Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a problematic end to the Skywalker Saga

Note: This article was first published on 18th December 2019.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been touted in marketing as the final end to the Skywalker saga - a saga comprising three trilogies that spans five decades. This is an event for Star Wars fans, the end of a story told way back in 1977 with A New Hope. Ultimately though, while The Rise of Skywalker serves as a solid ending for the sequel trilogy and its characters, it’s a lacklustre one for the Skywalker Saga as a whole. 

Before I go on - I should mention that this review is entirely spoiler-free. Stay off of Twitter though!

Balancing fanservice with good writing

I truly don’t envy J.J. Abrams and the rest of the crew working on this film - they had to put a neat little bow on one of the most beloved movie franchises in history. Avengers: Endgame similarly attempted to wrap up a massive story, while still delivering on the audience’s expectations this year. It succeeded for the most part - though its story had issues, some lovely fanservice and character moments made the movie legendary. The Rise of Skywalker on the other hand, lacks that level of grace. 

While there are moments in this film that will make fans’ jaws drop in utter joy, there are some that might just induce a whole lot of head scratching. Fanservice in this movie just doesn’t land that well. Where fans might have appreciated old faces and references, Abrams is content with just dropping in familiar environments, and drawing parallels between characters old and new. This level of symbolism isn’t very creative - and often barely makes sense. It kind of feels like the movie is simply replicating scenes from previous movies without understanding why they existed in the first place. 

This movie’s writing is by far its biggest flaw, though. The most refreshing aspect of The Last Jedi is how willing it was to try new things in the franchise, even if most of it didn’t pan out. Abrams has gone on record saying he wants to try new things again with this film, but from what I’ve seen, he just doubled down on drawing inspiration from the original trilogy. 

These sequels have been so, so obsessed with Episodes IV-VI, that they have forgotten to tell a story reliant on its own characters. A certain character arc in this movie is ripped right out of the old trilogy, but why? Why repeat the same old stories when you can tell new ones? 

Let’s talk about The Emperor

By now, it’s no secret that The Emperor has a heavy presence in The Rise of Skywalker, being the main villain of the story. In a way, it’s an apt ending to the series as a whole, with The Emperor being present in every one of the trilogies one way or another. 

Unfortunately, bringing him back didn’t quite work here. His motivations and schemes just don’t make much sense. It’s never even clearly explained how he’s back, though I have a couple of theories. The problem is, I shouldn’t have theories on why this massive villain is suddenly back in the picture again, after Anakin (aka Darth Vader) gave his life to defeat him in Return of the Jedi. I should just know - it’s the one thing that has no reason to be kept a mystery, but is anyway. 

The Emperor is cool and all - he’s absolutely mesmerising whenever he appears - but nothing about him makes sense here. He shows back up out of nowhere, acts wildly out of character and enacts a really strange plan. I almost wish the series had just stuck with Snoke as an overarching villain. 

What about Rey, Finn, Kylo and Poe?

I might be a part of the minority that absolutely adores all the new characters - Poe Dameron in particular. This movie treats them really, really well. The Last Jedi was pretty disappointing in that most of the cast was separated, with some of them stuck in really dull storylines (Finn). Fortunately, that isn’t the case here. 

For the first time in this trilogy, these characters have really grown into their own. Rey has come far in her Jedi training, Finn is a beacon of hope to everyone around him, Poe struggles with the responsibility of leading the Resistance under Leia, and Kylo Ren continues to find himself stuck somewhere between the Light and Dark Side of the Force. The main actors do an absolutely fantastic job - Adam Driver in particular, as Kylo. 

Even smaller characters like General Hux are so great in this movie, while returning characters like Lando Calrissian and C-3PO chew scenery whenever they’re onscreen. Lando in particular was a highlight, with Billy Dee Williams pulling off that character so well that one could easily forget he hasn’t done so since 1983. 

On the subject of returning characters - we have to talk about Leia. Carrie Fisher sadly passed away in 2016, making her character’s presence in this movie quite the pickle. The movie uses unreleased footage of Fisher from The Force Awakens, and it’s pretty awkward to say the least. It’s entirely understandable why, but big emotional moments just lack impact because her character looks extremely out of place in every scene she’s in. 

There’s some good stuff too!

Despite my criticisms, I still believe that The Rise of Skywalker is the best film out of the new trilogy. It is by far the most cohesive installment, with a very firm sense of direction and closure. Some fans might not like the exact kind of closure they get, but I’m fairly sure others will. It’s a Star Wars movie with some incredibly bold story choices - so, of course there’ll be some debate. 

The movie’s action setpieces can get pretty wild, with intense, climatic space and lightsaber battles, though none on the level of Rogue One or Revenge of the Sith. Star Wars fans will gasp and lose their minds at choice moments - my heart was beating particularly fast during the movie’s third act. If there’s one thing Abrams has largely nailed down, it’s a movie’s pacing. The Rise of Skywalker never lets down, nor does it ever give you a minute to breathe. It’s a spectacle, that much cannot be debated. 

It’s the end of an era

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker provides fans with a sense of closure, for better or worse. It is by far the best movie out of the new trilogy, being much more consistent in quality and bold in story choices - but that can only take it so far. A couple of plot points just don’t make sense at all, while other story beats are flat out written badly. 

However, it did exceed my expectations as a conclusion to the saga, by packing in some really memorable moments alongside massive battles with really high stakes. That, at its core, is Star Wars. The Rise of Skywalker serves as a fitting end to this trilogy, though it doesn’t quite bring the series back to the level of quality it started out with. 

***

7/10 lightsaber throws

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