:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer Photograph: PR

We have mindmeld with the internet ... the potential merchandise for The Force Awakens is already being discussed using the medium of gif.

So has the internet exploded yet or not?

Here’s another screengrab from the trailer. We fancy one of these for Christmas:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer Photograph: PR

Alt-country troubadour Ryan Adams has come out as an unlikely fan:

John Williams is having a great week:

And meanwhile filmmaker Mark Cousins has more, ahem, details about the movie:

A few gags like this doing the rounds:

Taucher1979 has a request…

User avatar for Taucher1979

My neighbour is having a new toilet installed tomorrow - what time is the Guardian's live coverage of the reaction start? I don't want to miss ANYTHING.

We’ve no time for toilets. Unless they’re hidden toilets in this trailer.

Updated

Some in the comment section are starting to get into Clerks-level analysis of the trailer now:

User avatar for Russeljones

As a trailer, that, to me, is a complete disaster. Disjointed and underwhelming. Who has any knowledge of the Star Wars universe and shows starfighters in a dog fight that low above ground, TIE fighters in particular? Disneyfication complete.

The scene from Clerks in question:

There’s a linguistic gripe from Rooto in the comments of this blog:

User avatar for Rooto

The name annoys me. What's wrong with 'awakes'? I appreciate 'wakes up' might be too naff, but 'awakens' is portentious guff.

Depressed Dath Vader is depressed:

The excitement about Star Wars is making some people come face to face with their own mortility:

In the second conflation of Star Wars and the male member we’ve heard today:

Jordan Hoffman, who has just filed his report for us, has given a few sneak previews of his reaction via Twitter:

Meanwhile, YouTube commenters are losing the plot. Joey Manalang says: “I hope I don’t get hit by a truck before Dec 2015 ... OMG please “

While Armoured Skeptic adds: “Ok, I’ve been trying to stay really reserved about this whole thing... ever since the Prequels broke my heart, but watching this made me go EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Finally, Jean-Francois Joanisse opines:

If that shot of the X-wings and the one with the Falcon flying near ground level didn’t give you the chill, then you are just a hater and beyond saving.

So there!

Not sure what to make of this ...

People still really really hate Jar Jar Binks ...

People are now discussing the length of the trailer:

Arf!

Someone has handily made a list of when the most anticipated blockbusters of the age will be out:

A touch of snark about the director:

Someone’s managed to combine DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s EDM crunk anthem Turn Down For What with the clip of the new lightsaber. It’s pretty horrible.

In case you were wondering who the narrators are, Indiewire say that they are the inescapable Benedict Cumberbatch and Andy Serkis. They’ve also put all the original trailers side by side.

For some, all the reaction is proving a bit too much:

The racial politics of the trailer are being analysed:

The new lightsaber is already inspiring fan art:

Others found the lack of contemporary pop culture references baffling:

The trailer is having a strange effect on some people

A mysterious tweet from dance star Deadmau5:

Updated

While we work out how to embed the trailer video higher in this liveblog, here is is again:

But Newbarbarian absolutely loves it:

User avatar for Newbarbarian

Was grinning from ear to ear at that final shot, the Millennium Falcon with John Williams' iconic score. JJ seems to have pulled it off, only a further trailer or two will tell for sure.

Elaine McIll has a balanced review:

User avatar for Elaine McIll

Have to be honest I'm a bit underwhelmed, the whole shaky cam thing is very much past it's sell by date and the sword hilt???????? Still the CGI looks fantastic, the X-Wings look good and the Millennium Falcon looks as cool as ever. Until we get some idea of the plot I can't say that I'm overly excited to see it.

In the comments on this blog, kyser66ch is unimpressed:

User avatar for kyser66ch

Didn't realise they were remaking Dune...with a rolly robot thingy...and Assassin's Creed CGI...oh dear. Captain Disappointment is firing up the Jah-Jah Binks of bad ideas.

Decider.com have pointed out that Star Wars fans have previously been let down by great trailers to poor Star Wars films. Do you remember how good The Phantom Menace looked?

“From start to finish, this teaser promises mysticism, adventure, and From start to finish, this teaser promises mysticism, adventure, and heroism. In reality, this trailer is just the best 2:13 minutes of the movie cleverly edited together to illicit a proper fan orgasm.”

Updated

The Hollywood Reporter have offered their take, although it doesn’t add much if you’ve already seen the trailer:

The first Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser has finally arrived.

“There has been an awakening — have you felt it? The dark side, and the light,” says an ominous voice, just before Hans Solo’s Falcon soars into view and the franchise’s iconic theme song plays.

And there’s a gif of the Millenium Falcon’s reappearance:

The lightsaber is getting some deep-level analysis:

Although the Guardian’s Jonathan Haynes adds a note of dissent:

The trailer looks as though it’s rewarding multiple viewings:

Ralph Mcquarrie is the designer who worked on Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, ET the Extra-Terrestrial and Cocoon.

So far the reaction seems overwhelmingly positive. The consensus seems to be that it looks far better than the past three films.

Updated

The men of Shortlist magazine are on their third viewing:

It doesn’t look like the film this fan wanted:

British GQ have some helpful screengrabs:

The lightsaber is confusing some people:

John Boyega’s appearance has impresaed fans:

Updated

Our man Jordan Hoffman has just watched the trailer at the Cinema in New York where a lot of people left straight afterwards. He was impressed - his report is up very soon.

Some early reaction from Twitter:

A lot of people tweeting this image:

The Star Wars: the Force Awakens trailer has been released

The long-awaited trailer for the JJ Abrams-directed film is out. It’s the first of the franchise he’s directed and reunites some of the original cast. We’ll be rounding up reaction to it – do add your thoughts below.

Updated

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