Star Wars: The Force Awakens May Run A Bit Longer Than Expected
By Kyle Warnke
The original trilogy may have averaged shorter runtimes compared to the prequel films, but when it comes to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there’s no doubt the time will fly by at lightspeed while fans are watching the film in theaters for the first time Dec. 18. Still, it’s always nice to get a little more Star Wars for our buck, and according to a new rumor, we may get our wish.
Per a post on Following the Nerd (via Collider), The Force Awakens will be slightly longer than its initially suspected runtime of 124 minutes, which J.J. Abrams suggested at the D23 convention. Following the Nerd claims to have spotted a listing in the United Kingdom that confirms the runtime at 136 minutes.
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Furthermore, the site says the film will have a rating of 12A in the U.K., a rating similiar to the PG-13 mark over here in the U.S. This makes sense. Even though The Force Awakens promises to be one of the darkest Star Wars films yet, if not the darkest, it seems unlikely that Disney would ever let the franchise cross into R-rated territory, or risk limiting a large portion of the youth demographic from seeing the movie.
But this new runtime puts Abrams’ films closer to the prequels in terms of length. It would be almost the same length as The Phantom Menace, which clocked in at 133 minutes, and would be the third-longest Star Wars film behind Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
It’s impossible to gauge a film’s quality based on its running time, but what’s interesting is it’s possible Abrams added some stuff back in, if he accurately estimated the film’s original length. Either way, prepare to have time zip by you in the theater when we all finally watch it onscreen in December.
Next: Disney Infinity 3.0 Adds The Force Awakens Characters