Sexuality/Nudity Acceptable
Violence Acceptable
Vulgarity Acceptable
Anti-Catholic Philosophy Acceptable
When I left the theater after The Last Jedi two years ago, I was incredibly conflicted. I said, "I'm still processing" several times, unsure of how to take in what I saw. I've recently re-read my original review of that movie. And while I stand by what I wrote, my affection for the movie has waned over the years. At first I was very charitable to Rian Johnson's vision, but upon reflection, I have become more critical. Particularly, because Johnson ignored the mythological and philosophical underpinnings of the Saga, he also closed himself off to a great deal of the wonder and magic found there.
When I went to the theater last night to see the premiere of The Rise of Skywalker, I did so without the usual sense of anticipation I get from a Star Wars movie. I walked in with the modest hope of "I hope it isn't terrible." Even as the opening crawl began, I was worried that the magic of Star Wars would be lost now forever. By the end of the movie I knew the answer.
The Rise of Skywalker begins some time after the events of The Last Jedi. Rey (Daisy Ridley) is training to be a Jedi under the tutelage of Leia (the late Carrie Fischer) and the original Jedi texts that she saved from Ach-To. Meanwhile a new threat (which I will not reveal here) has arisen in the galaxy. This prompts Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on a new quest to find Rey and turn her to the Dark Side. Meanwhile Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (Johnathan Boyega) are running in the Millenium Falcon with Chewbacca (Joonas Suatamo) to gather intel on the First Order from a secret spy inside. Based on the new data, Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie, C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels), and BB-8 start and adventure that takes them all over the galaxy to locations new and old on a quest while constantly in hot pursuit by the encroaching First Order. Along the way, Rey takes a journey of self-reflection and discovery that could determine the fate of the entire galaxy forever.
THE LAST JEDI SPOILERS IN THE REST OF THE REVIEW.
Director JJ Abrams returns to the helm and this film feels very much like his other Star Wars film: The Force Awakens. His insistence on shooting at physical locations when possible, gives the movie a more grounded feel than the previous one. He understands the visual grammar of this franchise and plays into that. Abrams and co-screenwriter (and Oscar winner) Chris Terrio (who also co-wrote one of my favorite movies of the last decade: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice) have their work cut out for them in righting the ship that had veered so far off course in the last film. For that reason, The Rise of Skywalker is not a perfect movie. The first half feels very rushed, but there is a reason for this. You can feel Abrams trying to fill in the gaps left by The Last Jedi. With Snoke dead, Abrams needed to bring back another malevolent evil force. For that reason it feels shoe-horned in. Also, the mystery or Rey's lineage returns. Because Johnson threw out that dangling plot-thread, Abrams has to retrieve it from the trash heap and restore it. Again, for that reason, the reveal feels more forced and less set up and earned.
Perhaps I am being overly charitable to Abrams and Terrio by placing most of the blame at Johnson's feet, but The Rise of Skywalker has its heart in absolutely the right place. You can even see the visual repudiation of The Last Jedi as Kylo Ren reforges his old helmet and wears it for much of the movie, with the old cracks still showing. In the same way, The Rise of Skywalker is a film that restores the Star Wars legacy but carries with it the scars from The Last Jedi. Characters like Rose Tico (Kelly-Marie Tran) are there, but marginal to the story. The technical problem with Admiral Holdo's suicide run is dealt with in a single line. There is even a moment that Johnson teased in The Last Jedi, but refused to deliver, that Abrams fulfills to great effect. In fact, Abrams improves on Johnson with the Kylo/Rey visions. He makes them much more dynamic, exciting, and dangerous. There is one particular scene where Abrams does such a good job of blending their two environments that you lose track of who is where.
The biggest improvement on this movie than in the other Sequel films is the chemistry between the characters. Finally we get our new trio (Rey, Poe, and Finn) to take their place together at the center of the story. Their dynamic is fun and exciting. The affection and romantic tension between Rey and Finn is strong. The brotherly banter between Finn and Poe feels familiarity and masculine chop-busting. The new dynamic between Poe and Rey is a welcome addition. Poe respects Rey as the the best fighter they have but is frustrated that she doesn't step up and fight more while Rey tries to reign in Poe's constant reckless initiative. But above all of that, there is a bond of friendship that is clear in how they interact. It feels right and good and true. This is the movie where the handoff of the leadership from the Original Trilogy lead characters to the new generation feels natural and strong. At one point, Poe feels lost and is struggling. But a familiar voice from the Star Wars universe reminds him that our Original Trilogy heroes were no different.
The movie was getting flack online about it having a jokey nature. But that is part of this film's fun. Without the grim, post-modern outlook of The Last Jedi, this adventure can have some fun injected into it. Our heroes can be in danger, but there can still be grand space opera at play. We have the return of Lando (Billy Dee Williams) who looks like he is having a blast. I've seen him in other things lately, but here he looks younger and more vibrant. We have a few new additions like Jannah (Namomi Ackie), a First Order deserter living in the wilds of Endor or Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell), a mysterious masked figure from Poe's past. My favorite is a tiny technition named Babu Frik (Shirley Henderson), who made me smile when he was on screen. We also have a new droid D-O (JJ Abrams) who provides some comic relief along with C-3PO. This movie also happens to have Threepio's most consequential role since Return of the Jedi.
One of the things I enjoyed about the narrative is that it constantly put our heroes into desperate situations where nothing would go according to plan and improvisation had to occur. It is a tried and true formula of storytelling, but it works so well here in this film. No matter where they go, Kylo Ren is hot the heels and messing everything up. The pressure builds which causes more reckless excitement.
Along the way, Rey struggles with the pull to the Dark Side. This culminates in a battle on the remains of the Death Star. The scene, with the crashing waves, evokes the heated Battle of the Heroes in Revenge of the Sith, while harkening back to The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens. This is one of the strengths of the film in that it tries to tie this conclusion not only into The Last Jedi, but to the entire Star Wars saga. It builds into a third act that is truly worthy of anything in the series so far. The movie returns to embrace the tradition that has come before. This is best exemplified in Finn who has come to fully embrace belief in the Force and the power of its guiding hand.
Abrams also knows how to properly utilize John Williams' talents. The Last Jedi did not have any iconic musical moments. But The Rise of Skywalker brings in elements from the Prequels, the Originals, and the Sequels to maximum effect. I can still hear his haunting score at its most rousing moment and I am still, many hours later, emotionally keyed in.
One of the greatest questions of the entire series is whether or not Kylo Ren will be redeemed. I will not spoil that here. But I will say that the answer is given once and for all. And they way that they reach this conclusion is wonderful. There is a rich visual symbolism in what occurs along with a scene that was so unexpected and touching that I went from liking the movie to loving it. And the rest of the movie from that point got better and better.
I can see why some people are torn on the film. As I said, the beginning feels like they have cram in a lot. It has to be a sequel to The Last Jedi while fixing The Last Jedi and being its own movie with its own story. It can be accused of fan service, but that really should only be looked at as negative if it is done at the expense of telling a strong story. Like The Force Awakens paralleling A New Hope, this movie has strong parallels to Return of the Jedi, particularly with Rey's temptations to the Dark Side. But those are good things. But because it does bring some unexpected resolutions, there are some good surprises.
On a side note, it should be noted that there is a difference between a good twist and a bad twist. Just because something defies expectations, it does not mean that it is good. I remember reading a review of The Last Jedi that said it was the best Star Wars film because it did not do what was expected. But that doesn't make it good in and of itself. A good twist is one that you don't see coming, but when it happens you say, "Of course." You are given the thrill of the unexpected without being robbed of the catharsis you crave. That is how I felt when I watched Return of the Jedi. I did not expect the trajectory of the story to be Luke saving Vader instead of killing him. But when it happened I realized that it had to be that way. That is how I felt with the twists in The Rise of Skywalker.
Ultimately, this movie is about choice. There is a line from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that I love (and once was on a banner in my school): "It is our choices... that determine who we are." Rey and Kylo are drawn to each other partly because they are both teetering on a precipice that can send both of them to one side or another. But they are not slaves to what has come before. They have to make choices. Sometimes those choices are good. Sometimes they are bad. Sometimes the cost is high. But they are never robbed of their choice. And those choices determine whether they will be the heroes or the villains. This is one of the hallmarks of Catholic morality, along with the importance of repentance, forgiveness, atonement, and redemption.
The movie ends in a scene I was not expecting. But the last line and last shot are nothing short of perfection. When I left this movie, I didn't need time to processes. I knew what I had just witnessed. As I wrote at the beginning, I was worried that the magic was gone. At the end of the movie I knew this:
The Force is strong with The Rise of Skywalker.
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