Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Disney/Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure RT: 141 minutes Rated PG-13 (sci-fi action and violence) Director: J.J. Abrams Screenplay: J.J. Abrams and Michelle Rejwan Music: John Williams Cinematography: Dan Mindel Release date: December 20, 2019 (US) Cast: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams, Greg Grunberg, Billie Lourd, Shirley Henderson, Dominic Monaghan.
Rating: ** ½
Before I get into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the final chapter of the nine-part “Skywalker Saga” that began 42 (Earth) years ago, I’d like to revise my reviews of the two previous Star Wars films, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. I rewatched both of them so I could get myself up to speed on what’s going in the latest (and final) trilogy. Minus the hype and excitement that accompanied their respective releases in 2015 and 2017, I realized that they’re simply no match for the original trilogy. They’re good but flawed. As such, I must demote both of them to three stars instead of four. Isn’t it funny what a little time can do to one’s perspective?
I feel the same way about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It’s good not great. I liked it, didn’t love it. Here’s why. I remember quite clearly my experience seeing Return of the Jedi for the first time in May ’83. I was excited because it was opening weekend. I watched it with a sense of awe and wonder, one stronger than either Star Wars or The Empire Strikes Back. For the first time, I really understood the appeal of Star Wars. It was an awesome conclusion to an amazing trilogy. Even though I’m old enough to know better, I wanted the same thing from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. At the same time, I kept my expectations to a realistic level. I hoped for a pretty good movie and that’s exactly what it is, pretty good. As for my childlike sense of wonder, I wasn’t really feeling it. I did, however, feel a slight sense of nostalgia with all the call-outs to the original trilogy.
As is my custom with HUGE movies, I’m keeping my plot synopsis of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brief so as to avoid spoilers. It opens with the not-so-startling revelation that Emperor Palpatine (McDiarmid), long thought to be dead, is the real force behind the First Order. He’s discovered by Kylo Ren (Driver) to be hiding on Exegol, a planet not on any map of the galaxy. He orders Ren to find and kill Rey (Ridley) as she poses a major threat to his plan (“The Final Order”) to crush the Rebellion and bring back the Sith. Meanwhile, the good guys- Rey, Finn (Boyega), Poe (Isaac), Chewbacca (Suotamo) and the droids- also receive word of Palpatine’s return and head off to find and stop him. In order to find him, they must first obtain an ancient Sith device called a “Wayfinder”. END OF PLOT DESCRIPTION!
I have zero doubt that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will crush the competition at the box office this holiday season. People want to see it. Therefore, it doesn’t really matter if it’s good or bad. Look at The Phantom Menace. Fans hate it yet it made over $1 billion worldwide. Reviewing a Star Wars movie is really an exercise in futility. I may as well write “All work and no play makes Movie Guy a dull boy.” 500 times; it’d have the same effect. I could probably end my review here and it wouldn’t make a darn bit of difference. You’re going to see it regardless, am I right? Well, I’m not one to shirk responsibility so I’ll make a few brief comments and leave it at that.
So it all comes down to this really. Is Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker fun? For the most part, yes it is. It is, however, a bumpy ride. It’s overlong and somewhat convoluted. There’s a lot of activity but all of it is to the same end. It could use some tightening up especially in the first hour. However, director J.J. Abrams (The Force Awakens) makes up for the movie’s flaws with some great action scenes. There’s a chase scene in a desert that recalls both Return of the Jedi and Mad Max: Fury Road. The final battle between the First Order and the Resistance is cool although it also illustrates that bigger isn’t necessarily better, even in the Star Wars universe. The special effects are great, of course. At the same time, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before in a Marvel movie.
The acting is stronger this time around especially by Ridley, a heroine-in-conflict as she finally learns the truth about her lineage. I was never all that impressed by Driver’s Kylo Ren, a character that always struck me as a wimpy millennial on a power trip. This time, he brings more depth to his character. The rest of the cast is comfortable in the roles; I have no complaints. The late Carrie Fisher returns, by way of unused footage from the previous two movies, as Leia; she lends poignancy to the film. There are a few other familiar faces like Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, his first time back since Return of the Jedi. It’s great seeing him again.
I’ve said what needs to be said about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This is supposedly the last chapter of the Skywalker Saga but I wouldn’t place money on it. Here’s the only SPOILER I’ll drop. The door is open for a continuation should the Force be willing. If not, then I’d like to bid an important part of my childhood farewell. Adieu, adieu, adieu.
