Top 5 Trailers (2014-2018)

Now that the Solo trailer is out and we're a full year away from Episode IX teaser, I thought it's a good moment to summarise how we feel about the trailers we've got so far in this new age of Star Wars (the 2014-2018 period). I don't count international trailers, because I've always considered them semi-official and they never bring a whole lot to the table... Besides, it's hard to keep track of them. Let's stick with what's uploaded to the official YouTube channel.

Make a list of your top 5 trailers/teasers and vote for the best one in the poll above. Let's not discredit trailers for scenes which didn’t make it to the final cut and stuff like that, but consider them based on the impact they made at the time of their release. Think about how effective they were. Possible criteria: editing, selection of shots, music, how much it gave away, how hyped it made you etc.

My ranking:

1) The Last Jedi - Full Trailer
It was a very rich and satisfying trailer, yet I didn’t feel like I saw too much. Well composed music, great selection of scenes and lines. The Kylo & Leia moment was a brilliant thing to put there. The whole trailer was a rollercoaster, it got a very lively reaction from me. I also like how it changed my perception of what this film is like by showing stuff I didn’t expect. Highlights: Kylo smashing his helmet, TIE Silencer, Luke's lines and his hand popping out of debris, Kylo and Leia, Rey tortured by Snoke (although I felt like that's a bit of a spoiler).

2) Rogue One - Teaser
This one is pretty special for me, because of how hyped it made me for the movie. Not that I wasn’t excited before I saw it, but I didn’t know what to expect, so the teaser still took me basically from 0 to 100 like that. I didn’t know it can be THIS cool. The dark atmosphere, cool shots, Death Troopers… It showed the potential of standalones.

3) The Last Jedi - Teaser
I wasn't sure whether to put it on the 2nd or 3rd spot. Again, great selection of scenes (Rey's lightsaber training, the books, Crait, Luke's silhouette at the end, that great shot of Kylo) and perhaps the best, most organic music out of the bunch. The epic Force theme jingle at the end is the best one yet. “It’s time for the Jedi to end” was quite shocking to hear and it set the tone immediately - brilliant way to finish the trailer.

4) The Force Awakens - Teaser 2
“Chewie, we’re home” is not the main reason I love this one. My favourite thing about it is how euphoric it feels, particularly in the second half with the rising music. A couple of cool reveals here too: Luke and R2, Vader’s helmet, the lightsaber, the crashed Star Destroyer and obviously Han & Chewie.

5) The Force Awakens - Full Trailer
I remember that watching this one was very emotional. The music was very effective and the overall feeling TFA is near made it special. I will admit, though, that in this one the film started to look a bit small. Perhaps too much Takodana footage. And that Knights of Ren shot… It's so good, but little did we know that’s it for them for at least the next 4 years.