Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Film Review

Movies changed forever on May 25, 1977

The release of Star Wars – with its wondrous combination of imaginary religious conflicts and wisdom, whiz-bang special effects, and delightful cast – took the very notion of a Hollywood “blockbuster” to another level. It also surpassed every pundit’s wildest fantasy, as George Lucas and his merry band of space cowboys broke box office records while simultaneously building a religion and legacy of their own. Lore swiftly became legend, and Star Wars became one of the most popular franchises in entertainment history. And with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the journey of characters carrying the names of Skywalker, Solo, and Palpatine is finally complete.

The biggest question of this entire film is how do I review a movie no one wants to know anything specific about? Quite literally, any time you begin to utter even a whiff of this space magic mumbo-jumbo, immediately you are met with side-eye fierce enough to wipe out the wickedest of Jedi Masters. So I decided, for this one time, I’m just going to keep it simple and light. These will not be the spoilers you’re looking for.

Here is all you need to know about the story: Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) have been tasked with locating a hidden planet that contains the key to bringing down the entirety of The First Order, now led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Still conflicted with his connection to Rey, Kylo – aka Ben Solo – struggles and pontificates on his place in this world throughout the film, as Rey continues to force forward towards completing her journey and saving the galaxy. And yes, Rey and Kylo continue their back-and-forth psychic shenanigans about who is worth redemption, and who is truly pulling whom into the Dark Side. Basically, it’s Return of the Jedi with a metric shit-ton of additional electrical effects and substantially better catering.

Returning to helm the final nail in this trilogy of trilogies is The Force Awakens’ J.J. Abrams, a director who already perfectly captured the nostalgia of the original, while successfully introducing us to characters we now know and love. After the social media beat down that The Last Jedi received, it also becomes painfully obvious within the first few minutes of Rise of Skywalker that Abrams had an entirely different take on the middle movie of this trilogy than director Rian Johnson did. It’s a skittering start as Abrams crams an entire movie of ideas into 20-30 minutes of screen time in order to catch us up to speed for his final two hours of breakneck pacing.

But you came here to find out if it all works, right? Does J.J. and the gang have what it takes to bring home The Rise of Skywalker as a rousing celebration of the world of Star Wars and every ounce of nostalgia and childhood whimsy the franchise has stood for over the last 40+ years? Will audiences walk out of the theaters with a grin so wide it can be spotted from a galaxy far, far away? The short answer to that is…kinda?

There are moments that work magnificently. Set-pieces pop as we salivate over speeder chases and lightsaber battles seemingly pulled directly from the recesses of our childhood imaginations. Beloved characters pop up left and right to have their longtime arcs acknowledged and respected. Scenes to close loops that fans have clamored for arise constantly as if to say, “Hey buddy, thanks for buying all those toys over the years, this is for YOU!”

The term “Fan Service” is tossed around far too leisurely these days, as if giving fans – the people who live, breathe, and finance the very things they love – what they want is somehow a negative. Audiences deserve to be challenged, sure, and also to be treated as if their love for a property they’ve supported blindly for decades matters. Because it does. Yes, there is a lot of fan service in Rise of Skywalker, and most of it is a wonderfully joyous gift to fans of every generation. If you don’t like every aspect of it, go write some fanfic of your own while you whine online, nestled up in your Chewbacca onesie.

Where it does take a turn towards the less positive is how safe Abrams plays it. At least three times throughout Rise of Skywalker, a prominent character is alluded to be in imminent peril. As the final piece in a 9-film puzzle, we as fans expect this, even welcome it. Give us some real stakes, kill off your darlings and let us have something to play for. It’s a war with the greatest military in the ENTIRE GALAXY bringing all its might down on civilians in every system, there must be casualties!

Yet, each and every time, Abrams brings in the safety net, puts on a helmet, pats us on the head and whispers “not today, kids.” The first time this happens, OK, subvert our expectations and don’t take a fan favorite from us. You got us that time, J.J.! But after the third time, it becomes painfully obvious that after the fan rebellion over the last couple of films, Abrams and Disney are legitimately terrified of doing anything even remotely bold to upset their fan base. Even the potential fall of the Resistance never truly feels in jeopardy as it faces overwhelming odds, and it absolutely should. It needs to feel overwhelmingly dire. None of this makes The Rise of Skywalker a bad movie, not in any respect, but it is definitely wearing a cinematic seat belt of epic proportions. There are zero genuine stakes in this finale, and that is the film’s biggest weakness.

Its biggest strength is the cast, and I mean all of them. Separated for far too long in The Last Jedi (and in a wandering, ultimately pointless arc in the case of Finn), the new guard are reunited and it feels so good! Ridley is still the glue that holds this entire trilogy together – carrying more emotion in one glance than most franchise characters muster in three entire films – and the camaraderie between her, Finn, and Poe is intoxicating. Throw in Chewie, C3PO, Lando, R2D2, Leia (yes, they pay as much respect as possible to our wonderful princess, Carrie Fisher), Kylo, a host of surprise callbacks to the entirety of the Skywalker saga, and you have a cast of characters with the potential to catapult you to full-on seat bouncing at any given moment.

As a complete entity, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has its issues and plays it too safe, but it remains an entertaining film that families and friends can enjoy together for years to come. Rip-roaring space battles, fantastic oceanic ballet dancing with laser swords, droid hijinks, romantic entanglements, and more subplots resolved than sand grains kicked up whenever Rey races through Jakku. J.J. Abrams burst through the door with one mission: wrap the Skywalker Saga up with a nice enough bow that no self-respecting fan can spend another five years destroying it online. And that he did. This may not be the exact film you’re looking for, but there is little doubt the Force remains with us.

Always.

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