Warning: Review contains mild spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker based only on trailers and promotional materials.
Ever since the original Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) first released in the early summer of 1977, movies have never been the same. From the intense high-production space battles to the exquisite sound of a lightsaber being ignited, there is nothing truly like a Star Wars film. Whether it’s John Williams’s iconic score or the famous opening title crawl, the memories from Star Wars are timeless. Regardless of the varying quality of Star Wars films released, as fans, our love has never wavered. From the classic original trilogy to the abysmal prequel series, Star Wars fans have endured and always returned for more. Even after Disney’s takeover of Lucasfilm in 2012, Star Wars continued to be a roller coaster of quality. The Force Awakens (J. J. Abrams, 2015) showed audiences how to win back the public, Rogue One (Gareth Edwards, 2016) exhibited a new step forward, The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson, 2017) was a much-needed risk that didn’t pay off, and Solo (Ron Howard, 2018) was a pointless entry that no one asked for. Now, nearly forty-two years after the release of A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (J. J. Abrams, 2019) released on December 20, 2019, officially ending the Skywalker saga. To say the least, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker continues the roller coaster of quality, ending the saga with a dud of misplaced nostalgia, poor writing, and an overall unfinished story that leaves more questions than answers. As good as other recent Star Wars entries (like the Disney Plus series The Mandalorian or Respawn’s video game Jedi Fallen Order) may have been, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker continues the long-running Star Wars film tradition of taking one step forward and two steps back.
Two years after the events of The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), BB-8 and the surviving members of the Resistance as they try to thwart Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the evil First Order for the last time. As a mysterious transmission is received from the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) himself, Kylo Ren travels to the Sith planet of Exogal in search of its origin. After a shocking discovery and with the First Order close behind, Rey, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), Poe, Finn, and BB-8 all set out together as they search for help and answers that could peace to the galaxy once and for all.
The biggest issue The Rise of Skywalker faces is ending a story that was never written start to finish from one creative vision. Unlike the original trilogy (though directed by different directors under the same writers) or the prequels, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker were all directed and written by different people. It’s not a secret that when the creatives at Lucasfilm first wrote The Force Awakens, the other two films were to be handed off to other directors to finish the trilogy. Even The Rise of Skywalker was supposed to be directed and written by Jurassic World’s Colin Trevorrow but due to creative differences, Abrams was hired to finish the final film. Through these three films, each director has played leapfrog over the other, delivering on a trilogy resembling Frankenstein’s monster rather than executing one clear, cohesive vision. Unfortunately, The Rise of Skywalker suffers most from this issue by impacting its identity as a film. As a person who hated The Last Jedi, I applauded Rian Johnson’s ability to bring risk to a franchise that has been quite conventional over the past few years. Instead of supporting these risks and sticking by them, The Rise of Skywalker instantly undermines the story told by Johnson, as half of the film is dedicated to “fixing” what The Last Jedi established. Whether it’s instituting Rey’s actual heritage or retconning Snoke’s death, The Rise of Skywalker almost goes to the point of apologizing for The Last Jedi instead of shifting its focus to being a finale film. As divisive as The Last Jedi may have been, The Rise of Skywalker makes sure to bring fans back to a safe territory that promises to never take risks ever again. The Rise of Skywalker is such a safe film that once the movie starts to make its own mark, there is nothing in the tank to deliver on. Nothing feels earned, the nostalgia feels out of place, and, most importantly, the big Star Wars moments just don’t feel right. As aesthetically pleasing as the epic space and lightsaber battles may look (as we have come to know in Star Wars), I have never felt more void of emotion when watching these scenes because there is simply nothing to connect to. As an audience member and avid Star Wars fan, I have no idea what The Rise of Skywalker wants me to feel. Character potential is wasted and, most frustratingly, the film feels unfinished–leaving the audience with unanswered questions and fragmented story arcs. Though I wish The Last Jedi was different, having a film be used to fix another whilst meeting the astronomical expectations of a finale film is illogical and impossible. In terms of The Rise of Skywalker, the film does neither. From Palpatine’s return, to the battle between the Sith and Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker showcases the recent trilogy’s glaring flaw: incoherence.
The biggest impact this lack of planning has in The Rise of Skywalker is with the characters themselves. Though these characters may have had great starts in The Force Awakens, most of their development has been trapped in books and comics rather than being allocated to the movies. Whether it’s with Charles Soule’s excellent Kylo Ren comic series or Claudia Grey’s enticing bridge novel Lost Stars, Star Wars has relied more on external media to tell the whole story the sequel films could not. Unfortunately, The Rise of Skywalker continues this tradition by failing to provide meaningful resolution to our heroes. As interesting as their beginnings may have been–Vader wannabe, stormtrooper turned rebel, ace pilot, a girl who is nobody–these characters come out of The Rise of Skywalker as half-baked as they were when they started. After seeing the nearly two-and-a-half-hour conclusion, I can’t say if anyone besides Ben Solo has truly grown over these past three films. Solo’s arc, albeit janky, at least feels complete. From The Force Awakens to The Rise of Skywalker, even the most casual fan can recognize the conflict, change, and resolution of Solo. This is given way more depth as Adam Driver’s performance as Solo is captivating. Throughout these three films, Driver’s ability to convey Solo’s inner struggle, emotional instability, and mental displacement is masterful. By the end of The Rise of Skywalker, I still wished we had more time with Solo as it seems like there is more untapped potential in his character. It’s unfortunate that these three films had to focus on balancing both Rey and Solo when Solo is clearly more interesting and sympathetic. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the characters. Finn is lost in an awful two-part romance, Poe still mimics Han Solo with no depth, and most disappointing is how the sequel series has handled Rey. Rey has resembled a passed-around stepchild adopted by writers who could not decide where she belonged. Though her biggest mystery is revealed in this film, the answer is more confusing rather than logically sound. In a series full of excellently written women characters (i.e., Ashoka, Hera, Leia, even Padme), it’s hard to see Rey (and even, to a larger extent, Rose) given such a disservice. From her interactions with Ben Solo to her journey as a Jedi, there isn’t a time in The Rise of Skywalker where I can confidently understand who Rey is as a character. For a franchise that has had three films to build Rey as a symbol of “All the Jedi,” I am left wondering what exactly a Jedi means, a question I used to know the answer to. Aside from her trying to figure out her identity and representing pure goodness, I cannot pretend to believe Rey has had any depth, enthralling qualities, or nuance outside of her one arc. I’m still wondering if I missed an episode that completely explains why audience members should care about Rey or why she deserves to be the symbol of hope like the many Jedi and heroes before her. Maybe this will be explained in a book or comic down the line.
Aside from typical Star Wars action and excellent Ben Solo scenes, I can’t say The Rise of Skywalker is a film to recommend–let alone watch–if you aren’t a die-hard Star Wars fan. The Rise of Skywalker, simply put, is a jumbled mess that ends the Skywalker saga with a flop, one plagued by poor planning, plot and character incoherence, and, most of all, creative inconsistency. By the time the credits roll on The Rise of Skywalker, I am left feeling perplexed by the overall point of this sequel series. From its half-baked characters to its illogical plot, The Rise of Skywalker is one of the worst Star Wars films ever made.
4/10
Author Biography
Jason Husak is a University of Alberta film studies graduate who currently resides in Edmonton, Canada. He continues to pursue his passion for film by studying entertainment journalism at Grant MacEwan University. For more in-depth film reviews, discussion, and analyses, you can follow Jason on his personal Twitter and Instagram or his film and entertainment podcast Boring People, Bad Opinions on podcast and social media services.
Film Details
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
USA
Director J. J. Abrams
Runtime 142 minutes
