A Disturbance in the Force
2019, the decade of closing doors. Many of our beloved pop culture franchises have ended their chapters: Toy Story, How to Train your Dragon, the Infinity Saga from the MCU, Game of Thrones, and to cap the year off, Star Wars. It definitely is a good time to be alive.
Since 1977, Star Wars has been igniting hope and uniting fans all around the globe. Costuming clubs such as The 501st Legion, The Rebel Legion, and the Mandalorian Mercs were born due to the international phenomenon. These volunteer groups bring costume enthusiasts together and troop around to aid charity. Every kid wanted to be a Jedi or a Sith during halloween and having a lightsaber would be one of the best gifts one could wish for. Recently though, the fandom has been clashing against each other because of the sequel trilogy, specifically The Last Jedi (Episode 8) and The Rise of Skywalker (Episode 9).
Last 2012, it was announced that a new Star Wars film was in the making. This made the entire fandom roar back to life. It meant we would see the legendary Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo back in the big screen. It was an awakening. Of course, some fans were also concerned though that touching the saga could ruin it, but nevertheless, it was goods news to the world.
The Rise of Skywalker closes the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. For a finale that ends the story that generations have grown up with, it has its moments, but is sadly disappointing in the end. The previous episodes have offered so much potential and build up yet Episode 9 seems to fall flat with repetitive cliches that we’ve seen within the Skywalker Saga and tons of fan service that doesn’t necessarily push the story forward. There are parts that tried to “retcon” a few things from the previous films and because of this, there’s a slight feel of going back and fourth instead of onwards. This is where we see the flaw of the sequel trilogy, which is having no main outline for the story.
When George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, released the first film, (Episode 4), he already had a main outline for the saga. All he had to do was divide it into parts which are the episodes. It was essential for storytelling. That’s why even if the original trilogy had different directors, it still feels whole. The prequels may have had mixed reviews but as a trilogy, it works and flows much better than Disney’s sequel trilogy.
Going back to the saga cliches, we face very similar obstacles such as another “planet killer” weapon. It’s quite tiring seeing the Death Star being retooled into a different threat, this time as a planet killing Star Destroyer. Is that the only thing the bad guys can do? At the other side of the battle, we have another droid that holds critical information for the war. Sounds very familiar doesn’t it?
The Knights of Ren which were hyped since the first film end up just to be Kylo Ren’s goons. We see them once in a while in the film but nothing much is explored about them. You’ll have to rely on the Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary to get more information about them (and other characters and events). The red Praetorian Guards from The Last Jedi had a better moment than these knights.
Bringing Emperor Palpatine back with the new Imperial fleet from the Final Order was a huge deal, yet it seems idle on screen. There’s barely any thrill. We are presented the biggest space battle yet but there isn’t much going on. The exciting moment of the battle would probably be the Resistance Fleet joining in (but we all were expecting that already since it was shown in the trailer), the rest feels like background noise during the confrontation against Palpatine. The final fight against Palpatine is also disappointingly anticlimactic. It closely resembles Harry Potter’s final duel against Voldemort. After being revived, he dies again because of “deflected power” and gets disintegrated Voldemort style. There was so much potential for this scene.
Despite having a lack of luster and creativity, The Rise of Skywalker still has its moments. Here we get to see Palpatine’s return, Lando back in action, witness lightspeed skipping, horseback riding on a Star Destroyer, hear the voices of our favorite Jedi, find out Rey’s origins, and of course seeing Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) perform one last time in the saga.
On the positive side, Princess Leia’s character was handled beautifully. Last 2016, our beloved Carrie Fisher passed away. The Rise of Skywalker was able to use archival footage of her which was blended smoothly with other scenes from the film. We are finally shown scenes of Leia training as a Jedi (with her very own lightsaber) under Luke’s wing in a flashback. She also becomes Rey’s master in the film.
We are also introduced to new planets such as Pasaana, Kijimi and Exegol. The latter is a sinister planet which turns out to be the hidden world of the Sith. Here we witness Emperor Palpatine’s return and also have a glimpse of the other Siths from the past. Familiar planets such as Mustafar, Endor, and of course Tatooine make it back to the big screen as well.
The main cast, especially Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and Daisy Ridely (Rey), deliver a spectacular performance which puts us right beside them during the adventure. John Boyega (Finn) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) have such an organic and fun chemistry between each other too. It’s like watching two bros soaring the galaxy together. Many wanted to see more of the dynamic duo on screen.
John Williams reprises his role one last time as the scorer for Episode 9 (he also makes a brief cameo during the bar scene in Kijimi). For the final film, John added in scores from the other episodes giving us a memorable and nostalgic feel throughout the movie. Because of this, we are more connected to the characters and scenarios when we hear the familiar soundtracks. Unfortunately Duel of the Fates isn’t part (even if it was teased during the tv spots) but we have the Imperial March which is a definite win.
At the end of the day, Star Wars is Star Wars. Some (if not most) will continue arguing about the films, but hey, it’s still something to enjoy and celebrate. Like a film or not, we still would end up watching it again and make lightsaber sounds while playing with the merchandise. Would it have been better if the sequels weren’t made? Maybe, maybe not. The sequels may have caused a commotion in the Star Wars community but it still offers a few new things and brings us back into an adventure in a galaxy far, far away. It also introduces the younger generation to a new world of Star Wars. Not only the boys will enjoy but the girls too. Back then there were Disney princesses to look up to but now there’s Rey and Princess Leia, leaders of the Resistance. The Rise of Skywalker may have been disappointing as a closing film, but as stated above, it has its moments which will make us remember why we fell in love with Star Wars from the beginning. Like it or not, whichever side you are on, may the Force be with you. Always.
(Poe piloting a skimmer in Pasaana)
Photos courtesy of Disney
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