Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

This review may contain spoilers!

Far from the satisfying conclusion to the trilogy audiences had been hoping for, this still manages to be an entertaining time. I would give Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker a 6.5/10.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker is the concluding chapter in this latest trilogy of Star Wars film, in which Rey and the heroes of the Resistance must find a way to stop Kylo Ren, the First Order and their new mysterious ally. I really enjoyed how this film took the time to actually explore and introduce Star Wars to us again; new ships, weapons, species and planets all made for interesting touchstones that enhanced the atmosphere of this feature. I was really into the journey the film took the audience on, seeing a small group of main characters all working together to find hidden artefacts that would help them succeed in their struggle against the First Order created a much needed 'back to basics' narrative. As a character Rey's arc felt really well explored here; her incredible connection to the force, her lineage and also her strength of character in the face of overwhelming odds. It was also really heartening to see Star Wars bring back a classic antagonist so that the franchise actually had an intimidating villain at the helm once again, Kylo's character has suffered a lot over the course of these films and the reintroduction of the Emperor was a much needed plot device. The cinematography does wonders for the piece, as always capturing those epic landscapes and effects heavy battles. The special effects in turn are consistent throughout, right from force powers and lightsabers to a variety of aliens, droids and star ships. The score for this film is nothing short of powerful and classic perfection, John Williams work on these films have created some immortal pieces of music that will never be forgotten.

Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, does a really good job of falling back into that grizzled stoic Jedi Master role; Hamill's ability to be a reassuring reluctant guide has served this trilogy well and it was the most satisfying scene in the world watching him lift that X-Wing. Daisy Ridley, who played Rey, has really served this trilogy well as a protagonist and brings her role to a nice well-rounded conclusion; Ridley has this optimism and determination in her role that sees her overcome any obstacle in her way. Oscar Isaac, who played Poe Dameron, is this high adrenaline, cocky risk-taker that feels like the next Han Solo in the making; Isaac gets to explore his character's self-doubt about being a leader in this film which was the strength of his arc. Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO, finally gets to function as a role in this film as opposed to a background droid which is a real treat to watch; seeing Daniels trade morose barbs and make self-sacrificing actions in service of others was a great reminder why I love this droid character so much. Richard E. Grant, who played General Pryde, was a nice minor antagonist that allowed a genuine menacing presence the General Hux character never accomplished; Grant's merciless cold-hearted commander feels like a nice throwback to Peter Cushing's Tarkin. Keri Russell, who played Zorii Bliss, is quietly one of my favourite new aspects introduced in this film; Russell manages to create one of those notorious underworld criminals with a heart of gold that do so well in the Star Wars series. Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian, steps back into this role like he was playing it yesterday; Williams has that quiet self-assured confidence that set him apart with a more seasoned degree of wisdom that makes him more intriguing than ever. Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo, manages to perform so well in his one scene cameo that he might just have one of the best scenes of the film; Ford has this nice genuine moment of compassion with his onscreen son that shows a deep connection this franchise has been waiting to fulfil. 

However, the best performance came from Ian McDiarmid, who played Emperor Palpatine. McDiarmid's return to the Star Wars universe is a powerful reminder that great, classic roles have come from this franchise from the sheer talent of those playing them. The Emperor we see in this film is different in a manner of ways; he feels like a shade of a being, a shadow of darkness waiting to be reanimated. I personally loved this return to a more ritualistic and plotting Emperor, one who has fallen upon the ancient ways of the Sith and uses them to live on. McDiarmid thrives in this role because he is so good at portraying the scenes in which he attempts to exploit and manipulate the weaknesses of those he seeks to control. The Emperor is one of the most powerful antagonists to emerge from this franchise and we have McDiarmid to thank for that.

The Rise Of Skywalker is near perfect when you look at the technical components but the plot may as well be swiss cheese with that many holes. Throughout the feature there seems to be a real sense of trying to find a loose connection between all three films in the trilogy, you really get a sense that there wasn't a shared vision for what these films were supposed to be and it showed. Right from the opening crawl we have the Emperor very abruptly introduced, a good move for the film but one that comes out of nowhere that is supported by a lack of foreshadowing and a need to up the ante for this last instalment. Characters have very confusing arcs considering where they were at in previous films; suddenly whether or not Finn is force sensitive bears an importance to the plot again, Kylo Ren goes through a very quick unconvincing change of heart and Poe suddenly has a history of spice smuggling. These messy attempts to make the characters more dynamic feels very too little too late and only makes the roles themselves less interesting. The film tries so hard to be a legacy film and pay tribute to what has come before while passing the torch off to the new cast of characters that you wind up with some very corny scenes, even right up to the last line of the film. Rise Of Skywalker also suffers from the same problem Last Jedi faced in that it introduces new characters without pausing to consider if the new characters enhance the story, more often than not these new roles or droids take up unwanted screen time and feel like a burden to the plot.

Carrie Fisher, who played Leia Organa, has never quite managed to make a convincing comeback in the same way the rest of her former co-stars did; This film didn't really need Fisher to succeed and by including her through archive footage only punctuated her lack of presence. Adam Driver, who played Kylo Ren, started this trilogy extremely well and somewhere along the way lost this role completely; Driver lacks the ability to convincingly show the inner struggle his character journeys through and his ultimate return to the light side comes off as pretty heavy handed because of this. John Boyega, who played Finn, is another character who was great in the Force Awakens but has struggled to find his feet since; Boyega's Finn has been shoved into so many different functions and missions at this point that when you hear him start to harp on about how he follows his 'feelings' you realise they really didn't have a clue what his role was. Naomi Ackie, who played Jannah, is this odd deserter character who makes a very sudden introduction in the back half of the film; a new character introduction that late in the film is a tall order and Ackie fails to impress herself upon the audience for that final act. Domhnall Gleeson, who played General Hux, is a pale shadow of an antagonist now with his inner turmoil with Kylo Ren dialled back to a petty rivalry; Gleeson is shoved into one of the more forgettable subplots and written out of the film quicker than he deserved. Lupita Nyong'o, who played Maz Kanata, is another role that had a lot of potential who got shoved into the background come the third film; Nyong'o never gets to try her quirky persona or wise remarks anymore and is shoved in more as a creature feature than anything else. Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico, seems to be a character this film wants to forget about; formerly part of the main cast Tran's role is now no more significant than some of the speaking X-wing pilots and Reistance leaders you often see in the background.