Photo Credit: DISNEY / LUCASFILM
As an experience, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” works. It reminds us of what “Star Wars” has meant to so many people over the last 42 years. Nothing I say is going to change that.
That’s because I’m a fan.
The journey toward a self-serving prophecy to bring balance to the Force is a satisfying one in a way that makes the best use of characters, both new and old. It manages to inject a sense of nostalgic fun and vibrancy, something for which J.J. Abrams is well known.
That’s because he has a strong eye for casting. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, ever searching for Rey (Daisy Ridley) never relents. Gone are the childish-like tantrums we saw in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” replaced with a dedication to discovering his own truth, just the same as Rey continues her training under the guidance of General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Rey and Kylo’s story is at the heart of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” as a ‘force’ from the past makes a mysterious appearance – Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid).
The circumstances under which the Emperor appears are questionable in the script from Abrams and Chris Terrio, as it lays the stage for an uneven conclusion 42 years in the making.
That’s the pragmatist in me.
The reality is that these three films have fractured the fan base so much so that I went in completely cold. I hadn’t watched a trailer, read an article; I was blinded by the Force.
The nostalgia factor kicked into high gear on seeing Carrie Fisher on the screen one last time. Her interactions with Daisy Ridley are those cinematic moments we look forward to the most. Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boeyga) and Chewie (Joonas Suotamo) all had their functions in the movie, especially Chewbacca. It was nice to see Finn come into his own just a bit. Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) was a nice addition to the story as well, the charmer that he is. C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) also has a significant function in the film, in addition to being the only star to have appeared in all nine films. BB-8 rolls right on through the movie and R2-D2 is ever faithfully by our sides.
For my money though, Poe made the greatest leaps and bounds as a character and it shows in Isaac’s performance. Within that though is the exceptionally thin dialogue at a pivotal moment. The dialogue supports his arc and Isaac says it with conviction, yet it felt obvious: obvious to the flow of the story and to what the Force has represented for those who were drawn in by its mysticism over the past 42 years.
The other struggle for me is that it lifted one too many beats from what has come before in that we get a Tatooine-like sequence; we are thrown back in the Emperor’s Throne Room on the second Death Star. Though it plays like a bookend, the conversation with Rey and Luke that has an air of familiarity about it too.
There’s a damn good twist that I saw coming that I hope fans really appreciate it for what it is.
That I feel let down by this story is not that the ride is over. As I said, it is an experience; one that I think was respectful yet familiar. It spends so much time bringing everything together that they are just beats on another ride in another fun park. The ride over the last three episodes has been so bumpy, my space shocks are worn out and frankly, I’m ready to retire my lightsaber.
But, not my imagination, and, “the road to hell is paved with good intention.”
This might be the end of the Skywalker Saga, and there will be more endless opinion-slinging. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has all the right intentions mixed with strong fan expectation. “The Rise of Skywalker,” which sees the culmination of almost 42 years’ worth of work, something the film does pat itself on the shoulder for in the movie, has genuine character moments and some nice twists that bring this saga to a fan-safe conclusion.
2 out of 4 stars
