The movie posters for all the “Star Wars” movies have been praised for the unique look and the amount of media attention they draw. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” did not stray from this trend. The poster for this long awaited movie drew an incredible amount of media attention along with fans of the old movies and a new generation of fans. The poster shows Many familiar characters and familiar ships. Along with the many familiar things that are seen, just as many if not more unfamiliar objects and people are seen. These new elements of the story had many people interested and confused, along with wanting to see more. Through the elements of composition, motif and the focal points of the poster it made many fans of the franchise, new and old, want to see more. These elements sparked interest in the movie because they answered some questions but left many more unanswered, thus driving people to want to see the movie because of the aura of mystery. 

The composition of the poster is done with great care because it is symbolic of many things that are to come throughout the movie. The thing that makes this so obvious is the proximity on the poster between Kylo-Ren (the black-hooded man) and Rey (the female with the staff). This gives the idea that these two will be battling or rivals throughout the movie. They both have their weapons drawn and look like they are about the fight. This is very important because it sparks interest and poses many questions such as “Will they end up being rivals?” and “If so, why will they be rivals?” The next largest part of the image is on the opposite side of the frame and is the character named Fin holding the blue light saber. This causes people to wonder how he got the coveted blue Lightsaber and if he is in fact the next generation to take on a role as a Jedi Knight. Another part of the image that draws attention is the large spaceship-like object in the back right. This draws attention from fans of the “Star Wars” movies that preceded this installment because it looks similar to the Death Star, but it is not in fact the same ship. It has similar qualities yet looks larger and has a different aesthetic look. Something that takes a little bit extra attention to see is the rows of Clone soldiers at the bottom of the image and these soldiers have an ominous look as they are in less light and are bearing weapons. In the center of the image old favorites such as R2D2, C3PO, Han Solo and Leia can be seen and this will draw in old viewers of the previous movies because many fans will like to see how these characters will be involved in the new plot. 

This poster has many things going on at once and there are many things to focus on as a result of that. There seem to be however two main points that the eyes go to first when examining this poster. The first part of the image that many people are drawn to is the upper left side of the poster where Kylo-Ren and Rey are. The first thing many people wonder are who is the black hooded man under that mask. He is the largest part of the poster so he draws attention. He also has a bright red Lightsaber that has flare at the top of the handle which has never been used before in the Star Wars universe. Aside from the general mystery and of who he is, many wonder why he and Rey are so close to each other when she only has a staff as a weapon and not a Lightsaber, like Fin. Fin, who has the blue Lightsaber, is the opposite side of the image. Many would think that the two figures with the Lightsabers would be the ones paired together to fight, especially because the Lightsabers are red and blue, the colors that are known to represent good and evil. Another way to look at the proximity of Kylo-Ren and Rey is that they are on the same side of the battle because looking at the picture everyone on the right side of the image, besides the clone soldiers at the bottom of the image, is known to be on the side that fights evil. Looking at the poster this way it could cause people to wonder if they are fighting together and if so, why? These parts of the image seem to not exactly match up with many people’s ideas coming in and causes them to wonder who will be the one to represent Light side and take on the ominous looking and presumable representative of the Dark side, Kylo-Ren.  

The extremely pertinent motif that occurs in this poster is that there is a war going on, or that one is imminent. This is very obvious and the word “War” is even in the title of the movie, along with the fact that almost all the characters pictured have weapons and or armor. There are also many ships and gunfire involved in the poster, along with full scale army of clones. War is an obvious motif in the poster but the real question is not, “Will there be war in this movie?” but Why will there be war in the movie?” This question can be asked by anyone viewing this visual text but it means even more to those who are fans of the franchise. In the most chronologically recent movie, the Rebel Alliance had defeated the Empire, good had triumphed over evil and everything was set up to be right in the universe. This clearly did not happen however because there is clearly another war, with many new faces and some old. Also the title “The Force Awakens” stirs many questions. The word “awakens” especially because it implies that it has been “asleep” for a period of time. This could make people wonder who awakened the force and is this possibly what the war is about? That also likely portrays that a new generation has taken power and has started a war, but what does this new Dark side generation want? Who is the leader with all of the old antagonists dying? These are questions that come to mind from many viewers, old and new alike. 

Pictures, in general, are meant to be grasping and make you think. The specific purpose of movie posters is to make the viewer so interested that they go spend money on the product. In the specific case of this movie poster, it does just that. There are many elements of the poster that grab the attention of viewers and that is the whole purpose. This poster does a great job of teasing the avid fan of the franchise while also catering to those that might not be familiar with the series by making this poster give off the sense that there will be action in a futuristic setting which draws in many movie-goers. This poster was made to have the person who views it to be interested and have questions that can only be answered by seeing the film, which is exactly what it accomplishes. 