When it comes to popularity, the biggest franchise in cinema is undoubtedly Star Wars. Many have tried, but few have been able to come close to the fandom of the universe that George Lucas created 42 years ago. With expectations at an all-time high, the final entry in the saga is now upon us. Directed by J.J. Abrams, The Rise of Skywalker is sadly a hollow mess of a story, squandering it’s potential by choosing to focus on action-filled nostalgia.
The narrative follows Rey and The Resistance as they collide with Kylo Ren and the ever-growing First Order. In between it all, the returning Emperor Palpatine poses a devastating threat. The cast once again comprises of Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver, supported by Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Ian McDiarmid.
If we analyse the sequel trilogy, one thing is abundantly clear: there was no cohesive plan. While The Last Jedi built on The Force Awakens in many interesting ways, The Rise of Skywalker disregards practically everything that Rian Johnson put forth. Because of this, it seems as though they have tried to pick up after The Force Awakens, squashing too much into the 2-hour 20-minute runtime. There are countless problems, but the main issue that continues to rear its head is the poor return of The Emperor.
With unconvincing motivation and zero explanation, Palpatine is back. His appearance might have worked if the seeds were planted in previous instalments but because they weren’t, we see the return of an unnecessary antagonist. He is forced awkwardly into the narrative, providing us with some truly awful plot twists. Our new cast has therefore been pushed aside, ruining what could have been a character-focused finale.
Amongst the complications, the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren is predictably the best part of the film. Their interactions are wonderful to watch, even when the script does not do them justice. Ren especially, as his character arc finishes in a messy but still satisfying way (thanks to the ever-superb Adam Driver). Rey’s journey has many enjoyable moments too but a particular detail to her story ruins the beautiful ending that we could have had.
The main positives are the aforementioned duo, the music, the performances and the action. It is a wild ride and many viewers will probably enjoy the plethora of fan-service moments. The movie moves at a pace that will surely entertain some but also creates more problems than it addresses. As is the case with each negative aspect, this falls on the script.
Convoluted and written with less focus on good dialogue and more on creating “epic” moments, The Rise of Skywalker has a story that wants to be more than popcorn cinema but fails miserably. As it is co-written by Chris Terrio, scribe of Batman V Superman and Justice League, all this is not surprising. However, as mentioned previously, some individuals still need to be commended. Namely, John Williams for another spectacular score and the many individuals that have constructed the gorgeous visuals and huge set pieces.
Ending with more of a whimper than a bang, The Rise of Skywalker might be the most disappointing Star Wars film of them all. Not necessarily in terms of quality, but more when it comes to wasted potential. On a surface level, there is some good stuff here, and there are still moments that let the characters shine, but these don’t fix the cracks in the narrative. As Star Wars branches out onto television, it is unclear when another big-screen release will arrive. When it does, if they want to avoid more disaster, there will hopefully be a long-term plan in place.