CONCLUDING the Skywalker Saga, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker offers one last chance to immerse yourself in the beloved universe. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear that this latest trilogy lacked a coherent vision for said universe. The Rise of Skywalker desperately attempts to fix the perceived failings of its predecessor, while simultaneously setting up and executing an arc worthy of its own series. Packed full of exposition, corrections, and fan service, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker struggles to find its footing until the very end.
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From the first second of the traditional title scrawl, The Rise of Skywalker is in fast-forward mode. The big return of Emperor Palpatine? Done in the title scrawl. No setup or introduction. One or two words about cloning, technology, and the Sith being powerful, and voila. This rush to get through the worldbuilding remains consistent until the final confrontation. The material and story choices themselves are not necessarily bad, but they get moved through so quickly there is no time to emotionally process them.
The story clearly wants to get to the last third of the film and for good reason, it is easily the strongest part of the movie. Ignoring if you agree with all of the force power and story changes up until this point, J.J. Abrams puts on a show. A nostalgia powered space battle combined with the end of Rey and Kylo’s journey proves the franchise can still produce those epic moments. Unfortunately, this climax does not have the same level of emotional investment as other iconic scenes, due to the previously mentioned pacing issues.
Moreover, The Last Jedi is clearly already seen as the new black sheep of the franchise. If The Last Jedi properly set up The Rise of Skywalker, then the pacing of the story arc could have worked. Even if J.J.’s claim that Emperor Palpatine was always planned is true, Abrams obviously did not plan for director Rian Johnson to go as far off the rails as he did. The trilogy lacks a consistent vision and suffers for it.
Visually, The Rise of Skywalker produces some spectacular moments. A lightsaber battle over the water and a scene in the final battle stand out. John Williams’ composition remains a standout for the Star Wars franchise and hits all of the right nostalgic notes when J.J. Abrams demands it. Adam Driver even gives his best and most compelling performance as Kylo Ren this time around. However, all of this is in the background of the pacing issues. Without proper pacing, decisions do not have weight and characters do not resonate.
If you love Star Wars you already plan on watching The Rise of Skywalker. But the question is, how good of a film is it? In that regard, from a pure filmmaking perspective, not a very good one. For the most devout fans, it will give you one last rush of nostalgia before the saga finds itself on the shelf. For everyone else, it will rush through the majority of the actual movie while profusely apologizing for its predecessor (which sits at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes as of 12/28/2019). Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker tries to juggle too much and drops the ball. Watch for the closure, but do not expect any force miracles.
