Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Director: JJ Abrams
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams
Primary genre: Space opera
Secondary genre: Epic
Nominated for: Best sound editing, original score, visual effects
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Following the narrative mess of “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi” (2017) which disregarded the entire mythos of “Star Wars” with creatively bizarre choices and a lame plot featuring an over-powered Mary Sue, “The Rise of Skywalker” seeks to course correct the series, simultaneously concluding the trilogy and the whole saga itself unfortunately in disastrous fashion.
It is evident now that Kathleen Kennedy and co had no particular idea about the (if any) character arcs across three films. Each chapter introduced new elements contradicting the previous films and erasing existing groundwork and the final version of “The Rise of Skywalker“ has a too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen plot desperate to include so much information and further subplot threads that none feel justified or exciting. A reliance on excessive fan service and Marvel like humor further elevates existing problems by ignoring basic character traits to favor childish moments and thus contradicting the rules of this universe.
Abrams and writer Chris Terrio have our main heroes going from point a to point b to chase down McGuffins while simultaneously attempt to attract the original and prequel fans by bringing back key characters in order to replicate badly the final act of “Return of the Jedi” (1983) and thus, minimalizing any surprise, pathos, tragedy or genuine thrills. It is perhaps even more disappointing the fact that “The Rise of Skywalker” does a major disservice to the entire eight film pack before it, filled with gigantic plot holes and seeking to cancel Anakin’s sacrifice and Palpatine’s death.
Kylo Ren is now officially a poor substitute for Darth Vader, lacking an actual arc and feeling like a wasted opportunity for Shakespearean drama despite the efforts of Adam Driver to provide some appropriate emotional depth. Rey on the other hand has no personal stakes in the grand scheme of things and continues to be an expert at everything failing to register as a hero in a way that Anakin and subsequently Luke (and Leia) did. The rest of the ensemble do not really have any scenes to shine with Boyega in particular reduced to an Rey fanboy screaming her name every two minutes although there is not anything in this relationship that we should invest in while Isaac remains a Han Solo wannabe that nobody asked for with executive produced one liners. Chewbacca is being reduced to an extra and the much anticipated return of Lando is being handled so poorly that you wonder why did the filmmakers bother to include him at all.
JJ Abrams continues to frame messy and incoherent action with his lens flare coming into stark contrast with the lyrical (and static) visual style of the previous six films (sequel trilogy excluded) that relied on steady camerawork and basic location understanding during massive battles and lightsaber duels. Abrams thinks that hectic and chaotic mean better and therefore tries to give the film a sense of urgency, particularly in the exposition-heavy first act but by the time the audience tries to figure who is talking about what, you could hear the snores in the theatre. There is an obvious confusion to the proceedings combined with an inconsistent tone and despite some rare stylistic touches and an overblown sense of scale, you can hardly keep awake.
Despite state-of-the-art effects, “Episode IX” bears no visual stimulation besides some really dumb ideas (e.g., if there are space horses at the top of the ship, why not tilt a bit and send them flying?) that could provide their fair share of entertainment value within their own silliness. Do not expect to see creative space battles like the opening shot of “Revenge of the Sith” (2005) or the speeder chase in Endor. JJ Abrams might have shown promise before but he does not have the appropriate panache or visual eye that George Lucas (and others) had (and have). His action scenes are small in scale and poorly staged carbon copies of similar set pieces that we have seen before lacking the finesse of the prequels or the emotional impact of the original trilogy.
With no clear arc in mind, the last chapter of the sequel trilogy is an underwhelming and lackluster finale that favors shallow characters, superficial plot developments and embraces huge plotholes. Deprived by a major creative force (i.e., George Lucas), “Star Wars”, a once mighty space opera is now a feeble vehicle for poor storytelling. Despite few moments of brightness and a noble effort from Driver’s part, “The Rise of Skywalker” lacks the tragedy of “Revenge of the Sith”, the cathartic redemption in “Return of the Jedi” and strangely enough, fun.
An absolute mess
+Adam Driver is still the emotional center
+State of the art special effects
+Ian McDiarmid is back!
-Massive plotholes and idiotic choices
-Banal direction
-Blunt action
-Misused familiar characters
-Mary Sue Rey with no stakes
-Marvel humor
-Finn - pointless character
-Useless subplots