Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker is directed by JJ Abrams and stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.
Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi. Released 2019.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker is the finale to the iconic, 40-year old Skywalker Saga, which began with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope in 1977. This sequel trilogy, following the redemption of Anakin Skywalker, follows Rey and the resistance as they face the First Order, which is headed up by the son of Han Solo, Kylo Ren. The Rise Of Skywalker is the final battle between Rey and Kylo.
It has been difficult to know what to expect when it came to The Rise Of Skywalker. Some of the promotional material had made me excited, but I think even before discussing the film itself, something has gone wrong in the process... When The Force Awakens finished with Rey standing in front of Luke Skywalker with his lightsaber, I had thought ahead to how I would feel when the untitled Star Wars: Episode IX was released. I am sad to say that now the day has come, I didn't feel much of this anticipation at all. For Lucasfilm and for me, Endgame-level anticipation is what should be expected in the lead up to The Rise Of Skywalker, but - as evidenced by the opening weekend box office; half of what Endgame opened with - this expectation clearly wasn't met. So, even though I liked The Last Jedi, it is hard to say that this isn't the film where all of it went wrong, especially when you consider my love for The Force Awakens and my immense anticipation for the rest of this trilogy as of 2015.
So, did I like this film? Yes. Is it enjoyable? Yes. Is it the finale I wanted? No.
The truth is, I don't know what I would offer as an alternative, but I am not one of the people employed to outline or write this final trilogy. All I know is that The Rise Of Skywalker didn't hit me the way the finale of The Skywalker Saga should, or the way they wanted. When you consider the trilogy as a whole, it lacks cohesion. Except from Luke Skywalker's death, nothing in The Last Jedi seems to have lasting consequences. Even the prequels have a decisive beginning, middle and end, but this sequel trilogy shows no evidence of a clear-cut plan, which should be the first thing one should do when planning a trilogy. Finn, Poe and co spend a lot of the film getting from point A to point B to point C to point D, which is engaging to watch but the actual story elements are not memorable. The stakes just don't feel high, even though I do care about these characters.
The saving grace of this film is the dynamic between Rey and Kylo Ren. Their connection is compelling and makes for some of the best sequences in the film, with solid performances from Ridley and Driver. The lightsaber battle on the remains of the Death Star surrounded by raging waves is visually exciting and very cinematic. It is also emotionally powerful, and their arc on the whole is effective. Kylo Ren is a great villain, and Rey is a likeable hero, but when I compare her to a character like Katniss Everdeen, Natasha Romanoff or Diana Prince, I don't think she stands within their ranks, unfortunately. Yes, she's very powerful, but that's not really in her control. She harnesses those powers amazingly, but it is rare for her to make the decisions of a true inspirational leader like the names I have just mentioned. Her true power is with the yin-yang effect of her and Kylo.
There are some very powerful and chills-inducing moments in The Rise Of Skywalker thanks to a lot of fan service, but I think that is also the problem. Kathleen Kennedy and JJ. Abrams seem to have been basing their creative decisions heavily on what loud and entitled fans have said they want, and haven't stuck to their initial plan, if there even was one to begin with. Even though this film is enjoyable and satisfying enough, I feel that on the whole, they have done a disservice to Star Wars overall, giving us this in response to the backlash of The Last Jedi. In some ways, this makes me The Last Jedi even more, considering it took risks and owned them instead of backtracking on 'mistakes' like The Rise Of Skywalker.
An engaging and enjoyable watch, but not when reflecting on the fact that this is supposed to be the grand finale of The Skywalker Saga.
B-
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