The Dark and Underrated Gimmick That Gareth Edwards Has Used in Star Wars, Jurassic World and Godzilla

Gareth Edwards is a filmmaker who’s well known for the immense sense of scale he brings to his projects. Jurassic World Rebirth features dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, Godzilla has a sequence that features the King of the Monsters in all his radioactive glory, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story makes the Death Star feel like a truly terrifying weapon of war. Edwards also delivers set pieces that feel just as big as the machines and monsters within his films, making them more than worth the price of admission, even if the story doesn’t match up to the same scale. But there’s one element that’s recurring in all of these films, and it’s one that’s flown under the radar: someone slamming their hand on a door before the arrival of a monstrous presence.

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ and ‘Rogue One’ Use the Window Slam To Signal a Monster’s Presence

The Distortus Rex in 'Jurassic World Rebirth'. — Image via Universal Pictures

The “window slam” occurs during Jurassic World Rebirth‘s opening sequence, which takes place in a laboratory established by InGen — the original company that initiated the dinosaur cloning process. Due to some poor timing (and a stray Snickers wrapper), the doors to the Distorus rex’s cage aren’t fully closed, forcing one of the techs to seal it shut while her friend is trapped inside. He starts to pound frantically on the door, only for her to whisper, “I’m sorry,” before the D-rex picks him up and makes a meal out of him. It’s a disturbing way to introduce the main threat of Rebirth, but also shows how Edwards builds tension. The score rises in tune with the poor tech’s pounding before cutting out as he meets his fate; the D-rex, which truly looks like a horrific fusion of a Xenomorph and a Rancor, is given an effective introduction in this intro.

Another iconic “window slam” takes place during the final moments of Rogue One, where Darth Vader slaughters a squadron of Rebel troops who possess the plans for the Death Star. The result is utterly chaotic, as blaster bolts ricochet around the airlock, and horrifying, as Vader’s fiery red lightsaber carves through the troops like butter. While one of the Rebels shouts “Help us!”, it feels less like a cry for help and more like a cry of panic. What can mere men do against the Dark Lord of the Sith? In just two minutes, Edwards made a Star Wars horror movie with Vader as the monster, which may have inspired an upcoming project.

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The Window Slam Takes a Tragic Turn in ‘Godzilla’ and ‘The Creator’

Rogue One and Jurassic World Rebirth might have used the “window slam” to signal to the audience that things were about to go down, but Edwards utilized this trick to underscore a tragic element in a pair of movies. During the opening moments of Godzilla, Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) races to try and save his wife, Sandra (Juliette Binoche) before the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant collapses. Joe is too late, and can only sob as Sandra pounds on the door before the factory is sealed off. It’s a phenomenal use of Cranston and Binoche’s talents, and hearkens back to the original Godzilla‘s tragic undertones. A similar moment is used in the ending of The Creator, with Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles) having to bid a tearful goodbye to Joshua (John David Washington), and again it’s a genuinely emotional moment. Edwards has often been accused of writing thin characters, but the “window slam” shows he can tap into emotion, and it’s something he should use more of.