Star Wars: Episode 8 Fan Trailer Builds The Hype

When people are eagerly anticipating a movie, almost nothing gets them as excited as a trailer for the film. Hoping to catch tidbits that might give them insight to the story, or be the first to tell all their friends about it, even a teaser trailer can get people excited - especially in a loved and established franchise like Star Wars. When the teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace aired before the film Meet Joe Black, Star Wars fans would pay full price for a movie ticket just to see the trailer on the big screen - and then walk out before the movie actually began.

Because of the anticipation it builds, Disney has so far been very quick on the draw for Star Wars trailers in the last few years. The teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered over a year before the movie did. It only showed seven scenes for a few seconds each, with some narration, but the internet was immediately buzzing like mad over revelations, such as John Boyega playing a stormtrooper and excitement over the first new shot of the Millennium Falcon in decades. The first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was seen during Good Morning America in April of 2016, eight months before the film hit theaters. So when it comes to Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, fans are ready for the first shots of the film to be released.

Thanks to an unverified Facebook Page for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, some fans thought they had already watched the movie's first trailer. A 90-second video was posted a few days ago (see below), and hundreds of thousands of people have already checked it out - a supposed trailer for the upcoming film. It's a very entertaining fan-made video, promising an action-packed yet character-driven continuation to The Force Awakens. There is just one problem. It's not an official trailer.

It certainly looks like it could be real, but upon closer inspection it appears to be a combination of Force Awakens footage with footage from various other sources. There even appears to be some shots filmed specifically for the trailer. Clever tricks are used to cover the people standing in for the movie's actual cast, such as a shot of Rey wearing a blindfold while performing her Jedi training. It hides the identity of the person who is playing Rey in that shot, while calling back a nostalgic moment from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

There is also the marketing side to consider. Disney would want to build as much hype as possible for the release of the teaser trailer, it would not be released without fanfare on Facebook. The world will be told when and where to watch it far in advance. And then there is the sheer amount of footage, far more than is typically seen in a teaser. Not to mention that the amount of post-production work that goes into an effects-heavy film like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, would make it unlikely that so much footage was trailer ready at this time.

Still, the fan-made trailer is certainly worth a look or two. It's beautifully made and shows a lot of love for the franchise. In fact, if the people who made it were to make an entire film, it would probably be worth watching. It might not be the real trailer, but its a great trailer, and it certainly has helped build hype for when the real Star Wars: The Last Jedi teaser trailer arrives - hopefully, soon.