Star Wars Shows Off The Millennium Falcon In New Vid (Plus A Surprise Twist)
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Director J.J. Abrams has been doling out a steady diet of fan service as the production of Episode VII has rolled on, tossing out videos that highlight his commitment to using practical effects as much as possible in the new Star Wars film. We’ve seen alien creatures and a full-size X-wing fighter, but the latest video is the best one yet. Even if you’re skeptical about Abrams’ take on the Star Wars universe, see if this doesn’t give you goosebumps.
If you haven’t been keeping track of the ongoing silliness between the Ep VII folks and the Superman v. Batman: Dawn of Justice production, you may have gotten really confused around the 16-second mark. That’s when William’s score is replaced by Hans Zimmer’s Dark Knight theme and the camera zooms in close to reveal a cunningly camouflaged model of Batman’s Tumbler stuck to the underside of the Falcon.
Here’s where the backstory comes in. It all started during Comic-Con this past July, when Zack Snyder tweeted out a picture of Henry Cavill sporting dark robes and a red Sith lightsaber, along with the hashtag #SuperJedi.
Then Episode VII actor John Boyega fired back with a shot of him dressed like Batman and wielding a Star Wars blaster.
From there, the DC vs. Star Wars mashup rivalry took a page from the end of Batman Begins and just kept on escalating, with Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot trying to one-up each other with each new volley.
And now the Star Wars camp has really thrown down the gauntlet by actually incorporating the running joke into the screen-used Falcon. Short of actually having Ben Affleck fight Darth Vader onscreen in Dawn of Justice, I don’t know how Snyder is going to top this one.
Easter eggs aside, it’s amazing how powerful that simple close-up reveal of Millennium Falcon is, especially when combined with John Williams’ stirring Star Wars score. Honestly, I think it’s got me more excited about Episode VII than just about anything that’s come before. Whether Abrams and company will truly give us the Star Wars sequel we’ve been dreaming of remains to be seen, but so far they seem to be doing everything right. Don’t take our word for it; trust instead in Kevin Smith. (Skip to around the seven-minute mark for his recollection of being brought to tears while stepping onto the Falcon set.)
