Hey Guys. This is Jaime here.
Welcome to another film review. After so many years (two at least of waiting), I am happy to announce I have finally watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a.k.a., Star Wars – Episode IX.
It’s the time of the Truth. Or shall I say… The Time of The Force.
But before I continue, there are two things I want to tell you. The First one… MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE AND A HAPPY NEW 2020. (Hopefully I will continue giving you more reviews.)
And the second thing… Are you guys doing alright? If you are happy, especially in these holidays, then I am happy too.
With that said, ready for the review.
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
Story
Taking one year after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the story begins when Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, finds a very unexpected clue that will not only change the life of his enemies from the Resistance, but also the fate of the galaxy in the amazing conclusion of the nine-part journey of what now we know as THE SKYWALKER SAGA. And of course, the Jedi Apprentice Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, will join her good ol’ friends, Finn, played by John Boyega, and Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac, to stop Ren and the First Order at all cost.
And of course… we also have this amazing cast that includes the late Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Lupita Nyong’o, Joonas Suotamo, Domhnall Gleeson, Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Kelly Marie Tran…
But the best part is the return of veteran Star Wars actors Billy Dee Williams and Ian McDiarmid, as Lando Calrissian and Sheev Palpatine respectively. And of course, the movie is directed by J.J. Abrams (My respects), who also directed The Force Awakens.
First and foremost, you must know that I am a huge fan of Star Wars since I was a kid; I watched every single movie in the cinemas, from the original Star Wars to Return of the Jedi, including The Phantom Menace, and I liked it (Already admitted). The only one that I skipped was Attack of the Clones (possibly worst title of Star Wars). And when Disney announced a new trilogy, I went bananas, especially after watching The Force Awakens…
Sorry for all this digressing, but definitely anyone has its own personal anecdote regarding Star Wars…
My point is that this is the movie that I was expecting from the beginning of 2019, as much as Avengers: Endgame or Joker; and as soon as the movie was released, I immediately bought my ticket and went to the cinema, and… It was a surprise for me!!!
Look, some of you might be thinking that I am overreacting, and that The Rise of Skywalker is not even that great. I am not going to lie. The first act is pretty rushed, especially its first ten minutes; and with all due respect to the memory of Carrie Fisher, but some of her parts are not that believable, you can notice that there is a green screen used for General Leia Organa, which sadly ruins some of the magic, even though I perfectly understand that there was no choice, especially after Fisher’s tragic death.
Nevertheless the movie improves its pacing and rhythm, taking its time to let us enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the Galaxy; and feel its atmosphere in some scenes, which is also one of the beauties from the Star Wars Universe. (Those who have seen Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace definitely know what I am talking about). Especially during the action sequences, where probably The Rise of Skywalker might have too much of them, but I think these are well-edited, and Star Wars fans, both from the classic movies and the post-2012 ones, will enjoy them.
Like I said, the movie improves its rhythm, and by the time of the second act, you start understanding the purpose of everything that is going on in the story, except from some parts that should follow this rule – SHOW, DON’T TELL; but, by this point, the conflict between Kylo Ren and Rey reaches its highest peak. And slowly, some of the questions from both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are answered, which is kind of disappointing because we, as fans, demanded more, but the film still is entertaining enough to make desire more. Better still, The Rise of Skywalker gets into more action rather than exposition, and the former is simple, so we, as audience, can really feel the story and enjoy it… For the most part.
Finally, that third act… BY THE FORCE!!! Ok. Probably is not the best battle from the Star Wars cinematic franchise, but it is definitely what you expect from this sequel trilogy. However, don’t get too excited about the Knights of Ren and the Sith Troopers. I need to tell this by now, because, due to the hype of this movie, they will definitely disappoint you.
Overall, the story is pretty well-balanced, and enjoyable enough, at least during the second and the third act, because the first one is not good despite the epic moments. To be honest, I was very impatient in the cinema, hoping to see the epic final battle between the Resistance and the First Order, struggling not to see the rest as pure filler.
Personally, I find hard to believe that The Rise of Skywalker costed between 250 and 300 million; on the other hand, that can be justified with the changes of the script done by J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio, or perhaps because the fans were so outraged by The Last Jedi, which I personally enjoyed as much as The Empire Strikes Back. That’s why I got my respects for Abrams; he had a big responsibility, and the sudden departure of Colin Trevorrow during production did not make things easier.
Nonetheless I had so much fun with the good parts. However I will give you a simple advice, focus on these four elements of the overall story:
- The conflict between Rey and Kylo Ren
- The answered mysteries of both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi
- Land Calrissian
- The final battle
With that, the movie will become a joyride.
CHARACTERS
Wow!!! This is kind of a hit and miss
Okay. All of the actors are great, especially Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley; as I said before, these two are the ones who are holding the movie. Moreover, despite my earlier criticism, I think Carrie Fisher does pretty good as Leia. Let’s recognise it… That character was made for Fisher.
Speaking of which… Lando Calrissian was definitely a treat. Once more, Billy Dee Williams puts that good ol’ scoundrel at his best. In fact, ever since Disney announced the sequel trilogy, I never stop wondering:
When we are going to see Lando Calrissian?
And now… here we go. The only problem is that he could be used a little more, or at least more than I could expect. I guess the story and the script did not really had a lot of time for him. But at least he came in the best way possible.
The same goes to Keri Russell as Zorii Bliss. Apparently she has a very important role of a certain character, but her presence is so rushed and so contrived it ends up pretty unconvincing. I wish the script was more polished. If there is a future sequel, or a spin-off, perhaps Keri Russell will have a bigger role.
And what about Finn? Or Poe Dameron? Or R2-D2? The movie states that there is a bond between these three, but if you see this movie, along with The Last Jedi, you will definitely not buy it. At least Mark Hamill gets a pretty good part with despite the script.
Do you see a pattern here? We love most of the characters from the sequel trilogy, but the script of The Rise of Skywalker does not deliver the story they deserve, and that’s a shame, because despite some «moment» between Finn and some «other character» throughout The Last Jedi, there was a lot of potential of all of them.
What a shame.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, I enjoyed The Rise of Skywalker. Personally I don’t think it’s the conclusion that the sequel trilogy deserved, but is a pretty decent conclusion for The Skywalker Saga, and I still gonna watch it again; in addition, most likely the movie will generate the same controversy that came from The Last Jedi.
But with that aside, Episode IX is a really exciting movie, with great visuals, great characters, beautiful and poignant moments and this sensation of the vastness of The Galaxy; all what Star Wars is about. And just like both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker will continue to inspire a lot to talk about for the years to come.
I guess that all I can say is… See it by yourself.
And whatever happens:
«May the Force Be With You.»
Jainituos Presents 