Hey everybody! Today I’ve got a new review up for you guys and its a pretty big one at that. It has now been a couple of months now since the Rise of Skywalker last came out and it was of course it was huge success financially (and perhaps the last big blockbuster we’ll have for awhile thanks to current events) despite a noticeable comedown from the last two mainline installments. Nevertheless it was still a hit but it also an unexpectedly (or considering its this franchise we’re talking about, an inevitably) polarizing reception among critics, and fans. There were those that absolutely despised it, those that loved it, and those that were somewhere neat the middle. Now of course no matter what the reception was going to be like I would go and see it considering that Star Wars is possibly my favorite franchise and I’ve always enjoyed every movie (even the weaker ones have their merits) but the reception made me even more curious than I was before. So did I hate, love it, or thought it was completely average. Well lets just say that I can see why people would be disappointed but I can also see why people were satisfied and in the end I was generally satisfied with the final product. So lets take a jump into light-speed to see what I did, and did not like about the final entry in the Skywalker Saga.
Following up the the conclusion of the Last Jedi which saw the resistance and First Order suffer major casualties, we are thrown right into the thick of things with Kylo Ren (who is now the new supreme leader after Snoke’s death) hunting, and killing his way to find the long thought to have been dead Emperor Palpatine who recently sent out a message of revenge. Using a Sith wayfinder, he confronts the Emperor on the planet Exegol who then unveils his plan known as Final Order which involves a secret armada of planet killing Star Destroyers which will lead to him conquering the galaxy once and for all. But in order to fully accomplish his goals he tells Kylo to hunt, and kill Rey who is still training to become a Jedi with the help of General Leia Organa. Her training will have to wait though as Finn, and Poe Dameron get intel regarding Palpatine and now they have to find him. But to do this they will also need a Sith wayfinder, so now the three of them along with Chewbacca, C-3PO, and BB-8 head on the Millennium Falcon in order to find one. But with Kylo Ren, and the Knights of Ren on their trail can they be able to stop Palpatine’s Final Order before its too late?
Might as well get some of the cons out of the way, let’s start by discussing the film’s biggest problem which is story structure, and pacing. It’s essentially a typical “find the Mcguffin” type quests where it just feels like their going from one place to another in order to find the clues as to where what they’re looking for might be. While the adventure itself is pretty enjoyable it still feels thin at times and the pay off itself felt a little weird. Slight spoilers but it was resolved rather abruptly and was ultimately done so in a way that felt very convenient. Doesn’t help that the first act felt very rushed like it was in such a hurry to get from scene to scene which left not a whole lot of room for much character interactions, and development. You can also really tell that this movie went through a bunch of re writes as there are certain plot threads that were noticeably left dangling by the end (I think a lot of us know which ones I’m referring to). It was also noticeable that there was clearly a director change as this movie kind of just walks back some things that were set up in Last Jedi and yeah I personally I wasn’t too big on those decisions. The biggest one being Rey’s parentage which really left me more confused than anything and felt very forced (pun intended) making me wish her parents were really nobodies (which not only would’ve been thematically powerful but also would’ve changed absolutely nothing in terms of what happens in the movie). That and the script can often be hit or miss with a lot of exposition (almost out of a Saturday morning cartoon) and some clunky dialogue. So with all of that out of the way what did I like about this movie. Well as stated before the journey itself is still an enjoyable one and provides all of the things audiences would want from a Star Wars story (good Vs. evil narrative, space battles, creative new worlds, and creatures etc.) so in that sense it does deliver. Plus the pacing gets a lot better as the film progresses as it starts to find its footing in the second half. That’s where things start to get more interesting and there is some cool world building and expanding on the powers of the force. Everything comes to a head in the finale which is a lot of fun, and has some really powerful moments and the ending itself was pretty satisfying as a whole and is a solid point to end the series on. Yes the writing is flawed and there are absolutely things I would’ve changed about it but what we got was still a fun Star Wars movie and to be honest there’s really nothing wrong with that.
Just like with the rest of the newer movies though, the film itself is great to look at once more. The whole movie is nice to look at with Dan Mindel’s cinematography being a highlight, especially with some of the blue hues present throughout. The productions values are once again fantastic with a lot of well put together sets and phenomenal animatronics, and puppetry work put into bringing some of the galaxy’s different aliens to life and even the CGI is still just as great as before. I will say though that there is some sloppy editing in the first act in some scenes (particularly in the scenes where Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia was in, though it was sadly always going to be a challenge given the tragic circumstances) and the transitions were also strange as it just felt like the movie was just hastily going from scene to scene too quickly. Again things get a lot better when the film starts to find its groove in the second act and it is a lot more coherent. And like I said before can’t be a Star Wars movie without some of the things people would come expect like dog fights, and light saber duels. I would say my favorite is probably when Rey, and Kylo fight on a part of the second death star as it is well shot and there was some nice drama in there but I did enjoy the final battle quite a bit as it has some nice looking visuals and the starship dog fights have always been among my favorite parts of the movies in general. The weakest set-piece is the speeder bike chase on Pasaana which while enjoyable to watch does suffer from some a bit of sloppy editing and isn’t as memorable as some of the other speeder bike chases in the franchise. Oh and of course it can’t be a Star Wars movie without John William’s iconic score and it is as always fantastic being powerful, and hard hitting and makes the proceedings more effective. Still though overall technically the film is mostly about on par with the others even is I’d argue the action isn’t as memorable (though still fun).
One my favorite aspects of these new movies is this new cast of characters we are introduced to and they have been able to hold their own alongside the veterans throughout the course of the trilogy even if I didn’t entirely love certain aspects of them here. First there’s Rey who I’ve always found to be a cool character who had a very interesting arc from Force Awakens to Last Jedi and while I may not have been a fan of how her parentage was treated her as it kind of negated some of the impact her arc (though it admittedly does explain why she was so skilled in Force Awakens), I still think her story came to a solid close here and Daisy Ridley once again gives an excellent performance and brings a lot of life to the character. But she was arguable out shined by Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren AKA Ben Solo who has arguably remained the most consistent character in this trilogy. Driver knocks it out of the park here offering a lot of pathos to a deeply flawed character whom it seems has lost any hope of redeeming himself and his arc also wrapped up nicely and has proven to be the MVP of this new series. Heck even Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron had some nice development here (even if he is kind of a jerk for no reason in the first act to Rey) thanks to his interactions with bounty hunter Zorii bliss played by Keri Russell who is a pretty interesting character and one I would like to learn more about. I was however a little disappointed with how John Boyega’s Finn was handled as his arc wasn’t nearly as strong as it was in the previous films and even a newly introduced love interest of his in Naomi Akie’s Jannah, while having potential as a character, doesn’t get a whole lot to do (Also was not big on the way Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico was treated as I liked her in Last Jedi). Same also goes to Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux who has become more of a source for comedy more than anything. It was nice to see them all together this time however, and like I said there are still some solid character beats. I will say though I was fond of the comic relief in the movie with the likes of Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels of course), R2-D2, BB-8, a new little adorable creature called Babu Frik, and a cute little new droid named D-O all adding a nice light hearted touch to the picture (3PO especially gets a lot more to do this time around which is welcome). As for the return of Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor, while there are certain aspects of his presence that felt forces he still gives in a fun performance and works well enough as a big threat to our heroes. Some other notable appearances come from Billy Dee Williams reprising his role as Lando Calrissian which was pleasant, Richard E. Grant as the amusingly cold hearted General Pryde, and some more surprises that I won’t give away here. Still I am impressed how these characters have been able to assert themselves as memorable characters in the Star Wars universe.
Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker may be one of the weaker films in the saga but it it still an enjoyable ride nonetheless. Its suffers from a sloppy first act with uneven pacing, a somewhat generic story outline, some dangling plot threads, and inferior character arcs among other things but it still has a some nice character moments, lots of exciting action sequences, beautiful visuals, cool world building, and a mostly satisfying endpoint for the series. It kind of reminds me of the Matrix Revolutions, and Pirates of the Caribbean At World’s End in that its a flawed but still worthwhile finale (I may like those two better but I disgress) except the story presumably ends here for now. I can see why people are split on this movie and there are plenty of valid criticism that I understand as well as valid praise as well. I don’t really know what Star Wars fans really want from the series anymore so I can’t say anything on that matter but even with all of the heated controversy the series has been in these last couple of years I still love this series and will probably continue to no matter what other people say (besides if you don’t like it there are plenty of other movies where you could just say the series ended like Return of the Jedi or even Last Jedi) and I continue to look forward to what lies ahead for the galaxy that is far far away.
Rating: B
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