The Flare is strong in this one.
Despite all of the hype and attention focused on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we actually know very little about what will happen in the next chapter of this landmark franchise. Perhaps the one thing we all know, the one thing that we can all be certain about, is that with lens flare aficionado J.J. Abrams directing, we’re sure to see some outstanding and repeated (and repeated) use of this not-at-all overused technique. Join us as we rank the top lens flare moments from all of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailers released so far.
7: Dark locales plus weapons that emit beams of pure light equals a lens flare paradise. Even this fairly generic shot of stormtroopers running out of a ship offers flares aplenty.
6: The Millennium Falcon is, without a trace of hyperbole, the greatest ship (fictional or not) ever designed. The blue flare as it speeds away from the camera only adds to its majesty. Plus, it’s speeding towards the wreckage of a downed Star Destroyer, which is, you know, AMAZING.
5: The lens flare off the surface of the water here makes this an oddly peaceful, calming shot. It’s like watching a flock of peaceful, heavily armed metal geese flying low over a lake, throwing up tons of water in their sublight engine-fuelled wake. Serenity.
4: You know what that lens flare shining off Captain Phasma’s helmet means? It means you don’t f*** with her, that’s what. Nothing says badass more than light reflecting off highly-polished armor. After all, you don’t see light shining from any old stormtrooper’s dusty helmet, do you?
3: Sure, the lens flare emanating from Kylo Ren’s red lightsaber is impressive on its own, but what really elevates this shot are the two corner flares from those stormtroopers’ weapons. Two guiding flares supporting a central flare–that’s some some next level lens flare stuff right there.
2: They say lens flare adds to the drama of a scene due to heightened sense of “realism” it imparts. All I say is “look at how sweet this awesome tracking shot of the Millennium Falcon is.”
1: This impressive shot from the latest trailer is a goddamn flare masterpiece, filling the screen with so much red light that it actually obscures everything else in the room. This is the pinnacle of lens flare, created by a lens flare expert at the peak of his flaring powers.