Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) ***
Well, here we have it—the end of the "Skywalker saga", nine films of varying quality released over 42 years. I like Star Wars films—they're entertaining and fun, sci-fi action-adventure space opera blockbusters—but I don't hold them in the same reverence that a lot of fans do. So my expectations are properly set when I go to see a new SW film in the theater. That is to say, I'm willing to let certain things slide when I consume these products, but I also desire a certain "feeling" that isn't always delivered. I don't get outraged when my expectations have not been met though.
In the case of the latest installment, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) (kind of an odd title for a film that ends their saga…), it's a mixed bag. After Disney let Rian Johnson experiment in The Last Jedi (2017) (my review here; I like Johnson, but I still think he should have just been given his upcoming SW trilogy and a different director should have made the middle film), J.J. Abrams returned to helm the final film in this trilogy. J.J. struck gold with The Force Awakens, one of the best films in the saga, which successfully blends nostalgia while introducing new and engaging characters. The Rise Of Skywalker effectively ignores TLJ, in an attempt to recapture the spirit of TFA, but as a whole it fails to do so.
And that's because there is just too much crammed into this one film. ROTS starts out with breakneck pacing and doesn't let up in that way for a good 45 minutes or so. That wouldn't be so much of a problem if the action sequences weren't so dizzying and hard to comprehend, and the editing so sloppy. Thankfully, the film does eventually take a moment to breath and slow down—and it's here where it gets better for a while. There are absolutely those feel-good moments, those exciting set pieces, and those charming characters that we've all come to love and expect from SW films. But there is also so much bloat, too many old characters jammed in for fan service (which isn't always bad, but here it rings hollow), and overly epic stakes and abilities that make this entry feel more like a Marvel superhero film overall (especially in the finale).
There were a good number of moments where members of the audience that I saw the film with were laughing, where clearly that wasn't the intended emotion. While I wasn't laughing out loud at inappropriate moments (I think that's rude in a theater, no matter what my reaction is), I can't say I didn't share the sentiment at times. The more I think about TROS, the less I like it. And that's not to say that I didn't like it, but that it didn't leave me buzzing with excitement and eager to rewatch it the way that TFA (which I've seen three times, twice in the theater) did (I've yet to rewatch TLJ). It may sound like the *** (which signifies a "good" film in my rating system) I've awarded here is undeserved, based on my complaints, but, as I mentioned earlier, I don't hold SW to the same standards as most other films. I was entertained. I had fun.
In the case of the latest installment, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) (kind of an odd title for a film that ends their saga…), it's a mixed bag. After Disney let Rian Johnson experiment in The Last Jedi (2017) (my review here; I like Johnson, but I still think he should have just been given his upcoming SW trilogy and a different director should have made the middle film), J.J. Abrams returned to helm the final film in this trilogy. J.J. struck gold with The Force Awakens, one of the best films in the saga, which successfully blends nostalgia while introducing new and engaging characters. The Rise Of Skywalker effectively ignores TLJ, in an attempt to recapture the spirit of TFA, but as a whole it fails to do so.
And that's because there is just too much crammed into this one film. ROTS starts out with breakneck pacing and doesn't let up in that way for a good 45 minutes or so. That wouldn't be so much of a problem if the action sequences weren't so dizzying and hard to comprehend, and the editing so sloppy. Thankfully, the film does eventually take a moment to breath and slow down—and it's here where it gets better for a while. There are absolutely those feel-good moments, those exciting set pieces, and those charming characters that we've all come to love and expect from SW films. But there is also so much bloat, too many old characters jammed in for fan service (which isn't always bad, but here it rings hollow), and overly epic stakes and abilities that make this entry feel more like a Marvel superhero film overall (especially in the finale).
There were a good number of moments where members of the audience that I saw the film with were laughing, where clearly that wasn't the intended emotion. While I wasn't laughing out loud at inappropriate moments (I think that's rude in a theater, no matter what my reaction is), I can't say I didn't share the sentiment at times. The more I think about TROS, the less I like it. And that's not to say that I didn't like it, but that it didn't leave me buzzing with excitement and eager to rewatch it the way that TFA (which I've seen three times, twice in the theater) did (I've yet to rewatch TLJ). It may sound like the *** (which signifies a "good" film in my rating system) I've awarded here is undeserved, based on my complaints, but, as I mentioned earlier, I don't hold SW to the same standards as most other films. I was entertained. I had fun.
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