Ask Lucy: Movies: Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) --- “The Saga Concludes, But No One's Ever Really Gone.”

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Hello, Movie Buffs!

Rey (Daisy Ridley) is continuing her Jedi training while Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega) and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) learn a terrible secret from a mole in the evil First Order: Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), through the use of "unnatural" powers from the Dark Side of the Force, has returned. Now it is up to our heroes to thwart Palpatine once and for all before he raises the Final Order and crushes what's left of the Resistance. All the while Rey grapples with her intense connection to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the truth about who she really is.

Directed, produced, and co-written by J. J. Abrams (Star Trek Into the Darkness) alongside writer Chris Terrio (Justice League: Part 2), Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) is an epic space-opera film and the final episode in the nine-part Skywalker saga. Abrams and his team had a lot riding on their shoulders to ensure that this film surpassed and made up for some of the disappointment surrounding The Last Jedi (2017). They had to wrap up a nine-part film saga that spanned four decades, bring closure to billions of fans whose lives have been forever impacted by the series, and reward scores of beloved characters with a satisfying ending. And despite all the challenges it faced, Rise of the Skywalker succeeded in what it set out to achieve.

The story takes off immediately but there is an obvious inconsistency with the film’s tone in comparison to the last film. If you view The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker you find that is a three-part act that jumps from the classical storytelling of Abrams in The Force Awakens to the meandering subversiveness of Rian Johnson in The Last Jedi and then back to the classical approach of The Rise of Skywalker. When I say classical approach I mean that Abrams and his team appreciate the film’s roots and have chosen to build upon what has been established and what the fans love, rather than create something entirely new. The film and the filmmakers understand that there has to be a larger version for an already established story and it has to make sense.

In The Last Jedi, the story presented the challenging concept of Jedi and Sith but then never went through with it and instead abandoned it at the end. Also, it made Luke Skywalker abandon his mission in a way that was uncharacteristic of him because it failed to explain the events that led to his decision to live a self-imposed solitary life. There were flashbacks that don’t even deserve to call themselves flashbacks and plot holes that didn’t add to the film but were instead a complete waste of time and resources.

In contrast, The Rise of Skywalker, while insanely predictable, served its purpose and made sense overall. When the audience finally learns the story of Rey’s parents it is a concept that completely logical given what we already know about her origins and the magnitude of her power. It also makes another plot idea seem more plausible, especially since it is hinted at extensively throughout the film. The deviations from Star Wars’ traditionally mythology is inspiring because it uses Rey's origin and her relationship to Luke and Leia to teach the audience the lesson that states: a Jedi’s (or perhaps a person’s) worth comes from their actions and character, rather than whose blood runs in their veins.

Now, this does not mean that this film is without its flaws. The editing in the first half of the film seemed rushed but it is quick to smooth things over so that the heart of the story can show through. Also, there were some subplots that were started and then completely abandoned before the film ends. Lastly, there were some underutilized characters such as Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico. Nevertheless, this was still an impressive story despite its flaws and lack of surprise.

Almost all of the actors - Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, and Billy Dee Williams - from the last film return to reprise their characters. The story offers satisfying conclusions to character arcs of Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, Chewbacca, C3-PO, R2-D2, and even Palpatine, General Leia (Carrie Fisher). Thanks to Abrams' creative and respectful way of using existing archival footage, CGI technology, and body-doubles, Fisher, who passed away in 2016, managed to be in this film and received the conclusion fans never thought she would get due to her quick and untimely death. While Isaac and Boyega’s characters go head to head throughout the story but the main focal point is the connection between Rey and Kylo Ren and shows their tortured relationship-building coming to a climactic point. Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine / Darth Sidious, the dark lord of the Sith and former emperor of the galaxy was even better than the last time we saw him. In addition, there were both new and old faces/voices to the film. The new characters - Keri Russell as Poe’s old friend Zorrie Bliss; Dominic Monaghan as Beaumont Kin, a Resistance trooper; Shirley Henderson as a Resistance member; Martin Wilde, Anton Simpson-Tidy, Lukaz Leong, Tom Rodgers, Joe Kennard, and Ashley Beck appear as the Knights of Ren; Jodie Comer and Billy Howle as Rey's mother and father; Composer John Williams cameos as a Kijimi bartender and Lin-Manuel Miranda cameos as a Resistance trooper. - were a great addition to the film’s story. While the vocal cameos of past characters - Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, and the voices of Jedi Past with Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Olivia d'Abo as Luminara Unduli, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, Ewan McGregor, and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Frank Oz as Yoda, Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus and Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn - were an unexpected surprise.

Overall, The Rise of Skywalker (2019) is a satisfying conclusion to a nine-part film saga that spans over 4 decades. Regardless of its 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes, this film far exceeds its predecessor The Last Jedi (2017) which stands at a surprising 91%. The film and reward scores of beloved characters with a satisfying ending and bring closure to billions of fans whose lives have been forever impacted by the series. The action sequences are large scale, the music score is purely nostalgic, and the cast performances are incredible and there are some surprising voice cameos from past characters. Despite a few minor story flaws and abandoned subplots, as well as some rushed editing in the first few minutes, Rise of the Skywalker is still an incredible film that delivers a satisfying conclusion to a beloved saga. I highly recommend that you watch this and if you have the chance to see this in theaters then I highly recommend that you see it in IMAX if possible, I doubt you will be disappointed.

STAR WARS ORDER TO WATCH

Rogue One: A Star Wars Film (2016)

Solo: A Star Wars Film (2018)

Star Wars Episode IV: New Hope (1977)

Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars Episode II: Clone Wars (2002)

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Final Vote --- 9 of 10 stars

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