Based on comments from director J.J. Abrams, if you were worried about there being too many practical effects in the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fear not, because this thing (like any other sci-fi film today), is going to have a healthy mix of both:


Some have gotten the impression that this website has a vendetta against VFX, which couldn't be further from the truth. The issue is bad VFX. If you're putting something on screen that instantly rings false, I'm going to be taken out of the movie completely. This isn't a post to go off about that entire industry, but there are a lot of reasons that we've seen some pretty awful VFX on-screen, and a lot of it has to do with how movies are made and the insane timelines that artists are given to complete shots (not to mention the fact that the work tends to go to the lowest bidder, wherever the tax credits are highest). 

All that aside, this is likely going to be one of the biggest opening weekends of all time and hopefully restore hope to the franchise that recently saw some tumbles thanks to the Prequels (which I'll go out on a limb again and say weren't as bad as you remember, and the original films aren't as perfect as you imagine either). There's no need to remove all VFX to make a good film — and would, in fact, be a bit silly considering the universe that Star Wars takes place in. What looks to be happening with the newest film from Abrams is a course correction, recognizing that the human brain wants to be fooled, and that a little nostalgia can go a long way.

Either way, the trailer world has certainly come a long way from the late 70s:

Who already has their tickets for December 18th (or 17th depending on where you live)?