What a journey it has been for the Star Wars franchise. Over forty-plus years of the largest fandom ever both celebrating and criticizing something they love at the end of the day. After The Last Jedi, the fandom was split and have been arguing for 2 years nonstop. Now the finale to what George Lucas started back in 1977 is here with The Rise of Skywalker, can it stick the landing and bring the fans back together? Here’s the thing, this is going to be one of the most talked-about movies ever made. Some are going to fall on one side and some on another. For me, it was a ton to process.
To say anything about this movie plot-wise people consider a spoiler but here is the most basic way I can break it down. It has been about a year or so since the events of the last film. An echo has been heard throughout the galaxy that has sent Kylo Ren on a mission he is determined to accomplish. Meanwhile, Rey has been training under the teachings of the texts and General Leia, growing more powerful while still burdened about the questions of where her place is in this large story. That’s as vague as I can be. Basically, I am of two minds with The Rise of Skywalker. The Star Wars fan in me absolutely loved it. It answered questions I had and didn’t have while also delivering epic moments and incredible action. The movie critic in me sees that the film has some glaring flaws. It is really about what you choose to take away from it and how you choose to watch it. There is so much happening in this film that it can be hard to comprehend but at the end of the day, this is a Star Wars movie and a damn good one at that.
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. One of the biggest criticisms this trilogy has had is that it was not planned out at the beginning. JJ handed it off to Rian who handed it back to JJ and they did not sit down before this started and chart out a clear path. It shows in The Rise of Skywalker. This film is loaded with answers to all your questions and it rushes to get to most of them right away. As a result, it feels like pieces are missing and most of the dialogue is just exposition that takes us from one plot point to the next. The focus is on our core group of characters and as a result, everyone else is underdeveloped. Don’t expect to walk out loving characters introduced in this one as you did in The Force Awakens because there is really nothing to any of them. It just feels like they decided they had to wrap up everything from all the movies and it just becomes too much. You can see the difference with a film like Avengers: Endgame which expertly plotted out a plan, and this movie which did not. They both work but one just feels so much more natural and cleaner than the other.
Now onto what worked about this film, and there is a lot. From the beginning with Force Awakens, the strongest part about these new films has been the new characters of Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo, and BB-8. We had never seen them all together until the end of The Last Jedi and fans had longed for a journey with them all together. Well, they do it in Rise of Skywalker and it pays off beautifully. The main good guys get together for a mission in the first half of the film and the chemistry is dynamic. You take the best players and put them on the same team and it usually translates into success. Throw in Chewbacca and C-3PO, who is the best he’s ever been, and you have a great core. JJ then surrounds that with some of the most incredible payoffs and moments you will ever see in a Star Wars film. It is not a smooth road, but it gets the job done.
All this being said, the center of this film is the journeys of Rey and Kylo Ren who are the most badass we have ever seen them. Kylo is determined to get done what he needs to get done and nothing can stop him. The struggle he has been dealing with for two films finally comes to front in this one and it is so satisfying. Rey, on the other hand, is more powerful then we have ever seen a character and can do incredible things. As the film goes on, the burden of her purpose or lack of clarity on it grows heavier and heavier on her and you can feel the stress of it all on her face. What Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver have done with these characters through three films building them up to be more complex then most Star Wars characters is truly astounding. They have gotten better film to film and are at their best to close it all out. Rey is one of the most impactful characters I have seen in this franchise and Kylo is now my favorite because of how well developed and how much care was put into them both.
There is so much conflict in me about this film that I feel like Kylo Ren balancing the light and the dark. As a film critic, I cannot ignore some of the unfortunate flaws this film posses but as a Star Wars fan, I kind of loved it. I do not carry the baggage of the original trilogy with me, The Force Awakens was my first Star Wars film, so I am open to new things with this franchise that these new films have given us. So, speaking as a Star Wars fan without nostalgia towards the other films, The Rise of Skywalker is a terrific Star Wars film, and my score will reflect that, despite its flaws.
The Verdict