Happy birthday, kiddies.
From Dark Horizons:
A few hours ago I got to see a high quality capture of the new full-length trailer for SW2 premiering tomorrow night on FOX. Now to me, the three teaser trailers were good but not great. They had their moments with the action scenes proving the most exciting and interesting though the romance seemed forced and Christensen's line delivery somewhat stilted (esp. the "It's All Obi-Wan's Fault" line). This one however proves much better and here's a shot by shot description:
- A two engined silver ship flies into a desert settlement which looks a lot like Mos Eisley did in "Star Wars: Special Edition" (ie. the same circular landing bays)
- Creatures in darkness (Geonasians) approach the inside of a stadium of sorts - sheer cliff walls with steps and little inner cave 'booths' form a circular wall around a flatbed of sand.
- A pterodactyl-like creature flies over a giant wave. A flying Geonasian swoops down on a corridor inside a cave. A shot of a giant dome on Coruscant. Each of the above shots have a short tuba like 'BMPPHH' noise.
- Palpatine in his office talking with Jedi council members. Palpatine: "I will not let this Republic be split in two, my negotiations will not fail" (quick cut of Padme and others staring).
- Mace Windu responding to Palpatine: "If they do, there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We're keepers of the peace - not soldiers".
- Obi-Wan at a nightclub whipping out his lightsabre and striking down someone approaching him from behind. Traditional SW theme plays in the background from this point.
- Anakin runs and jumps into a speeder. Shot of two speeders flying through Coruscant traffic
- In speeder. Obi-Wan: "You know I don't like it when you do that", Anakin: "Sorry Master, I forgot you don't like flying". Vehicles come head on at the camera.
- In speeder. Obi-Wan: "Well you've lost him", Anakin: "If You'll Excuse Me" and jumps out the speeder. Anakin falls hundreds of metres through traffic, the ground of Coruscant looks to have lava rivers. Obi-Wan: "I hate it when he does that".
- Obi-Wan and Anakin talking in a room. Obi-wan: "Anakin, don't do anything without first consulting either myself or the council" - intercut with shots of them bowing to the council.
- Palpatine talking with Anakin in his office: "You don't need guidance Anakin, I see you becoming the greatest of all Jedi".
- Quick shot of Anakin swishing his blade
- Mace Windu, Obi-Wan and Yoda on a floating chair walk down a beautiful CG corridor with no walls in a giant pillar-filled cathedral bathed in pink sunlight. Mace: "The boy has exceptional skills". Quick cut to Anakin who toys with a floating ball by a window on Coruscant.
- Back in the corridor - Obi-Wan: "His abilites have made him arrogant".
- Anakin talks to Padme: "Excuse Me" (in a condescending tone). "I'm in charge of security here m'lady".
- Camera follows a red ship flying underneath a droid control ship. The four pronged red ship has cables attached to a large bulge at the front which unfurls into a giant solar sail.
- Obi-Wan holographic message: "They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army". Intercut with Jango getting up of the ground and raising his arm along with a shot of Obi-Wan's hologram addressing a lot of people in Palpatine's office. His hologram says "Wait" and unfurls his sabre.
- Shots of Jango and Obi-Wan fighting.
- Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) with a goatee and the ULTIMATE turtleneck sweater says "We must stop them before they're ready".
- Obi-Wan addressing Jango without any armour on in a white medical like environment. Obi-Wan: "Your clones are very impressive". Jango: "They'll do their job well" (sounds like Temeura Morrison got to keep his original accent albeit a bit more formal than usual).
- Jango's ship pursues and fires at Obi-Wan in an asteroid field. Obi-Wan: "Blast, this is why I hate flying".
- Jango's ship fires a large missile, Obi-Wan's ship flys through a hole in a meteor while the missile pursues him.
- Palpatine's office - Mas Amadda (horned blue guy from the first film's senate scene) saying "This is a crisis"
- Awesome shots of Obi-Wan's ship flying through a crevasse as explosion flame follows him, cutting to his ship flying out of a meteor which explodes, sets off a shockwave and crumbles.
- Senate shot, Mas Amadda voice over: "The senate must vote the Chancellor emergency powers".
- Palpatine addresses the Senate: "As my first act, I will create a grand army of the Republic to encounter the increasing threats of the seperatists". Last bit of speech combined with an astonishing shot of thousands of clone soliders in the foreground whilst giant triangular ships (about 7 or 8) take off behind them.
- The Empire music starts in the background. Naboo palace room: Sio Bibble (old guy from the first film who was left in charge of Naboo whilst Amidala was away) talks with several people incl. Anakin: "There hasn't been a full scale war since the formation of the Republic".
- Four giant craft are being fired at as they round a tall rock on a desert planet
- Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) looks upwards in a dark rock room: "You must join me Obi-Wan, together we will destroy the Sith" (cut to shot of Obi-Wan caught in forcefield).
- C-3PO and R2-D2 in corridor and surprised by several Geonasians emerging from a doorway on one side.
- The Jedi council. Yoda: "The dark side clouds everything".
- Geonasian swoops at camera. Anakin thrusts out hand and a group of Geonasians in a corridor go flying back.
- Anakin & Padme stand on a ledge above a conveyor belt of glowing lights, Padme in white robes is about to fall.
- Yoda: "In grave danger you are"
- Dark room, Anakin does a flying somersault up and out of a pit back onto a walkway hitting two Geonasians. This and the next two shots all seem to be set in a dark, steamy alien factory.
- Padme is now on the conveyor belt and runs under a machine to avoid being 'stamped' to death by it.
- R2-D2 flys through the air in the factory
- Three giant spider vehicles (each one is four mechanical legs around a spherical middle with a radar dish at the bottom) and several firing droids run forward on a desert planet.
- The next few shots are within the stadium mentioned at the start. Obi-Wan swings his sabre blocking beams.
- Padme hits a dragon like creature with a chain, as a giant two clawed paw scratches her from behind.
- BEST SHOT of the TRAILER: Multiple Jedi knights fighting with multi coloured blades blocking shots.
- More droids run forward as does a smaller version of the spider mech creature (this one has a ruby red 'eye' and a big gun at the front).
- Giant shockwave in the desert rock from an explosion
- Clone army with guns firing along with a more compact primitive versions of those giant AT-AT land vehicles that attack the Rebel base on Hoth in "Empire Strikes Back".
- Droids on the other side fire back, lots of weapon smoke trails and explosions.
- Padme shoots upwards in the stadium as thousands of Geonasians fly up and away from it.
- Giant egg like Federation vehicles with landing pads lift off.
- Battledroids fire.
- Mace Windu whips his sabre (same shot that appeared in EW).
- Republic gunships launch missiles at a mechanical tower and it explodes. TITLE Graphic
- Yoda: "Begun this Clone War has".
- Obi-Wan with sabre charges at something.
- Battle droids roll out into the stadium.
- Gigantic creature roars and throws down its arm.
- Another awesome shot of the huge Jedi fight
- Anakin with sabre out. Anakin with two sabres fights Dooku.
- Republic gunships sprays down droids with shots
- Battle droid explodes
- A transparent spherical firing tower in a ship fires at something
- Republic gunships soar by camera as in the air and on the ground are two ships which look similar to Imperial Star Destroyers from the original trilogy.
- A little over a dozen jedi with blades out are surrounded by hundreds of battle droids who are moving in for the kill
- Credits
Review: All up its a very good trailer, much better than the last few. One great thing about it not present in either the previous film or three teasers is a real sense of darkness - even environments like Coruscant feel much darker in both look and tone this time whilst the action has more of an epic feel. This looks like it'll resemble 'Empire Strikes Back' the most which can only be a good thing. Plot details are kept sketchy, and music is used well but no theme stands out other than the great Empire music we all know and love. Christensen is better but the "m'lady' delivery made me wince and the humour still feels somewhat forced. Portman or the droids hardly appear here, and there's zero sign of Jar Jar whereas Jackson and McDiarmid get some good lines. I wouldn't put it up there with the final LOTR or Spider-Man trailers but nevertheless my anticipation level has risen from vaguely interested to quite interested (and I'm only a casual fan of the series). Hardcore fans will mess up their pants in a big way in joy.