Post Return Of the Jedi, Star Wars films for the most part have received mixed reviews, none quite hitting the mark like you would do a womp rat with a T16. But with part IX putting the main series to rest, will JJ Abrams bring out every trick in the book and ensure that the saga goes out with a galactic bang?
And so, from a galaxy far, far away, but with frequent news still making its way to our part of the universe, a naturally force-strong scavenger, an ex-imperial stormtrooper, an ace pilot and a wookie with vast life experience, are left (with a few friends in toe) to put to bed, what the Rebel Alliance started in Star Wars: A New Hope. What immediately became evident with JJ Abrams' latest opus was that he had 3 tasks fulfil. 1) To remind audiences why they loved about classic Star Wars. 2) To patch-up the mythology-killing parts of The Last Jedi and 3) still make a unique film which could stand on its own merits.
In The Rise Of Skywalker, Abrams gives us an ode and a sequel more akin to the Return Of The Jedi, which is his first smart move and there are a few secret revelations within TROS worthy of the first trilogy. It's not all good news though, parts of TROS are patchy, like you can see the seams showing because of the re-wiring that had to be done, due to the damage inflicted by The Last Jedi. I would even go as far as saying Abrams is also able to subvert our expectations - in a good way...to a degree, but because he had to semi-recreate the canonical damage, he could only go so far without contradicting the preceding film's narrative. There is plenty of true action, most of it standardly good, but some of which doesn't work. In particular, the awkward physics of the Jedi's more grand movements and everything astral projection, an overused device in the film, that I'm not wholly sure even belongs within the Jedi skill set.
Knowing what was on the line, there is no teasing of what is to come in the story, we are thrust into the thick of things and even the opening iconic yellow prologue is so straight to the point and without pazaz, that I am sure that a bored teenager who doesn't even like Star Wars wrote it. Events move along at a brisk pace which is pleasing, but at the same time, a bit too quickly for any true feeling to permeate out of the screen or for most of the jokes to land. The biggest device used to generate feeling is the music, but a score cannot carry an entire film.
The main problem with the latter entries of the Star Wars franchise is that it continues to deliberately stay arrested and this revelation I will ashamedly admit to, did not come from my own reasoning, but from Freddie Prinze Jr. in a interview about his involvement with Star Wars animation. The problem is whilst we, the fans grow older, we crave a more mature, potent delivery from the journey, with harder themes to match our age and life experiences. Our expectations continue to grow and grow, but become less and less realised as the franchise deliberately stays juvenile. We forget that we have to experience the magic through the eyes of children or as children, which is probably why The Phantom Menace really hurt. The Empire Strikes Back remains the most 'adult' film out of the series, never once issuing a corny moment or a back-track to 'safety' with heroism suddenly coming in to save the increasingly bleak circumstances. The Rise Of Skywalker is a good enough finish for the trilogy and the overall nonagon narrative, though it was always going to be a fight, had with one arm tied behind its back. I think with such a beloved franchise, we were always going to demand more and this finale just might not seem big or fulfiling enough for some.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Is Out Now On General Release.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Is Out Now On General Release.
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