Okay, I've finally seen STAR WARS: EPISODE IX ~ THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. I have no hot take on it. I have no new insight. I have no... 'sigh' ...I have no enthusiasm for Star Wars anymore. Episode IX was the first Star Wars film I missed seeing in a theater since The Phantom Menace, or even the Special Edition rereleases prior to the Phantom Menace. I even saw that animated Clone Wars theatrical film. And it wasn't because I didn't have an opportunity to go see it. I had plenty of chances to see it, but instead I went to other films like UNDERWATER.
My missing this film in the theaters, and waiting to see it when it was free on Disney+, was the culmination of feelings since 2015's THE FORCE AWAKENS. I did not like Episode VII, although I don't feel it is a bad movie. It comes down to story and character usage. 2016's ROGUE ONE I thoroughly enjoyed however. Rogue One didn't detract from the previous films (for me at least) but rather I felt it reinforced the previous films making them stronger. 2017's THE LAST JEDI I did not like. The more I think about Episode VIII the more I dislike it.
After seeing The Force Awakens there was a little part of me that thought, 'They did this to get the ball rolling. Episode VIII will actually give us something new and great." Well, it certainly gave us something new and unexpected. But instead of generating enthusiasm for Star Wars, The Last Jedi killed any hope I had for this new era of the franchise. I almost missed seeing 2018's SOLO because I felt like I wanted nothing to do with Star Wars anymore. While I enjoyed Solo it still felt wildly superfluous. I never wanted a solo Solo film.
And when 2019's The Rise of Skywalker came, following the events of The Last Jedi, I just couldn't do it. Flash forward to today, six months after Rise came out, and I finally broke down and watched it.
Meh, it was okay. There were things I liked and things I didn't. Overall it just felt like what everyone else has been saying, namely that this era of Star Wars was terribly misguided, directionless, and a lack of cohesion. This trilogy feels at odds with itself, not planned, and winged. Had one director written all three then maybe this trilogy would be stronger for it is the middle film here that stands at odds with the rest. As a result of a jarring middle chapter, it is all this final film can do to give us some sense of culmination and closure.
THE PLOT
The Emperor has returned! And he has a new Empire with which to subjugate the universe with. Rey, under Leia's guidance, has reunited with Poe and Finn. Using Luke's notes, the trio sets out to find the Emperor and stop his evil plans. But can they escape Kylo Ren's relentless pursuit in order to save the galaxy?
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Giving away Palpatine's reveal in the title scroll was ridiculous. Why would you squander such a moment in a text scroll not one minute into the film? Answer: They needed a hook to get people to come back after The Last Jedi. I actually enjoyed seeing the Emperor back. He looked scary (and reminded me a lot of the cenobite Dr. Channard from Hellraiser II) and his inclusion really brought elements of this trilogy's story together. Rey being a (SPOILER ALERT!) Palpatine makes sense given her immense power level and sheer invincibility. But what should've been her biggest challenge and most compelling character aspect amounts to little.
She barely has to struggle with her dark heritage. She keeps pulling new Force Powers out of nowhere, doing things Luke, Yoda, Obi-Wan, and the other Jedi never did (at least in the movies). She's even so powerful now that she can take out a Tie Fighter on foot and Force Pluck a transport ship out of the air... but wait, there's more she can do too! Throughout this movie you'll find yourself going from saying, "She can do that now?!" to "Of course she can do that. What can't she do?"
And what would've made Rey infinitely more interesting, going darkside, was barely touched upon. If she had actually killed Chewie that would've been far more impactful. If she had actually killed Kylo Ren that would've been interesting too. The film only flirts with these ideas, like it only flirts with making Rey compelling but never actually does anything with her beyond making her "perfect."
The aftermath of The Last Jedi seems to have no bearing on this film's plot either as the Resistance seems stronger than ever right from the beginning of this film. The only thing that stands from the last film is that Luke is still dead. Really? Of all of the things to keep from The Last Jedi this is by far my least favorite aspect they could've retained. This film has to invent a whole new plot for this film that wasn't there in the previous films and disregard the core theme from episode VIII.
Enter the Emperor.
And the more I think about the Emperor being alive and well again the more it bothers me. Luke and Vader fought and defeated the Emperor and the Empire but we never get to see the results of their victory (The Force Awakens begins with The First Order being in power and the good guys once again rebelling). It appears nothing has changed after Return of the Jedi, so what did Luke and Vader accomplish? Then the Emperor returns?! Did Luke and Vader do anything of worth? Did the entire original trilogy accomplish anything? Well, nothing shown in the films at least.
The battle in these new films is ultimately still to undo what the Emperor did in the prequels. Yes, this is a through line, but what it does is render the original trilogy impotent to the overarching nine film plot. Like the second film in a trilogy, the original trilogy can be skipped as it doesn't move the overall plot along in any meaningful way anymore. Basically the only lasting impact of the original trilogy now is that it removed Darth Vader from the table. Other than that it didn't stop the Empire or free the galaxy.
If Rogue One reinforced the original trilogy then episodes VII, VIII, and IX did nothing but dismantle and undermine the original trilogy. And to top it all off, Rey takes Luke's identity by the end of it. The Rise of Skywalker title even seems to undermine the previous films, as if the Skywalker name and destiny was meant for Rey, to be redeemed by Rey as the only Skywalker that did anything good and lasting. Or maybe it's ironic that the Skywalker name is so tarnished that it ends up in the hands of a Palpatine by the end. The Palpatines seem to be the central driving "force" behind all nine episodes, the Skywalkers merely being manipulated pawns in it all, powerful pawns but pawns nonetheless.
Anyway, I liked the action scenes in the movie. I liked seeing Lando again. I kinda liked Keri Russell's character. I liked seeing the downed Death Star and throne room from Return of the Jedi. I really liked the idea of a Dyad between Rey and Kylo, but it is never really explored in any depth. Beyond that this film seemed to be doomed following the previous films. Maybe this was the best they could do to salvage this trilogy? I don't know. As is I'm just thankful this era of Star Wars is over.
THE VERDICT
Squandered opportunities are the two words that best describe this sequel trilogy. What should've been the grand finale to the greatest franchise in history (or what many feel is the greatest franchise in history) instead ends up wasting its cast and resources. What should've been a grand story that connected across nine films instead creates more problems for the overall story and further dismantles the characters and story that built this franchise. The end of the "Skywalker Saga" never should've been about Rey, Finn, and Poe. It should've been about Luke, Han, and Leia. Now they'll never be able to do a story about the original cast ever again. Instead we're given hollow new characters and a haphazardly assembled story resulting in a flat finale with faux big moments that don't feel earned. What should've been far bigger than Avengers: Endgame can barely mimic it.
Overall Ranking: 4 out of 10
I still dislike The Last Jedi more, but this isn't much better.
Perhaps I'm being too harsh. It's easier to criticize than it is to create. Likewise hindsight is easier than foresight. I'm not a filmmaker. I've never made a film like this. So perhaps I have no right to criticize. And maybe they really didn't foresee how this would all be received. But I am a consumer and have given my hard earned money to support these films. As a consumer I should have a right to give my feedback on a product. And it seems obvious to me that even a casual Star Wars fan wouldn't get behind what these new films have done.
Disney needs to do a better job with Star Wars in the future. Otherwise they'll just continue to burn this franchise to the ground. The sad part is that they have the resources to make the greatest Star Wars films we could ever see. There is a plethora of books that they could simply adapt, books which the fanbase approves of and wholly accepts as canon. Why Disney would seek to divide their built-in fanbase and erode it rather than solidify it and increase it is a mystery to me.
If there is any saving grace to Star Wars today it is found in the television series The Mandalorian, Clone Wars, and Rebels. The people behind these shows should be the ones in charge of the films.
Anyway, sorry for the negativity. But negativity is all these films have left me with (VII, VIII, and IX to be specific). I'd say read these other posts for my thoughts on the other films, but if you've made it this far you know where I come down on them. Here they are if you're so inclined. Thanks for reading!
Oh, one last thing. I believe there is a place for Rey, Finn, and Poe in Star Wars and it should've been in a separate story unconnected to the previous films. This sequel trilogy should've been about the original cast. Now we'll always wonder what could've been...
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