There is no denying the impact that Star Wars has had on pop culture, but
between the last few movies, it became a needless topic of debate. The last few
films have been met with very polarizing reactions all over the place with fans
citing that Disney’s new direction with the franchise has either been the best
or worse thing to happen to the series. Unfortunately, the polarizing nature of
modern Star Wars is still continuing,
this time with Rise of Skywalker set
to be the final film in the entire Star
Wars saga. However, unlike the previous few new Star Wars films, Rise of
Skywalker provides a rather safe and hollow experience, leading to an
underwhelming finale that doesn’t feel as coherent and fulfilling as it should
be.
A
Plot that is Rather Rushed than Thought Out
Rise of Skywalker
takes place shortly after the events of Last
Jedi, where an old evil force has return in the form of Emperor Palpatine. With
his return becoming more and more of a threat, it’s up the resistance and the
characters of Rey, Poe, Finn and many others to stop his evil plan of taking
over the galaxy. This is of course a basic premise for a Star Wars film which is fine on its own, however things feel a lot
hollower when you realized, there’s not much to it than that. Elements like
returning an iconic villain could have potential but the movie never gives full
merit for why this is a thing and instead it feels like something that J.J.
Abrams and the other writers thought of it at the last minute without being
full well thought out. Even taking that element out of it, the story just feels
all over the place setting up elements or having elements from the previous
films set up but never having a full payoff. It truly feels like Disney and
team never had a full plan for what this trilogy has to offer and they want to
change things in an attempt to course correct many issues’ with The Last Jedi. If it was any other film,
this would be one thing, but the problem is, this is set to be the end of a
saga for a franchise that has lasted for decades and it doesn’t feel like they
had an idea of where the finale needed to go. As a sendoff, this feels like a
massive disappointment. It’s not to say the film doesn’t have strong moments or
characters in it at points, but as a whole, the film just feels hollow and for
the third in a trilogy, it shouldn’t be that way.
Characters
Don’t Feel as Fleshed Out Most of the Time
An element that is always remembered in
any Star Wars movie, it is the huge
cast of lovable characters the film and this film has that great cast. The
downside is the film doesn’t really put some of these great characters to good
use. Characters like Finn and Poe, who were introduced very well in The Force Awakens, don’t really have
much development or to do here. They’re here to serve as side characters but
there could have been more explored with their characters in the same way the
previous few movies set up. Some classic Star
Wars characters do return with some fun moments like Chewbacca, C3-PO and
Lando Calrissian but those moments are very limited throughout the majority of
the runtime. One of the worst aspects of this movie that makes it feel rushed
from a character perspective is how the film introduces so many new characters
that tie in with the previously established characters of this new trilogy. The
moment some of them are introduced, they’re kind of glanced over and don’t
leave much of an impact in the grand scheme of the film’s two and a half hour
runtime. To mention something positive character wise, Rey and Kylo Ren still
have some good character moments here and there that help dive into their past
and how they’ve dealt with them and Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver deliver solid
performances with the material given. Even then, some of the decisions made
with these characters aren’t as fleshed out, especially when dealing with the
film’s main antagonist being Emperor Palpatine. Outside of Palpatine’s design
in this film, his inclusion in the plot rarely works as it feels like the
writers could not have thought of any other original idea outside of bringing
an older villain to the final film. It is a shame some of these great actors
and characters ended up being wasted on a film that is otherwise rushed and
didn’t give them more material and depth to this expansive universe of Star Wars.
Serves
Fans a Typical Star Wars Experience Visually
Regardless of quality of the story itself
in these newer films, the recent Star
Wars films have been pretty consistent at giving fans an aesthetically
appealing movie. The film is shot fairly well and production design is pretty
spot on across the board. The film has some very neat set pieces that still
manage to immerse you into the world of this franchise. Not only that but the
new trilogy is still on this trend of having more practical looking creatures
as opposed to CGI to improve on one of the criticisms that the Star Wars prequels had. Not to mention, Rise of Skywalker still features some
very enjoyable action scenes that are sometimes standards to the series but
other times unique. With highlight being a pretty solid lightsaber fight on the
ruins of the Death Star in the ocean being one of the most epic sequences in
the entire film. Even then however, the well done aesthetics still feel rather
wasted on a script that wasn’t fleshed out as much as it clearly needed to be.
So even with a ton spectacle on screen, it still feels rather hollow with a
script that showcases this franchise’s full potential.
Not
the Worst but Nothing Special
With all of the discourse surrounding the Star Wars franchise, it is safe to say Rise of Skywalker is far from the worst
thing out there, even by Star Wars
standards. It has enough creativity, decent character moments and set pieces to
make for an entertaining film experience. However, outside of that, there is
nothing truly impactful here that Star
Wars has been known for having in the past. It is plagued by subpar writing
and a rushed plot that really proved that the people behind this film didn’t
have a clear direction on where this trilogy needed to go. It is a shame when
there are so many decent elements here in Rise
of Skywalker; it just isn’t enough to save what ultimately a poorly planned
out film. Granted, it is a Star Wars
movie that still has an entertainment factor to it and some fans will love it
regardless for how it handles the end of the saga and that in of itself isn’t
bad. However, if you’re looking for something that would truly make an impact
in the same vein as the very best of what this franchise has to offer,
unfortunately the force is not that strong with this one.
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