Immediately invalidating my stance to not contribute to the hype, I’m going to begin a shot-by-shot recap/analysis of the trailer. It seems easiest to describe every quick edit and bit of dialogue that comes onscreen. Numbers are for quick reference.
I probably should add a spoiler warning, but it’s about a trailer for an upcoming movie-- of course it’s got spoilers! If you don’t want to know anything, exercise some self control and get out of the thread! Besides, I don’t wanna. Neener, neener, neener.
Last chance.
1: MPAA APPROVED FOR ALL AUDIENCES logo
2: 20th Century Fox logo
3: Lucasfilm logo. I’m being very thorough.
4: Four ships whiz by, head to the underside of a massive planet. Opening strains of John Willaims score plays in the background.
5: Establishing shot of Coruscant, the seat of the Republic.
6: Close-up of Palpatine. “The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural.”
7: Close-up Aanakin Skywalker, dressed seemingly in black in a poofy hairstyle I deeply despise. “Is it possible to learn this power?”
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“Not from a Jedi.”
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CUT TO: Ship landing somewhere. Naboo?
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Overlap, OBI WAN KENOBI speaking to Aanakin walking through a spacious hall.
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Kenobi, In V.O.: “The Council wants you to report on all the Chancellor’s dealings.” Close up-of Kenobi here.
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Aanakin: “That’s treason!”
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Shot of Emperor Palpatine standing up. Oooo. That’s… not interesting.
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Armed Robot Droids approaching…wearing capes. Jeez. They’re also making this weird distracting cricket noise.
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KENOBI and SKYWALKER in shot: “We are at war, Aanakin.”
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CUT TO: Space battle. Ship exploding.
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CUT TO: More explosions.
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CUT TO: Members of, I think, the Jedi Council observing a round computer generated image of something. Uh-oh. Do they know about the Death Star?
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MACE WINDU, in V.O…" Very dangerous, putting them together. I don’t think the boy can handle it. I don’t trust him."
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Sywalker and the Chancellor talking in chambers during the V.O.
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Windu and Kenobi riding inside a transport above the city, Windu looking pissed and distrustful.
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CUT TO: Robots shooting with guns.
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CUT TO: More ships exploding in space. Man, somebody’s getting a galactic ass-whuppin.
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PALPATINE, talking to Aanakin. “I need your help, son.” ME: Son? WTF?
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PALPATINE, walking away from Aanakin down some stairs. “I’m appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council.”
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CUT TO: Aanakin standing in the middle of the Council. There’s about six council members; Yoda and Mace are more of less dead center. We’ve seen several in the previous two prequels but there’s this glowing guy in front of Aanakin and another sitting to the right side of the screen that were KILLED in the last movie. A ghost? Oh, the Jedi Council Chamber looks different, too – designs on the floor, mostly.
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WACE WINDU. “You’re on this Council. But we do not grant you the rank of master.” Oh, no he di-ii-in’t!
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AANAKIN. “W-what?” Me: HA! What a minute – is that fucking JAR-JAR BINKS sitting in on a Jedi Council meeting on the far right corner of this shot??
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Kenobi says nothing, looks like he’s holding his tongue.
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CUT TO: Aanakin at home, bitching to Padme: “Kenobi and the Council don’t trust me.”
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Padme looks worried, almost pleading.
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MORE explosions in space.
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Aanakin now has a scar on his face.
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Padme and Aanakin standing around in perhaps, their bedroom. Natalie Portman is looking seriously kinda hot in that shot.
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PALPATINE again. “Learn to know the dark side of the force and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi!”
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CUT TO. Darth Sidious’ throne. Standing to the far left is Count Dooku. On the right, Aanakin raises his light sabre and they clash.
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CUT: Close up on MACE WINDU, flanked by two Council members. “You’re under arrest, Chancellor!”
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CUT TO PALPATINE, preternaturally calm. “Are you threatening me, master Jedi?”
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CUT TO: Palpatine’s Right hand. A light saber suddenly pops open.
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CUT TO: There’s no way I can quite do this justice: the Chancellor gives an animal-like snarl and lunges superquick at the Jedi.
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CUT TO: A wide shot of a large room. Armed droids surround Obi Wan Kenobi, whose dressed as a Tattooine.
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CUT TO. Another explosion in space, of a heavily damaged ship drifting aimlessly. This scene is accompanied by an ominous sounding drumbeat.
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CUT TO. A shell shocked Jimmy Smits emerges from some rubble, screaming. Drumbeat.
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CUT TO: A ship whizzing by. Drumbeat.
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CUT TO: Aanakin hanging on for dear life off the edge of a long drop. Yawn. Drumbeat.
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CUT TO: Volcanic heat and molten lava everywhere.
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VERY QUICK CUT TO: Two people fighting, possibly a droid and a human.
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CUT TO: War machine of some sort toppling over, someone thrown off at the audience, filling the screeen.
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Dreambeats stop. Establishing shot of the skyline of Coruscant. Smoke billowing from the distance from what appears to be the Jedi Council building, possibly an allusion to to the WTC and 9/11.
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CUT TO. A worried Kenobi, surrounded by droids.
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DARTH SIDIOUS: “Every single Jedi is now an enemy…”
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Mace Windu facing off with Count Dooku. This is a neat shot of the purple light sabre in front of his face, his eyes glowering in determiniation. SWEET. I want a screen shot of this for my desktop.
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Close up of Yoda’s wrinkly face.
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A wookie! Maybe even CHEWBACCA! He growls plaintively.
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Space shot of big ass ship whizzing by to unknown planet.
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DARTH SIDIOUS V.O., apparently finishing his thought from several cuts back. “Do what must be done!” CUT TO Aanakin, face half-hidden in robes.
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Overhead shot on formation a goose stepping battalion of battle clone troops. Leading them is Aanakin looking kinda badass.
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CUT TO: That green-skinned Hutt slave girl flanked by droids. Under arrest?
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CUT TO: The dude on the Jedi Council with the white beard and long head.
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V.O. as dirty looking storm troopers shoot and kill.
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CUT TO: Hooded Aanakin walks the halls. Ooo.
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CUT TO: Hooded figure cutting the fuck up a bunch of people. Okay, I take back my last comment.
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CUT TO: OBI WAN KENOBI and Yoda talking in earnest. No sign of Mace. Uh-oh… Kenobi asks, “Who could have done this?”
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CUT TO: Two hooded figures dueling, one in black, one in brown. Obi Wan and Aanakin?
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YODA V.O. Can’t quite make out," …ted, by the Dark Side, Young Skywalker has become."
[Okay… things move very quick now… try and keep up…]
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Very shiny C3P0 saying, “Master is so helpless.” Shut up, Threepio.
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Screen fills up with long powerful ships crossing space.
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Padme’s standing in tears in a dark room.
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Two blue light sabres flashing in the dark!
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Small ship flies on the underside of a much larger one!
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A laticce of electrical energy overwhelms Yoda!
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Wookie growls in snowy wind!
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Two hands almost touch tenatively!
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One of the hands apparently belongs to Kenobi… he’s using the force … and losing!
4 or 5 quick edits of war machines! It’s so much to recap! I’m going to quit numbering now!
R2D2 in the back of a fighter!
Blue lightsabre backdropped by exploding lava!
Skywalker lit in the red glo of the lava!
A dishevelled KENOBI yelling, “You were the CHOSEN ONE!”
More explosions.
Leaping Yoda.
Laughing Darth Sidous.
More explosions.
Lava falling.
Ships divebombing over water.
Yoda’s wrinkly head again.
MACE!! Wha–?
BIG EXPLOSION.
Lots of ships firing in space.
More sabre-durling in the lava…
Title Card STAR WARS III: Revenge of the SITH appears.
Music reaching a crescendo…
Final shot: Head and chest shot Darth Vader almost self-consciously crossing his arms and peering off into the void of space, seemingly lost in thought.
Okay, that’s it. If you have some corrections or additional names or stuff I missed, post changes. Should be fun.
Let’s overanalyze!