Rating: C-
Spoiler Warning.
This review is going to be lengthy.
I've got a lot going on in my mind piecing this all together.
I was introduced to Star Wars in the 5th grade. At that point I was already a well established Trekker as Star Trek: TNG's Encounter At Farpoint was first broadcasted when I was in Kindergarten, and since my parents are both nerds we watched it as a family every week. Science Fiction and Fantasy were a staple of my youth by the time I watched Star Wars, and it was instant love. I collected everything I could. Joined the Star Wars Fan Club. Got the Star Wars Insider magazine. Read all the extended universe books I could get my hands on. Back in the 90's I never once felt Star Wars, or Star Trek for that matter, wasn't for me. I was a girly nerd and it was cool.
Rumors were already circulating in the early 90's that there was going to be a new Star Wars trilogy. I wanted so bad for an episode 7-9. We got the prequels instead. But I had Timothy Zhan's creations, and that was enough for me. It got to the point where I was glad Lucas Film never did a 7-9, as I didn't want it ruined. Then Disney bought Star Wars, and at the time I wasn't terribly worried. I grew up with Disneyland as well, and Star Tours launched several months before Star Trek: TNG. 1987 was a good year. (How I didn't get into Star Wars sooner is still a huge mystery). But Disney could do Star Wars, right? I was finally going to see Luke, Leia, and Han together again. Childhood recaptured on the big screen with new adventures. That's not what happened.
Now we're at the end. The end of an era. Everyone is saying that the Skywalker saga is now over. I would disagree, with The Rise of Skywalker these nine core films central theme isn't the Legacy of the Skywalker's. It's the Legacy of the "Chosen One." We just watched the "Chosen One" saga end. Episode 1-3 is all about Anakin Skywalker being the Chosen One, only to then become Darth Vader. Episode 4-6 is all about Luke being the Chosen One, and he was until Disney ruined his legacy. Episode 7-9 is the over telling of Rey being the true Chosen One, the ultimate everything, succeeding where the past failed, bringing balance to the force, erasing the sacrifice and victory of both Anakin and Luke in the process.
By this point there are countless articles filled with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker spoilers, lists, pros, cons, etc all over the internet. I don't know what difference my thoughts will bring to this sea of opinionated information. While writing this I just looked over to a paper I've scribbled all over with torn notes placed on top. It wouldn't be practical to detail them all. It's Christmas Eve and we all have better things to do. So here are the things I value most:
It's clear there's no true trilogy arc, no true master plan encompassing episodes 7-9. The Last Jedi is a very divisive movie, one of which I've felt the extremes of emotions, elation to disappointment as inner analysis sat in. The first part of The Rise of Skywalker is rough. Crowded. The movie leaks spoiled online before Rise of Skywalker was released contains more detailed information than what we got in the film. Yes, I spoiled the movie before I went. I went into the theater jaded. Watching this final movie was bittersweet. The rashness of Episode 9's opening gives of taste of what JJ Abrams had in mind, retconning parts of Episode 8 in the process. The more Ep. 9 progressed, the more irrelevant Ep. 8 began to feel.
But it is also the speed of the movie, cramming as much as possible, unclear, over the top conveniences, breaking and creating rules for plot points, jagged editing jumps, characters magically showing up as if teleportation is a thing, that makes this movie feel sloppy. That makes this trilogy feel unbalanced. That makes it clear that too many hands were in the pot. And through it all we're not given a chance to breath. Repositioning characters. Reintroducing ideas. We see Poe, Finn, and Rey working together, which we should have seen last episode.
Nothing is explained, but we're supposed to just accept it, go with it, don't ask questions. I love questions; I can't not ask questions. A conglomerate of ideas thrown to the wall to see if they stick or not with no background information, nothing thought out. Abrams was a squirrel chasing shiny objects, never realizing oak trees, when planted, have roots. If anything was left for other authors to tackle in comics and books for explanation, that's simply "passing the buck."
How did Palpatine survive? Who were Rey's parents? Which one was Palpatine's son or daughter? Were they force sensitive? And if it's Rey's maternal or paternal side that wasn't a Palpatine, who were they? Because Rey's parents sacrificed themselves to save her. Protect her. And they died in the process. More on that later. Who were those hooded people? How did the Emperor build 100+ high powered Star Destroyers, fully staffed, without anyone knowing, not even the First Order? Was the Emperor really just sitting around for 30 years to give his Granddaughter a gift? He seriously, willingly stayed hidden for 30 years? Seriously? And no one "felt" him? By the way, did we ever find out who the First Order even is? How did someone know about the Wayfinder, just happen to create a dagger with Sith on it, that extends to show the shape of the Death Star, and Rey just HAPPENS to stand in the right spot??!! Luke and Lando searched 30 years and couldn't find it. Seriously the dumbest plot device we're just supposed to accept, like mindless children. Logical fallacies abound.
Rise of Skywalker also messes with Science, as well. Space horses and people running on top of Star Destroyers, in the upper atmosphere with no protection and obviously no shields. High winds anyone? Minimal oxygen. Freezing temperature. Pressure. I could go on, but Star Wars is considered fantasy and not science fiction for a reason.
I'm getting off track. I'm glad Lando is back, just wish he was used more. Han's cameo made me teary eyed, but as I knew the ending it was just... sad.
Random, but there was a point where my Mom, 3/4ths of the way through, leaned over and said, "I haven't seen Baby Yoda yet." I laughed and told her he's in the show. (Which I still haven't seen. I told my youngest brother I was coming over when the season was over to binge watch, which he's cool with).
And unfulfilled character arcs!! Finn is obviously force sensitive, which was never explored, and it doesn't seem like it's going to be. Poe was wasted. When General Hux was revealed to be the mole, I actually got excited. "This could actually be really fascinating!" And then he was all like, "I just want Kylo to lose," or whatever, because heaven forbid we can have an interestingly layered character. But could you imagine if he was a mole this whole time for all three movies? The ultimate double agent/spy, holding it together and deceiving so brilliantly. Oh my goodness Disney!! But that would require planning and proper execution.
One last major detail. Are Rey and Ben Solo related? Last year the Marvel comic Darth Vader, issue 25 I believe, shows Anakin traveling through some time and space thing, and he sees his mother, and in this vision of sorts he sees Darth Sidious, Palpatine, manipulate the force around Shmi Skywalker while she was pregnant. Was he the one who impregnated her? Or did he simply manipulate the situation? In the legends Darth Sidious manipulated the force to create Anakin. The canon comics back this up. So is it a dream or reality? And if it's reality, are the Skywalkers simply experiments of Palpitine, or even a bloodline? If a bloodline that makes Rey and Ben 1st cousins once removed. If experiments, then Palpitine is truly the ultimate puppet master. (I should note that anything of value should be shown in Live Action and not delegated to other media.) (I found this information in "
Anakin's Father finally REVEALED in CANON - Star Wars Theory Comics.")
For the record I don't like the fact that Emperor Palpitine, Darth Sidious was brought back. The fact that nothing is explained is laziness on JJ Abrams part. "I have this really cool idea!! Let's bring back Palpitine!" "How would that work? He died. Fell down a shaft. The Death Star exploded." "I haven't a clue, but we don't have to tell the audience that!" Bright shiny objects. His bringing back Palpatine really diminishes the memory of Luke and Anakin.
The last few scenes of The Rise of Skywalker was cringe worthy. My Mom was actually fine with it. Reading comments all over the net shows many people are fine with it. But Rey gets EVERYTHING! Literally. Rey took EVERYTHING from Luke. She's the chosen one, finishing what he couldn't. She gets his ship. His home. His name. His and Leia's saber. She also gets the Falcon, which was Han's. (Ben should have lived just so Rey could have given him the Falcon, and it would have once again been owned by a Solo). And she calls Leia "Master," when Leia never finished her training to become a Jedi, once again disrespecting Luke who wasn't shown being a good teacher. Rey is the ultimate Mary Sue, which is a caricature of poorly written fan fiction. It's a shame Rey took the Skywalker surname. Her parents sacrificed themselves for her, it's clear Rey was loved, and yet Rey doesn't honor them.
And Ben Solo. Ben Solo. I never really liked his character. But the Kylo/Rey connection that began in Episode 8, the only truly interesting aspect of that movie, began to make his character worth watching. The whole "Dyad" idea is cool. Ben and Rey being a representative of light and dark. The battle within themselves. The parallels. When his character was redeemed there was so much potential, and then he died. And he honestly didn't have to die. He could have lived. The real adventure begins when you choose to live. Rey has God like powers and could have saved him in turn. I don't care what anyone says, he could have lived. And the continuing character growth Ben Solo could have shown in the future would have been truly interesting to watch/read. But he had to die. One of his quotes from the first movie plays as a foreshadowing: "Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That's the only way to become what you were meant to be." He was a Skywalker. Disney hates the Skywalkers. No living Skywalker's allowed. And the "Force is Female," so he had to die for that reason as well. But can you imagine a truly redeemed Ben Solo and a truely developed double agent/mole General Hux meeting up after the fact? That would have been fantastic!! Oh my gosh, popcorn. I would have needed a whole bucket of popcorn for that scene.
Seriously Disney?!!! You and your missed opportunities.
In 1991 Timothy Zahn published Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, keeping Star Wars alive through strong creative story telling adding fantastic new characters while respecting Han, Leia, and Luke. The Star Wars extended universe grew and was considered canon. 21 years later, in 2012, Disney buys Star Wars for 4 billion, killing the EU in the process by calling them "legends." The stories I loved getting washed away by a giant price tag. If Disney can come in and retcon the EU, who's not to say that a couple decades from now someone can't come in and retcon Disney Star Wars? That would be poetic justice.
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action.
