Written by: Kevin Berge
9 movies in and Star Wars is still as binary as ever. You're either good or you're bad. There is no middle ground. (Image Courtesy of: cnet.com)
Quick Take: Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker may be the purest distillation of fans' fears for what Star Wars would become under Disney. It is overlong yet wildly rushed, lacking for any meaningful emotional interactions while also making radically polarized decisions that never have a chance to land.
Star Wars Reviews: Episode I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | Themes of the Trilogies | Rogue One | Solo | Clone Wars (2003) | The Clone Wars (2008) | Rebels (S1/S2/S3/S4)
***This review will not contain spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker. Anyone with at least a passing knowledge of the previous two films in this sequel trilogy can read ahead without any risk. A spoiler review will come at a later date after reflection and a second viewing.***
42 years of storytelling is a monumental task to close out with any sense of closure. Star Wars Episode IX was asked to do too much, and the result may be the worst of all worlds. It is neither a good move on its own nor a good ending to the trilogy, let alone this trio of trilogies.
Many factors could come into play when addressing how The Rise of Skywalker failed. The simplest answer is that it was rushed to production. The screenplay is sloppy and in need of a solid rewrite. The dialogue doesn't flow naturally, which has never been an issue with J.J. Abrams films.
What hurt it more for me personally was the pacing. This movie is scatterbrained. It moves so fast that the audience barely has a chance to breathe. This whole movie could have just been these characters talking, yet none of them get more than 20 seconds a scene to discuss anything.
Abrams' best film of his career was The Force Awakens. It is a nostalgia trip, but it is gorgeously directed and acted. It gives space to its world and characters. It understands that it needs to make people fall in love with Star Wars all over again.
TROS may be the worst movie of his career. It is sloppy and poorly edited. The acting is often wasted even sometimes undersold. The central ideas of the film are built on poorly conceived ideas that almost fall lifeless at the floor.
Many have worried that Disney would make all its franchises soulless cash grabs, but this is the first film that truly feels like it falls completely into that category. This movie doesn't know it wants to be, and it especially knows it doesn't want to follow its predecessors clearly.
***This review will not contain spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker. Anyone with at least a passing knowledge of the previous two films in this sequel trilogy can read ahead without any risk. A spoiler review will come at a later date after reflection and a second viewing.***
42 years of storytelling is a monumental task to close out with any sense of closure. Star Wars Episode IX was asked to do too much, and the result may be the worst of all worlds. It is neither a good move on its own nor a good ending to the trilogy, let alone this trio of trilogies.
Many factors could come into play when addressing how The Rise of Skywalker failed. The simplest answer is that it was rushed to production. The screenplay is sloppy and in need of a solid rewrite. The dialogue doesn't flow naturally, which has never been an issue with J.J. Abrams films.
What hurt it more for me personally was the pacing. This movie is scatterbrained. It moves so fast that the audience barely has a chance to breathe. This whole movie could have just been these characters talking, yet none of them get more than 20 seconds a scene to discuss anything.
Abrams' best film of his career was The Force Awakens. It is a nostalgia trip, but it is gorgeously directed and acted. It gives space to its world and characters. It understands that it needs to make people fall in love with Star Wars all over again.
TROS may be the worst movie of his career. It is sloppy and poorly edited. The acting is often wasted even sometimes undersold. The central ideas of the film are built on poorly conceived ideas that almost fall lifeless at the floor.
Many have worried that Disney would make all its franchises soulless cash grabs, but this is the first film that truly feels like it falls completely into that category. This movie doesn't know it wants to be, and it especially knows it doesn't want to follow its predecessors clearly.
Not shown: Rose Tico because apparently she wasn't considered nostalgic enough to be included. (Image Courtesy of: denofgeek.com)
Much of the story beats that don't work in this film would require heavy spoilers to discuss, so I'll save that frustration for another time. However, there is one clear overriding frustration that comes out in every storyline: wasted potential.
Daisy Ridley has been the revelation of the franchise coming from nowhere to become a household name. She's wrestling with so many emotions in this movie, but she never gets to rest on any one. It's unclear what the audience is supposed to feel about Rey's journey at any time.
Adam Driver is doing so much here that it feels like the whole movie is really about him. He is a part of every truly emotional scene. However, even he could have been served so much better. There are scenes that make Kylo Ren feel lifeless to serve the story's central arc.
Everyone else is in this movie for snippets. Sure, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac may be around a lot, but they don't do anything. Their characters don't evolve in any way. The rest of the cast is barely on screen. They are in cameo roles when some clearly should not be.
One of the central struggles of this movie was to give Leia Organa her due even though Carrie Fisher passed away before shooting. What they manage is admirable on a technical level, but it is so obvious that she's not actually that that her presence in key moments makes everyone feel stiff.
Star Wars' final chapter is also its least ambitious. It carries very little weight. It tries to be so much at all times without saying anything. I can't say I took anything away from the movie. It may be a better film than The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones, but it is not nearly as well intentioned.
Episode IX is genuinely upsetting. In brief moments, it shows signs of the promise it could have delivered. Whether it needed more time, a fresh creator at its helm, or just a hard and honest second opinion, TROS is a lost opportunity that will forever stand as the end of a legendary trio of trilogies.
Daisy Ridley has been the revelation of the franchise coming from nowhere to become a household name. She's wrestling with so many emotions in this movie, but she never gets to rest on any one. It's unclear what the audience is supposed to feel about Rey's journey at any time.
Adam Driver is doing so much here that it feels like the whole movie is really about him. He is a part of every truly emotional scene. However, even he could have been served so much better. There are scenes that make Kylo Ren feel lifeless to serve the story's central arc.
Everyone else is in this movie for snippets. Sure, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac may be around a lot, but they don't do anything. Their characters don't evolve in any way. The rest of the cast is barely on screen. They are in cameo roles when some clearly should not be.
One of the central struggles of this movie was to give Leia Organa her due even though Carrie Fisher passed away before shooting. What they manage is admirable on a technical level, but it is so obvious that she's not actually that that her presence in key moments makes everyone feel stiff.
Star Wars' final chapter is also its least ambitious. It carries very little weight. It tries to be so much at all times without saying anything. I can't say I took anything away from the movie. It may be a better film than The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones, but it is not nearly as well intentioned.
Episode IX is genuinely upsetting. In brief moments, it shows signs of the promise it could have delivered. Whether it needed more time, a fresh creator at its helm, or just a hard and honest second opinion, TROS is a lost opportunity that will forever stand as the end of a legendary trio of trilogies.
