The “Dark Side” of “Star Wars” Hype
With more than a month and a half still to go until the end of the year, the only movie anyone seems to be talking about is “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” a film that some of my friends believe is going to be the biggest cinematic event of the decade.
The buzz that each trailer has created since the minute-long teaser came out a year ago is enough to warrant predictions of a $615 million worldwide opening, breaking every major blockbuster record of our time.
With all of this talk leading up to the Dec. 18 release date, I have already become fatigued with lightsabers, the Force, Wookiees, the Millennium Falcon, Stormtroopers, J.J. Abrams, Disney, whether Daisy Ridley’s character is Luke’s daughter, how Darth Vader’s mask showed up, another Death Star, Harrison Ford’s health, Star Wars branded Legos, and more. Just make it stop.
As of today, I have officially reached my breaking point. The hype has actually made me less excited for the film. Maybe it is my frustration with the modern Hollywood blockbuster, where the only truly great studio film this summer was “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
YouTube is filled to the brim with trailer reviews, prequel reviews, reaction videos, Easter egg breakdowns, and endless speculation that keeps feeding the cycle.
People are even making videos analyzing the Japanese trailer to avoid missing a single frame. Can we talk about other upcoming films like “Creed,” “The Big Short,” or “The Revenant”?
Disney’s marketing strategy is worse. It feels like a calculated assault on nostalgia and childhood memory. A trip to Target means entire aisles of Star Wars everything, from napkins to makeup.
Marketers already have shirts for every character, and we do not even know if the movie is good. Earlier this semester, I wrote about the dangers of the “nerd” label , and Star Wars has become the prime example of how nostalgia turns into a marketing machine.
Only a few films in cinema history could live up to this level of hype, and none were directed by J.J. Abrams . While I respect his restraint in not revealing too much, hiding nearly everything has fueled unrealistic expectations.
If even George Lucas could not live up to the original trilogy, what makes people think the writer of “Gone Fishin’” and “Armageddon” will recreate cinematic lightning for a generation that has romanticized these films for forty years?
It could still be a good movie, and I hope it is. But hype like this is reserved for great films. Until then, I am done speculating. I simply do not care anymore.

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