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Bad video, this is

We sat through it and nope, there isn't a single lightsaber in EXO's new vid

Star Wars fans, do not watch the new music video Lightsaber by K-pop boy band EXO.

Not only is it disappointing in its lacklustre production values, the two-minute clip is unabashedly opportunistic and blatantly cashes in on the Star Wars hype.

Billed as "a collaboration film" with The Walt Disney Company (how an MV can even be called a 'film' begs another commentary altogether), Lightsaber was meant to be a promotional boost for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh instalment of the iconic US sci-fi movie series that opens here on Dec 17.

But sadly, it doesn't serve the purpose at all.

For a track titled Lightsaber, there are no lightsabers in sight. Like, zilch.

EXO members Baekhyun, Sehun and Kai strut through a grocery store, a dingy pub and a hotel passageway respectively, holding some mysterious weapon-like object.

But just as they are about to go head-to-head into an epic battle, the video wraps up and no energy swords are drawn. How very perplexing and anticlimactic.

Musically and lyrically, the song falls flat too.

One would naturally expect direct references to Star Wars, like a rap verse that namechecks the franchise's beloved characters such as R2-D2, C-3PO and Chewbacca.

Alas, nope.

EXO have instead opted for generic lyrics that make no sense: "In the pitch black darkness I'll take your hand/ A life saver, Lightsaber." Totally bland, right?

Lightsaber's melody is reminiscent of typical K-pop electronic dance fare and save for Darth Vader's ominous breathing in the opening bars, I wouldn't have made the association with Star Wars if I had not known about the Disney tie-up.

To put it harshly, EXO simply jumped on the Star Wars bandwagon and turned in a cheap, haphazard effort.

Diehard supporters of the nine-man group will surely leap to their defence and point out that the last thing they want to see is their idols in cheesy Star Wars costumes.

I beg to differ. The Star Wars franchise, which began in 1977, is so appealing precisely because it sends the message that it's okay to be geeky and it's definitely cool to cosplay.

Personally, I think Lightsaber would have worked better if Kai played Han Solo, Sehun took on Luke Skywalker, and the rest of the boys were in Stormtrooper outfits.

Or at the very least, they could have just brandished their lightsabers.

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