OK, brace yourselves - this is it! We're entering the final month or so before Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the marketing is beginning to ramp up from "for the fans" nostalgia teasers to big, mainstream advertising. Disney's just released a collection of new character posters, showing off some of the movie's key players and giving a few more scant details to get hyped up about. The running theme is classic headshots with some weapon obscuring half of their face. Seems an odd choice, but I guess it's to showcase both the character themselves and the iconic objects in one easy shot. Anyway, enough jabber - let's take a look, shall we?
Finn
Boy, they're not being shy about Finn using that lightsaber, are they? My thinking has leaned on him only wielding the weapon out of necessity, not because he's a Force user, and while the prominent marketing could sway some people, I'm still firmly in the camp John Boyega's not a Jedi.
Rey
Daisy Ridley was an unknown when she was cast as Rey, who it's now clear is The Force Awakens chief protagonist, which is always a shaky prospect with a big blockbuster like this, but with every new look she appears increasingly more badass.
Leia
After being absent from much of the marketing, we're finally getting a proper look at Leia. What exactly her role in the movie is isn't clear, although the fact she's surrounded by some sort of laser schematics here suggests it will indeed be in some form of Resistance control role.
Han Solo
If there's one image that gets me absolutely giddy for The Force Awakens, it's this. Harrison Ford, back in his biggest role (sorry Indy) looking exactly like old Han should. This is the poster where the weapon effect looks the weirdest, probably due to the barrel's irregular size, but it's hard to complain when what it's showing is so awesome.
Kylo Ren
The movie's big bad, Kylo Ren's mask and crossguard lightsaber have become emblems of the movie. I love the effect on his presumably homemade saber - all ragged and unrefined - and it makes for what is probably the best of these posters. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in cinemas from 17th December in the UK and 18th December in the US.
