STAR WARS - THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
Directed by JJ Abrams Written by JJ Abrams & Chris Terrio Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Kelly Marie Tran, Mark Hamill
“The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.”
The end of this review contains major spoilers.
The Rise Of Skywalker is an entertaining film, but ultimately stands as a disappointing finale to the Skywalker Saga. There’s more to dislike than there is to love, and leaves us wondering what could have been.
TROS is the third and final film of the Sequel Trilogy, and the ninth film about the Skywalker family. As a concluding chapter and therefore a culmination of all the films before it, JJ Abrams fails to bring the full emotional weight of the story to the forefront. It is entertaining. It’s fun, action-driven and contains all of the soap-opera moments we’ve come to associate with the franchise, but ultimately this closing chapter lacks a strong script and feels rushed in more ways than one.
The finale stands in complete contrast to Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi - whose main narrative was that anybody could be a hero, regardless of their ancestry or background. The Rise Of Skywalker makes a number of those ideas established in TLJ completely redundant, such as Rey’s heritage and the idea that anyone could make a difference, Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico is sidelined with a shocking two minutes of screentime and Kylo Ren rebuilds his helmet that he symbolically destroyed. The contrast between these two films, in both the narrative elements and the stylistic approaches, results in a disappointing and almost nonsensical finale.
TROS feels burdened with too many elements, overwhelming its audience with nostalgia, cat and mouse chases across the stars and treasure hunts.
Instead of focusing on existing elements and characters, it introduces new ones who simply do not have enough narrative weight to justify their existence. Take Jannah and Zorii for instance. Two new female characters who could have been wonderful additions to the Star Wars universe, if only they were more than accessories to the existing male characters Finn and Poe. Zorii, a mysterious woman with whom Poe has a history (and what feels like a very forced and unnecessary romance storyline) and Jannah, who like Finn is a storm trooper turncoat now fighting their past masters. And yet, Rose Tico, who had a big part in TLJ, appears for only a handful of scenes (just over a 1.30mins of screentime) - just like Maz Kanata and Lieutenant Connix. Although TROS gives us plenty of the original trio, it lets down its supporting characters by somehow both simultaneously adding new ones and trying to wrap up the entire trilogy.
Minor spoiler-alert. The Rise Of Skywalker also sees the late Carrie Fisher as the beloved Princess and General Leia one last time: she dies in the film, an act of self-sacrifice in the hopes that she could reach her son Ben Solo one last time, and bring him back to the light side (archive footage and silhouettes were used to accomplish Carrie Fisher’s scenes). Yet, there was no grand funeral, no celebration of her life and achievements. Once again, there seemed to be a very obvious lack of emotion regarding her passing. Perhaps it was done in respect, as to avoid exploiting Carrie Fishers’ death as a plot device, but the fact that there wasn’t more acknowledgement is mournful.
The Last Jedi cemented itself as the most visually impressive Star Wars film to date, with striking cinematography and visuals. Although we had some beautiful shots in The Rise Of Skywalker, it was impossible not to lament the stylistic approach the prior instalment had. JJ Abrams undeniably has an eye for directing action, and TROS meets those expectations but never truly surpasses them. We have spaceship battles, exploding planets and gun fights - but none of them stand out or are particularly memorable, an unfortunate and disappointing truth.
Star Wars has always been about hope. Hope, love, and redemption.
Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver’s performances are the shining beacon of light in The Rise Of Skywalker. Rey has more mastery over the force and her physical power, she’s more confident in her abilities and unapologetic in her choices. So far, the character of Kylo Ren / Ben Solo has been full of endless creative possibilities and untapped storytelling potential, until the final 15 minutes of this final chapter…
Major spoilers ahead.
TROS sees the return of Palpatine. It is learnt that through the dark side of the force he conquered death and has been influencing Kylo/Ben his entire life - he was every voice Kylo/Ben ever heard in his head, whether it was Darth Vader, Snoke or his father Han. Kylo/Ben then goes on to find Rey to warn her of Palpatine, who happens to actually be his granddaughter (!) and asks her to join him once more. When the two meet, General Leia reaches her son through the Force mere seconds before Rey mortally wounds him with his own saber - only to be healed by her shortly after, as the two feel Leia’s death. This is where Ben Solo is reborn, as he unshackles himself from Palpatine and begins his path of redemption.
Using the Force as a way to communicate wasn’t only a fresh element to SW mythology but also a great creative tool first introduced in TLJ and further explored in TROS: Rey and Ben represent “a bond, a dyad in the Force unseen for generations”. The connection between the two is one of the most cherished elements of this sequel trilogy, their ability to create such tense and intimate scenes despite not even being in the same physical space, along with the hope of redemption that has been teased since The Force Awakens. This Skype-Force between the two is used in the final act of the film, an epic and moving unforgettable moment.
Adam Driver creates a distinct physical difference between Kylo Ren and Ben Solo, it’s a crime that we had only ten minutes of the real Ben Solo in the entire trilogy. Where Kylo was stiff and constrained , Ben is light and free. He moves and fights with ease, at peace with himself. For the 1st time, we see the son of Han Solo. And while he succeeds in coming back to the light, there was no one to greet him, no Force ghosts to guide or advise him as he ran towards Rey and Palpatine. All he had were memories and visions of what could have been. And when the two reunite at the climax of the film, their strength and special bond is used and exploited by Palpatine to help him regain his physical body once more.
MAJOR spoilers ahead.
The message conveyed by the end of The Rise Of Skywalker is that redemption can only be achieved through death or self-sacrifice, that the bond between Rey and Ben was strong enough to fuel the evil and hatred of Palpatine and the Sith, but too weak to save each other. Hate still won. And once again, when Ben Solo sat lost and defeated, no Force ghosts appeared in his moment of need.