Since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm back in 2012, the Star Wars films released by the Mouse House have always been an interesting thing to watch from a cultural and business perspective. They’ve all been wildly financially successful (with the exception of Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story – a fun, little romp which gets a bad rap) and none of them can be considered bad, but creatively there has been a distinct lack of consistency and cohesion. 2015’s The Force Awakens absolutely blasted the new saga out of the gate and the standalone adventure released the year after, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, continued the momentum and helped prove that Disney could experiment with the storied franchise and get away with it – to the tune of billions. Rian Johnson’s second entry in the trilogy, The Last Jedi, seemingly broke the movie world: causing a rift through a fandom never seen before and sparking endless claims that Johnson had “ruined the franchise” and petitions to erase the film from canon. Enter The Rise of Skywalker, the final film in the trilogy, once again helmed by JJ Abrams, who is given the unenviable task of unifying the two film’s visions and crafting a cohesive and satisfying conclusion to the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Does he succeed? In a way yes, but also not really.
The Rise of Skywalker is a big, loud, ambitious mess of a movie. It’s as simple (and as complex) as that. Abrams throws everything and the kitchen sink on the screen here in an attempt to give the audience something cohesive as well as conclusive. It’s a fine balancing act between the familiarity of The Force Awakens (which fans complained about) and the left-field, out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new approach of The Last Jedi (which fans also complained about) – and, unlike the Force, it really doesn’t balance. Abrams sticks to the same formula he did with The Force Awakens here, placing a heavy focus on fan service and nostalgia to win over the audience. There are moments of brilliance here, fist-pumping moments of pure ecstasy that will make most fans break out in a grin as they experience a flash of the same giddy high the original trilogy left them with, but these are very few and far between. No, most of what we get is a severe overcompensation for The Last Jedi; all but erasing the events of that film from existence and utilising only the very bones of the plot – Kylo Ren is still the Supreme Leader of the First Order and Rey is still carrying on her Jedi training while the Resistance scrambles to regroup after the defeat at the Battle of Crait. It’s been no secret that Abrams has said he had a very specific plan in place for the trilogy and Johnson’s film all but threw that out the window, but Abrams seems determined to finish what he started, even if the setup isn’t there.
This is where the problems start to arise. From the get-go we are thrust into a story that feels strangely separate from the two entries that have come before. It continues the style of Abrams, sure, with a healthy dash of Return of the Jedi to boot, but the connective tissue that should have linked these two films is not what we got in Episode 8. Without this context it’s hard to invest in the story, even if it includes the characters we know and love. A new, yet familiar, antagonist seemingly appears out of nowhere with no explanation provided and the audience is just expected to go with it. It’s a lot to ask of such a devoted fanbase especially before you proceed to fill your film with bizarre character choices and some nonsensical twists and turns. Without spoiling things too much, we follow the usual gang; Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), R2-D2 and BB-8 as they search for a way to rebuild the ranks of the dwindling Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and defeat the villainous First Order. Meanwhile newly promoted Supreme Leader Kylo Ren consolidates his position of power by teaming with an old enemy as he searches for both the remaining Resistance forces and Rey herself in an effort to destroy the Jedi and build his own new Empire.
Despite the story falling short of expectations, what we do get is still a fun, if ultimately forgettable ride and all the hallmarks of Star Wars are here. The effects and visuals are spectacular and genuinely jaw-dropping in spots, with the story moving through a plethora of new planets and locales from arid desserts to bustling cities and dank worlds beset by constant lightning storms. The effects-work extends to the creatures that inhabit the planets as well, a lot of which are brought to life using practical effects – something that Abrams has thankfully been extremely vocal about since The Force Awakens – and it all looks amazing and works to recreate that feel of classic Star Wars. Then there’s the action: more than maybe any Star Wars film; be it the starship fights – some of the best in this sequel trilogy – or the lightsaber duels, almost every scene ends with some sort of action set-piece and they consistently wow and keep you on the edge of your seat, with the exception of one scene which can’t be discussed for spoilers (you’ll know the anticlimactic scene when you see it). John Williams returns to see out his musical contributions to the trilogy, once again delivering an amazing score which perfectly compliments the visuals and serves as a reminder that he is perhaps the greatest composer to ever live, each piece of music drawing the emotions from the audience that he wants. All these things done right are what makes The Rise of Skywalker so frustrating. They had it, they almost had it; the perfect ending for these characters if it weren’t for the inconsistent story. All the pieces are there but it’s the connective tissue that is simply lacking and which doesn’t allow them to come together in the ideal way: you’re left knowing you’ve seen a Star Wars film, but one that is confusing and upsetting rather than joyful and a fitting send off to the characters we all love so much.
The one consistency throughout the entire trilogy, however, is the acting talents of all involved. Every member of the cast gives their all, no matter the size or importance of the role. Adam Driver continues to deliver the best performance of the Disney produced sequels as Kylo Ren, showing Ren as a deeply flawed and conflicted individual whose struggle to choose the dark over the light is constantly causing him pain. Driver’s story might not be as nuanced as his performance in the film but he lifts the material significantly, adding some depth to the unsure newly crowned Supreme Leader. Next to Driver the person that gets the most material to work with is Daisy Ridley as Rey, who doesn’t have much to really work with in terms of an arc but does her best to show the confusion and longing for purpose that Rey feels. This tends to be a common theme for almost all the characters in the film, as a result of trying to cram this story together and course-correct for The Last Jedi, there seems to be a distinct lack of character arcs for most parties involved. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac are both great actors but their roles allow for them to make minimal contributions to the plot other than being along for Rey’s adventure. It’s a shame given the promise hinted at in The Force Awakens and is a waste of their talents. Carrie Fisher’s role as Leia is a particularly interesting one, given her extremely sad passing before filming began and Abrams is in the unenviable position of crafting a performance from unused footage from the past two films. Thankfully it works and although Fisher’s role was conceived to be much larger before her death, it is a respectful tribute and send-off to the actress who will forever be our princess.
More than anything The Rise of Skywalker is disappointing. There were such high hopes riding on this closing chapter of perhaps the most beloved film franchise of all time and it just doesn’t finish out the stories of the characters we love very well. The action, music, characters and general feel of Star Wars are all there and it’s a movie that you can still enjoy and get some enjoyment out of certain set-pieces; but the story is so haphazardly put together and sloppy that it taints this entire sequel trilogy and highlights Disney’s lack of an overarching plan for the direction of Star Wars. The only thing to do now is hope that future films learn from this mistake and it leads to some great new instalments in the franchise but the Skywalker saga is now complete, and as a lifelong fan of the galaxy far, far away, this one hurts like a lightsaber to the heart.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Train, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant & Ian McDiarmid – In cinemas now.