#biggest disappointment since tros in 2019!!

[thisisthepartwhereyou]

FILM-REVIEW #1: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) *May Contain Spoilers*

So now with the craze of the holiday’s over and a new year beginning, I finally got the time over to view the movie which many has waited impatiently for ever since The Last Jedi (2017) famously split the fanbase in two. At least that’s what I’ve done.

Now before I start, I want to make something clear: I consider myself a Star Wars-fan. I recognize it as one of the most recognizable and cinematically significant film-series to ever be shown on any screen, big or small. I consider it one of the most iconic stories told in modern history, and a groundbreaker in many ways. However, unlike many other fans, who has this deep connection through their childhood, I do not. I grew up with other franchises, including Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters and the Police Academy-films. I didn’t really get into Star Wars until my teens, and while I am familiar with the Legends-continuity, I have never really read any of it. So basically, my view on Disney creating their own continuity is as neutral as it can be.

Because of this, some would probably consider me LESS of a fan, while others might argue that it makes me more objective when writing this review. Either which, I pride myself on being as honest as I can when it comes to movies, and that it is what I intend to be when reviewing this. 

So... How does the final part of the sequel trilogy hold up as a movie?

I am sad to inform that out of the three latest installments of the main films in the series, this is the one I enjoyed the least. While I enjoyed at least two thirds of The Force Awakens (2015) and half The Last Jedi, I’d say I liked about a third of this one overall. Mainly because it was... Messy.  

TROS suffers from many a things, including pacing issues, uneven tone, too much talking, a over-reliance on nostalgia and an unimaginative direction. Many creative choices feel rushed or made out of pressure, many clearly on account of the critique directed at TLJ. 

While I can’t say TLJ was without a few glaring flaws, the parts that were good were really quite intriguing and something that could be built upon. However, a majority of those ideas are either glossed over or downplayed here. This is especially disappointing, considering that the makers stated that their creative choices would NOT be influenced by the critique of the last film. I hate to feel cheated and lied to by members of the entertainment history; this felt like the Arkham Knight-identity thing all over again. Rather than going out with a bang and carving out more of it’s own identity for the trilogy, it felt like this movie this took a fearful step back and copped out with the most obvious direction that one could’ve imagined.  

Also, while exposition in itself is good, it needs space and timing in order to make an impact. The first good chunk of the movie is literally nothing but exposition and moving from location to location and character to character with barely any time to breathe! This movie was about two hours long, and it felt like about 20-30 minutes had been cut just out of fear of losing people’s attention. 

You’d also think that for what they marketed as the end of a saga (pffffft...!) would try and focus more on the development of familiar characters rather than introducing new ones. There’s like 10 new characters here whose roles could’ve been either scaled down or given to ones we already know. As they come and go, we have little connection to them as opposed to the ones appearing in earlier ones. This in turn makes the plot fairly bloated by the time of the third act. As a former Narutard it actually reminded of the end of the Naruto-manga; because it in the end didn’t dare to thin the massive cast or have the room to complete their arcs, it just felt all over the place. 

So with all this, you’d probably think I hate this movie. But no, not really. Yes, it is a quite annoying and a bit dissapointing, but it’s not like I’m going to burn my blurays or start a petition. To me, the biggest sin would’ve been if the movie had been boring/uneventful, like Attack of the Clones (2002) or Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), which I to be perfectly clear don’t really hate either (just almost). Boring this movie is most definably not. So, what was it about the movie that I actually liked?

Well, while the movie feels like it has too much of a hurry at times, it works well together with the action scenes. Several of the alien designs are memorable, and some of the new characters, such as the bountyhunter Zorri Bliss, do make an impression. The Emperor is back, and lets face it, despite the questionable feasability as to how that is possible, he is still quite good, though mostly through the powerful performance of Ian McDiarmid. To be fair, plenty of actor’s performances outdo moments of poor writing here; Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver giving the movie some of it’s most emotional moments. The character of Poe Dameron, which I’ve never really understood why people like, does have more of an engaging character arc her than in the previous two films. The few ideas that are further built upon from TLJ work well, and while most twists and turns are unimaginative, one or two are actually really, really GOOD.

So, in summary, what do we have here? Quite simply, not the worst Star Wars-movie ever, but quite possibly the one in this trilogy that squandered the most potential. Do I feel a little miffed? Yes. Is my life ruined? Of course it f*cking isn’t. One thing I’ve learned about Star Wars is that it takes more than a few bad installments to kill it, and judging by the overwhelming success of The Mandalorian, I’d say we’re only just beginning. How will people view the sequel trilogy and current spin-offs in 10 years or so is hard to say, but I believe that while some parts will age like wine, other will like a bowl of fruit, not too unlike the prequels. Maybe there is even a lesson to learn here for the future of the series; work out the basic outline from the beginning, and if something goes a little wrong, don’t lose your nerve, JUST STAY ON COURSE.

As a whole, I give The Rise of Skywalker the rating of 5/10.