Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

After Rian Johnson largely underwhelmed audiences with 2017's The Last Jedi, Star Wars Episode IX has returned to the hands of J.J. Abrams, who initially kicked off this new trilogy with 2015's The Force Awakens.  You can tell that he is wildly trying to steer things back in the direction he wanted, which leads to a lot of chaos up on the screen.  If there is one fault to be found with this new trilogy of films, it's that they never quite found a stable voice or direction to guide the entire plot.

Still, among the chaos, you can still see the original universe that George Lucas created 42 years ago.  This supposedly final film installment (we shall see...) arrives in theaters with a lot of pressure.  Fans are demanding answers, demanding that the movie fulfills their every want and desire, and maybe even an appearance from Baby Yoda. (Sorry, doesn't happen.) Of course, there will never be a film to truly please every fan.  Each installment will be nitpicked for all time by those who have devoted huge parts of their lives to the universe.  So it goes with just about every fan culture, and its attempt to return it to proper form after a long absence, or a troubled history.  In all honestly, perhaps Abrams was a little mad to attempt to bring an end to the entire Skywalker Family saga.  There's honestly no way he could have nailed a landing so huge, and it's clear that he's floundering more than just a little as he fills his movie with nostalgia, call backs, and more than a few convoluted plot elements that you can see coming from miles away.

And yet, the movie does work on a basic level.  It's got lots of thrills, some laughs, and enough heart to help you look past its flaws, and probably enjoy it.  How much you enjoy it probably depends on how much time you have invested in the film's universe.  I'm sure the diehard followers will be rewriting the script to their specifications in their heads while they're in the theater.  Others will find it a fitting tribute and ending.  I think I'll place myself somewhere in the middle.  The film is far from perfect, but there are some very graceful elements here, like the way Abrams has handled Carrie Fisher as Leia after her death in 2016.  There are cameos to watch out for, which are handled well here.  There's also just a sense that the movie wants to please its audience, and I think The Rise of Skywalker succeeds enough that I am recommending it.  It's worth watching at least once.

If you want answers about the saga between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) that's been building for the past four years, you'll get them.  He's still trying to lure her over to his side, and she's still training to be a Jedi, and wanting to know more about her parents and her mysterious past.  Kylo is now taking orders from Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who apparently is not as dead as we were led to believe after 1983's Return of the Jedi.  Palpatine wants Rey brought before him for reasons that will be unexplained here.  As for Rey, she's struggling with trying to figure out who she is.  Do the dark premonitions that haunt her hint at an inevitable future?  Is her destiny fighting alongside Kylo?  Does she even have a choice in where her life will go?

For guidance, she turns to Leia, who helps her with her training.  These are some of the best moments in the film, as by using film footage Fisher recorded for The Last Jedi that was never used, Abrams is able to create a surprisingly warm and compelling performance that never once feels like technical wizardry.  It feels like an honest performance, and we never once question the effects work used to bring the two actresses together.  It's touching in a way, and a more than fitting way to pay tribute to Fisher's invaluable contributions to the story.  As Rey struggles to find her place and her past, she is joined by her friends and comrades from the previous entries, like Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega), as well as old favorites like Chewie, C3PO, and R2D2.  Speaking of old favorites, Billy Dee Williams returns as Lando for the first time since Return of the Jedi, and he hasn't lost any of his charm of screen presence in 36 years, though it would be nice if he had more to do.

But then, not many of the characters outside of Rey and Kylo get to stand out here.  That's because Abrams is mostly using The Rise of Skywalker as an opportunity to indulge in his fanboy side, and throw in as many lightsaber duels, space dogfights, and throwbacks to the past as possible.  A lot of this is fun for a while, but like a lot of recent blockbusters, this movie could have benefited from another trip to the editing room.  After about 90 minutes, when you realize there's still almost an hour to go, you might start to wish that the plot was a bit tighter, like I did.  There are a few too many visits to too many planets, too many plot surprises that really are not that surprising, and just an overall sense that Abrams and his story people just did not really know when to stop adding to the narrative.  This is a movie that's been packed to the gills, and while it manages to work, it might have worked even better with just a little less.

It's undeniable that there are large portions of the film that work, and where I felt that child-like excitement that the best Star Wars entries have always given me.  This is not a perfect film, but it has been made with a lot of joy and spirit.  That's kind of all I was looking for out of this, and it provided.  So, let the fans nitpick.  I'll admit it has its flaws, but it's still a lot of fun.

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