MEET JOE TRAILER!
Review by Jody Reeves
They're coming! They're
REALLY coming!! Okay, well, at least the FIRST film we've been promised is
coming, and staffer Jody Reeves takes us inside the theater for a look at the trailer for
The Phantom Menace..
.
(C) Lucasfilm Ltd www.starwars.com
Before I get started on just how great the "Star Wars: Episode I" trailer was, please indulge me for a moment as I drift off on a separate tangent...
"Meet Joe Black" is one of the worst films ever made! It was 2 hours and 59 minutes too long, the dialogue had to be extracted from the characters with tweezers, and Brad Pitt's obsession with peanut butter was painful to endure.
That said, on to the cheesecake! I won't bore you with a play-by-play, stills and downloads of the trailer are available at www.starwars.com. This is just to get my thoughts together and to encourage everyone to do what they can to view the trailer.
Friends, this had to be the best two minutes of my life. This tops Star Tours and the Indiana Jones ride put together. It was like celebrating Christmas and my birthday at the same time. I was utterly speechless.
The audience at the Uptown Theater in Washington, DC was fabulous. Three other previews were shown, and the groans from the crowd were audible. Finally, the 20th Century Fox logo popped up and faded out to the Lucasfilm logo. The whoops and cheers suddenly led to a hush of anticipation. The Force theme music began as the image of creatures walking through a swamp faded up. The next images of the sweeping deserts of Tatooine and the capital city of Naboo were no less impressive. Then...BOOM! We're suddenly watching a vehicle similar to a speeder bike whizzing by at incredible speed and the onslaught of images increased.
I sat there, allowing myself to just absorb the imagery. Even though it felt like a blur afterwards, a few things stand out:
- The CGI characters are outstanding. The battle droids still
look obviously animated, but I'm sure that's still in the working process. The faintly
bunny-looking guy who hangs out with Liam Neeson (Ok, so I haven't had the chance to learn
everyone's names <g>) was amazing.
(C) Lucasfilm Ltd www.starwars.com
- Darth Maul and his double-bladed lightsaber are so badass as to be unbelievable. I've always had a soft spot for the baddies, my membership in the Maidens of Vader can attest to that. But this guy is going to be too cool.
- Yoda is more realistic looking than before. Granted, everyone knew Yoda was a muppet when "Empire" was released, but he sure didn't look like one. Fifteen years later, Yoda looks even more incredible.
- There was the tiniest glimpse of a three-way lightsaber fight. Yoweee!
For everyone who is waiting for the official release of the trailer, I say - GET THEE TO A THEATER! Even if you have to sit through "Meet Joe Black," it is worth it. Don't be shy, call your local multiplex and, if you actually get to speak to a live human, ask which movies are being used to show the Episode I trailer. Hopefully, it's with a movie better than "Meet Joe Black." Like "The Waterboy."
(When not slaving away in America's own version of the Imperial Senate, Jody Reeves can be found avidly hunting down nude photos of Harrison Ford on the internet. Authenticity matters not.)
Editor's Note: Unlike many sites around the Internet, ECHO STATION has decided to not put copies of the Prequel video available off of our site for a number of reasons, including respecting legal restrictions. Please go to www.starwars.com for an opportunity to download the files for viewing on your local system.