The Rise Of Skywalker - The one where it ends on a whimper!

Star Wars films have an... interesting legacy don’t they? I say this because every film released since the original in 1977 has never had a perfect response from the word go. Empire Strikes Back was initially given a mixed response, but was later loved by nearly all viewers. While Phantom Menace jumped between mass critical praise and extensive hatred from fans. And the less said about the audience response to The Last Jedi, the better. So whatever response The Rise Of Skywalker gets right now, it’s likely to evolve over time.

As for the film itself, I personally have mixed feelings. A lot of complaints have been thrown at the lack of character development, instead throwing in spectacle for the sake of spectacle. And there is quite a bit of leverage to that statement. There’s plenty of brilliant moments for these characters. Most noticeable Adam Driver as Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley as Rey. Both actors make this movie, and deliver so much through their chemistry, vocal range and their use of facial responses to deliver thoughts and feelings.

The efforts to answer the questions raised by the previous films feels inconsistent, with there being a clear effort to appease as many people as possible, resulting in hardly anyone being happy. This trilogy of sequels feel inconsistent with their themes and character development, and any big twists feel lacklustre and very predictable. If you just want loads of laser blasts, sword fighting and space ships flying about, you'll get it, but if you are looking for a satisfying end to the Skywalker saga, I wouldn't hold your breathe!

Many have raised issue with the first 30-40 minutes. And I have to agree with it’s cluttered and extremely choppy pace. It jumps around far too rapidly, and doesn’t give you a break from it’s set up and explanation. An early sequence with Finn (John Boyega) and Po (Oscar Isaac) could’ve easily been chopped out, which may have lead to a more shocking and maybe even comical introduction for them when they appear with Rey later on. I also feel I couldn’t grasp the intentions behind the bickering between Finn and Po throughout the bulk of the narrative. It felt like it was leading to something, but this something either never happened or it wasn’t a clear resolution. Heck, a line Finn said to Rey during the first third is set up to be returned to, and again we don’t get a clear resolution to that.

This leads to my other big problem, taking Rey and Kylo out of the equation, I don’t really care for any of the characters, particularly noticeable in the final act. Don’t get me wrong, this final battle is glorious to witness, and does get the blood pumping, but I wasn’t invested in whether these characters made it through the battle. Whereas when we cut to Rey or Kylo, I genuinely did care and feel invested. And for a finale film, you really should feel invested in the cast you’ve grown to love across multiple films.

Overall, The Rise Of Skywalker ends not on a bang, but with a indecisive whimper. The trilogy of sequels ends up feeling like a pointless exercise, resulting in nothing but rolling bank for Disney. There is signs that the production team put a lot of effort into designs, effects and music, but without an interesting story, this conclusion fails to be fully satisfying. It's good to see them now taking their time to produce better productions since this film, with The Mandelorean being a prime example of what Disney can do with the Star Wars brand when they take their time, and give talent the freedom required to produce exciting content, rather than a money laundering remake of a classic trilogy!

SCORES

Story: 1/5

Characters: 2/5

Production: 3.5/5

Acting: 3/5

Music: 3/5

Overall: 5/10