Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
3.5/4
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid
Rated PG-13 for Sci-Fi Violence and Action
When it was announced that George Lucas sold LucasFilm to Disney, my heart sank. Not just because Disney was now the owner of another media franchise (in addition to Marvel), but because they had such a poor track record of late with its mega productions. Anyone remember "John Carter" or "The Lone Ranger"? My point exactly. I only breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that Kathleen Kennedy had been tapped to lead it. Kennedy was the assistant of Steven Spielberg starting in the early 80s but quickly worked her way up to produce a number of his films, including "E.T." and "Jurassic Park." That she selected J.J. Abrams, who successfully rebooted the "Star Trek" franchise and made "Super 8", the wonderful homage to Spielberg's early works, to direct the first entry only raised my confidence even more.
My faith in them was well rewarded. I'm a big "Star Wars" fan, but not to a level where I point out any deficiencies or hold any sort of ill-will towards George Lucas. I love the original trilogy (even the Ewoks from "Return of the Jedi"). I even love the prequels. And I thoroughly enjoyed "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi." The interquels aren't as good, but I even had a good time watching the much maligned "Solo." All the films in this franchise have their problems, but they're still great fun.
The film takes place shortly after "The Last Jedi." Rey (Ridley) is continuing her Jedi training with Leia (Fisher). Poe (Isaac) and Finn (Boyega) are tracking down a spy in the First Order. And there are rumors that Emperor Palpatine (McDiarmid) has returned. Eventually the three friends must work together to find Palpatine before he launches an unstoppable assault on the entire galaxy and rules forever.
"The Rise of Skywalker" went into production with two major problems. First, Carrie Fisher passed away, leaving the film unable to show one of its central characters for more than brief appearances. Two, "The Last Jedi" had a severe backlash against it (for reasons I've never been able to understand). This is the weakest of all the mainline "Star Wars" entries, but all things considered, it still turns out reasonably well. The screenplay feels like a rush job, as if the filmmakers were more obsessed with meeting a deadline and appealing to every demographic and answering every internet backlash. No doubt there is a certain truth to that, but the seams are visible and the dialogue doesn't "feel" like "Star Wars."
Still, the film has a number of successes. The level of acting remains high, with the versatile Oscar Isaac, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley turning in fine performances, especially considering the inconsistent material they have been given. Ian McDiarmid hasn't been this chilling since "Revenge of the Sith," even though his presence is never adequately explained. And while the film is definitely derivative at times, it does feature a few surprises. And not just including cameos.
The film is far from flawless. Most of them have to do with the underwritten screenplay and the rush job in directing. I feel for J.J. Abrams, who clearly had an impossible task in front of him. He really should have insisted on another rewrite to smooth out the screenplay, which feels hastily cobbled together by committee rather than a smooth, evolving adventure like the others. And there are more than a few big moments that aren't properly set up or capitalized on. One big subplot is resolve so quickly that I felt like there was no payoff. Still, he remains a strong filmmaker with some truly gorgeous special effects shot and a sensational final battle.
"Star Wars" is "Star Wars." I've always taken that view of this franchise, and I have found that it has helped me enjoy it more. I don't consider canon as sacrilege and I don't really care which minor character makes an appearance or has been left out. In fact, many of the film's problems can be attributed to the fact that Abrams takes such concerns too seriously. Every character, big or small, gets their moment, cameos and Easter Eggs are so numerous that they become distracting, and the story doesn't do much we haven't seen before (to be fair, none of the "Star Wars" movies could ever be called original). "The Rise of Skywalker" has plenty of flaws, but I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. I'm cognizant of mistakes that were made or choices that didn't work, but it's still "Star Wars." And I'll always be happy when a movie gives me that.
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid
Rated PG-13 for Sci-Fi Violence and Action
When it was announced that George Lucas sold LucasFilm to Disney, my heart sank. Not just because Disney was now the owner of another media franchise (in addition to Marvel), but because they had such a poor track record of late with its mega productions. Anyone remember "John Carter" or "The Lone Ranger"? My point exactly. I only breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that Kathleen Kennedy had been tapped to lead it. Kennedy was the assistant of Steven Spielberg starting in the early 80s but quickly worked her way up to produce a number of his films, including "E.T." and "Jurassic Park." That she selected J.J. Abrams, who successfully rebooted the "Star Trek" franchise and made "Super 8", the wonderful homage to Spielberg's early works, to direct the first entry only raised my confidence even more.
My faith in them was well rewarded. I'm a big "Star Wars" fan, but not to a level where I point out any deficiencies or hold any sort of ill-will towards George Lucas. I love the original trilogy (even the Ewoks from "Return of the Jedi"). I even love the prequels. And I thoroughly enjoyed "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi." The interquels aren't as good, but I even had a good time watching the much maligned "Solo." All the films in this franchise have their problems, but they're still great fun.
The film takes place shortly after "The Last Jedi." Rey (Ridley) is continuing her Jedi training with Leia (Fisher). Poe (Isaac) and Finn (Boyega) are tracking down a spy in the First Order. And there are rumors that Emperor Palpatine (McDiarmid) has returned. Eventually the three friends must work together to find Palpatine before he launches an unstoppable assault on the entire galaxy and rules forever.
"The Rise of Skywalker" went into production with two major problems. First, Carrie Fisher passed away, leaving the film unable to show one of its central characters for more than brief appearances. Two, "The Last Jedi" had a severe backlash against it (for reasons I've never been able to understand). This is the weakest of all the mainline "Star Wars" entries, but all things considered, it still turns out reasonably well. The screenplay feels like a rush job, as if the filmmakers were more obsessed with meeting a deadline and appealing to every demographic and answering every internet backlash. No doubt there is a certain truth to that, but the seams are visible and the dialogue doesn't "feel" like "Star Wars."
Still, the film has a number of successes. The level of acting remains high, with the versatile Oscar Isaac, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley turning in fine performances, especially considering the inconsistent material they have been given. Ian McDiarmid hasn't been this chilling since "Revenge of the Sith," even though his presence is never adequately explained. And while the film is definitely derivative at times, it does feature a few surprises. And not just including cameos.
The film is far from flawless. Most of them have to do with the underwritten screenplay and the rush job in directing. I feel for J.J. Abrams, who clearly had an impossible task in front of him. He really should have insisted on another rewrite to smooth out the screenplay, which feels hastily cobbled together by committee rather than a smooth, evolving adventure like the others. And there are more than a few big moments that aren't properly set up or capitalized on. One big subplot is resolve so quickly that I felt like there was no payoff. Still, he remains a strong filmmaker with some truly gorgeous special effects shot and a sensational final battle.
"Star Wars" is "Star Wars." I've always taken that view of this franchise, and I have found that it has helped me enjoy it more. I don't consider canon as sacrilege and I don't really care which minor character makes an appearance or has been left out. In fact, many of the film's problems can be attributed to the fact that Abrams takes such concerns too seriously. Every character, big or small, gets their moment, cameos and Easter Eggs are so numerous that they become distracting, and the story doesn't do much we haven't seen before (to be fair, none of the "Star Wars" movies could ever be called original). "The Rise of Skywalker" has plenty of flaws, but I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. I'm cognizant of mistakes that were made or choices that didn't work, but it's still "Star Wars." And I'll always be happy when a movie gives me that.
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