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Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

Will this agony ever end,” C-3PO says at one point. Anyone who believes Disney’s marketing ploy that, “this is the final Star Wars film,” hasn’t been paying attention. Nothing and no one is ever final in this franchise, which is the biggest turn off for non-fans. As you watch the eleventh film in the franchise, it becomes more obvious than ever Oscar Isaac is the new Hans Solo, Ridley a less obvious Luke Skywalker and Boyega is the new Lando Calrissian. Instead of taking the time to create inventive new characters, Disney has Star Wars on such a fast-tracked assembly line that plots and characters are new generational carbon copies. Director J.J. Abrams (“The Force Awakens) closes out this particular strand of Star Wars with all the usual ingredients. Not aimed at pleasing diehard fans, they are more likely be infuriated, not gunning to bring anyone into the fold. Disney’s Star Wars has general audiences in their sites, offering more of an amusement part ride than cinematic masterpiece.

As a dark force from the past returns, the dwindling resistance has struggled to secure peace against the First Order. Freshly anointed Superior Leader Kylo Ren (Driver) has uncovered the missing piece to the last Jedi, Rey’s past. The resistance looks to Rey (Ridley) and General Organa (Fisher) for direction as The Final Order grows stronger, building a massive military using youth conscripted from across the galaxy. A newly discovered artifact will point Rey’s team to the Heart of the Dark Side of the Force if they can decipher its message. Chewy, Finn (Boyega), Poe (Isaac) and Rose (Tran) risk their lives on various planets and ordeals to ensure the pursuit of freedom.

The Rise of Skywalker begins and ends like all the rest, fans should be satisfied by comforting familiarity and those seeking original content like The Last Black Man in San Francisco or The Farewell, should look elsewhere.

Rey and Poe comparing light sources is an example of a fan service moment that give general fans giggles and everyone else eye rolls. If like me, you watch “The Rise of Skywalker” as just the next film in the queue (before “Cats” and after “A Hidden Life”), there is little cinematic originality to champion (or write about). Sure John Williams’s score is fitting for the action scenes and the somber moments, but it’s the same thing we’ve heard for eleven movies. Cinematographer Dan Mindel (“Star Trek Into Darkness) carves out little originality for himself and doesn’t quite match the striking visuals Steve Yedlin’s more independent film eye landed in “The Last Jedi.” Driver (“Marriage Story) continues to be the newest trilogy’s greatest asset. His performance as the tormented villain provides him more to work with as an actor than many of the other characters who are just spouting off terrible dialogue straight into the camera.

It’s hard to invest emotionally into the Star Wars space opera when in the first hour one character dies only to return in the second hour. This franchise and others in the Disney umbrella have conditioned us to question each and every death because finality doesn’t work well when you are selling video games and merchandise. As the “final film” rolls along through its bloated two and a half hours, there are so many fight sequences and sky battles that mirror previous sequences, it’s hard to differentiate between these and others from previous films. Which might explain why high profile actors like Laura Dern will appear briefly in one flick, or Keri Russell and Dominic Monaghan in another, helping one pass viewers to keep them straight. “The Rise of Skywalker” begins and ends like all the rest, spectacle fans should be satisfied by comforting familiarity. The die-hard fans who know, understand and can point out all the rules Abrams is breaking or ignoring in this installment are likely to riot. All of this simply means if you are seeking original movie content like “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” or “The Farewell,” you will have to choose a different galaxy.

Final Thought

‘Skywalker’ is expensive, general, family entertainment; galaxies away from original and inspiring.

C

2 thoughts on “Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker”

  1. Disney has never said this was the last STAR WARS movie and it has never been marketed as such. It is the Conclusion of Skywalker saga. If you don’t understand that distinction, you should not be reviewing anything Stars Wars related.

    1. Debatable, they are certainly selling this particular film as the end of these characters, but as we have seen before, they never go away. Star Wars is just a movie, I am a film critic. It’s just simply the next title in a long list of things to review. But thanks for stopping by.

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