Satisfying End To An Imperfect Trilogy? – Movie Review: The Rise of Skywalker

Movie Review: The Rise of Skywalker

by Michael Archbold

The Rise of Skywalker

This review is rated SPOILERIFIC by Fly Casual Podcast. Virgin eyes and ears have been warned.

As of this writing, The Rise of Skywalker is currently at $494 Million at the Domestic Box Office and $1,030 Billion Worldwide. Another bonafide hit by most standards, though it, like The Last Jedi before it, lost a lot of traction three weeks in. Viewed as a Disney/Star Wars “hit,” the results are mixed. As was the case with The Last Jedi, TROS is also struggling at the Chinese box-office where it has only managed a $20.5 Million haul to date (compared to $42 Million for The Last Jedi, $69 Million for Rogue One and $124 Million for The Force Awakens). The movie has a critic score of 52% and an audience score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Cinema Score rates it a B+. The IMDB score is 6.9/10.

Unless you can find a critic that you follow, trust, and has similar tastes, aggregate critic scores are meaningless to me. It’s rare, in my opinion, when I see critic scores nowadays where the critic is actually grading a movie on traditional metrics like cinematography, score, direction, adaptation, etc. More often they all seem to chase cultural buzz words and rage clicks which are useless to me.

In terms of audience scores, they seem to line up with how I am viewing things at the moment. That 7 or 8 out of 10 and B+ ring true to me. Though, Rotten Tomatoes has come under some scrutiny of late for an audience score that has seemingly frozen itself at 86% since it had just a couple thousand reviews. It now has 94,000 reviews with no fluctuation in score. Critics of Rotten Tomatoes are crying foul and stating a Disney influence over the Web site. Others rightfully say there are no direct ownership links and that Disney doesn’t have that kind if influence over RT. Despite those questions, audience scores all seem to be in the same neighborhood across different sites. A simple average of the RT, IMDB, and CinemaScores equal a 7.7/10, which again ring true to me.

This is how The Rise of Skywalker lines up against the other movies in the franchise when comparing Box Office Receipts and critic / audience scores:

The Good

Although the movie has its weak spots, there are a lot of things that work well and kept me engaged throughout.

The cinematography and special effects are well done and are consistent with the other two films in the trilogy. I continue to appreciate the balanced use of special and practical effects. I also loved the varied locations we got this time. The Resistance base on jungle planet Ajan Kloss where Rey also trains. The desert planet of Pasaana where the group encounters a festival of the native populations. The dark streets of Kijimi where the group go to hack into 3PO to read ancient Sith text.  Kef Bir, one of the moons of Endor where the remains of Death Star II reside. For maybe the first time, probably ever, I actually felt like I was on a proper quest in a Star Wars movie. Not that we haven’t had differing locations and planets before. However, this time the various locations felt like they added to the urgency the group felt to move along in their quests. Exegol was also a favorite. For the first time we get to see a Sith home world that was as I would have expected it to be from other Canon and Legends stories and myths. I felt like it was spot-on.    

The film also moved at a good pace for me and for the story. I know some have said it was too dizzying for their taste, but not for me. I loved moving the story along that fast. It added, again, to the urgency the protagonists felt. In my opinon, JJ had a lot of story to cover in a relatively short amount of time. I didn’t think he’d be able to pull it off, honestly. But despite the rush to get in all the plot points needed, I was able to fairly easily understand where things were headed and what needed to be accomplished. It also slowed down where it needed to breathe. The scene that comes to mind is Han and Ben’s moment on the remains of the Death Star. After a go-go-go start, to the movie, we get a reprieve at the exact moment we need it, for the audience to absorb everything that is happening to Ben in his redemption moment.

I liked the time skip forward from TLJ to TROS. In fact it probably could have been even more of a skip in my mind. It would have justified better how the Resistance was able to grow its numbers back up from the 20 or so people on the Falcon at the end of TLJ. It gave time for Rey to actually train! Finally! It also allowed the main characters time in which to develop a rapport with each other. Poe hadn’t even met Rey until the very end of TLJ. If JJ was going to make it believable that Rey, Finn and Poe had developed a working relationship with each other, time had to pass. The camaraderie on screen was believable and a breath of fresh air.   

There were several small points that I appreciated. After rumors about Lando and Chewie dying and the Falcon being destroyed (all believable given the Disney/LFL track record on the matter), I was happy to see that there were NO unnecessary legacy character deaths.  The film also felt like a true sequel to TFA. One of the reasons I was happy to see JJ come back was that I felt that he started the story so who better to finish? He obviously had a LOT to overcome going from the subversion of TLJ. By the way, I don’t feel like the steps he took to right the ship in TROS were jabs at Rian Johnson. I really felt like he did the best job he could given the hand he was dealt.  The humor was also right on point. FINALLY! I don’t remember any super-cringe moments like TLJ or TFA. It was subtle, fit the situation, and provided tension relief to the audience at just the right times. In contrast to TLJ where the humor was so jarring and out of place I could hardly keep focus.

Rey, our main protagonist, FINALLY is trained and struggles! MY WORD this was a long time coming. The Rey we were introduced to at the beginning of TFA was interesting and I wanted to know more about her. Why did Luke’s saber call to her? Why was she hearing the voices of dead Jedi? What did her vision mean? And shortly thereafter we see her using Force abilities with no explanation as to why a scavenger on a desert planet who 5 seconds ago thought Jedi were a myth suddenly able to use the Force and defeat Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker’s nephew who had been trained in the Force since childhood? The Last Jedi literally did nothing to answer any of those questions. In fact it told us that Rey was no one. We got no hints or suggestions as to why she was so powerful. In fact, RJ doubled down on her strength, after no training with Luke, he literally made her move a mountain for, reasons, I guess. Thank the Maker, JJ understood the need to answer those questions in a satisfying way in this movie. TROS enabled me, finally, to come to some conclusions about Rey that were necessary for me to enjoy and relate to the character.

Ben’s arc was also well done. Probably the most interesting character in the Trilogy as a whole, we get to see his character come full circle. A Dark side character struggling with the Light was one of the more interesting things JJ did in TFA. If this character was going to be redeemed, that nugget of information was crucial to have in the first movie and JJ delivered. Necessarily, the Ben arc had to “resolve” much earlier in the film than Rey’s arc. And resolve it did! The Han and Ben scene on the wreckage of the Death Star may be one of the best, if not the best, Star Wars moments in all the films. After a deadly confrontation with Rey, Leia senses the mortal peril her son is in which also involves her student. Right as Kylo Ren gets the upper hand and is about to deliver the death knell, his mother reaches out in the Force, gives everything she has and sacrifices herself in the process to stop the fighting. Rey instead delivers a mortal wound to Kylo, then immediately after senses Leia in the Force. Realizing her failure and sensing Leia’s death, Rey is filled with remorse, heals Kylo, and runs away to Ach-to. Kylo remains at the wreckage to reflect and is reached out to by the memory of his father… a memory made possible through Leia’s intervention. I think it is profound that in that moment, Leia doesn’t reach out as herself to her son, but rather through the image of the father with whom he needed resolution. In true Star Wars fashion, the scene was poetic. It rhymed with their scene on Starkiller Base in TFA. Similar dialogue. A gorgeously touching moment between father and son where the son is forgiven and redeemed. Kylo reclaims his identity as Ben Solo and tries but struggles to tell his father out loud that he loves him. In true Solo fashion, Han repeats his classic line and, without Ben saying anything, says with a grin, “I know.” THAT was as true of a Star Wars moment as there has ever been in any of the films. Just great. And again, we have returned, finally, to those universal themes that people grasp onto and understand at a deeper level.

Finn’s story is expounded on and made to be more important… at least as much as was possible. After TFA, I was really intrigued by the Finn character. He went AWOL after seeing the horrors of the First Order on Jakku and was bound and determined to get as far away from it all as he could. If not for this young scavenger girl he becomes infatuated with, he would have done it too. Finn was on track to be the new Han Solo of the franchise. Initially only in it for himself, he is forced to make moral choices. I loved this arc, that is, until TLJ where the Finn character falls completely flat in my opinion. He is used almost like a Jar Jar Binks character in the film where he is constantly the big bafoon that Rose has to keep in line. And just when you think he is going to get a grandiose character arc when he attempted to save the Resistance from the First Order’s big “canon thingy,” Rose jumps in AGAIN and ruins what would have been Finn’s defining moment. So frustrating. From what Boyega has said online in Twitter threads, he was adamant that JJ rectify the missed opportunities with Finn in the prior film. Thankfully in TROS, Finn felt like a truly valuable member of the team and not just some bumbling fool who had to constantly be scolded. The fact that they ended up making him Force sensitive was a little goofy, but given where Finn came from in TLJ, I am more than wiling to swallow that pill.

Although I am not the biggest fan of the return of Palpatine, I totally understand why it had to be this way given the hand JJ was dealt by TLJ. And, to be honest, it really does make sense in retrospect AND is a nod to Star Wars Legends stories (specifically the Dark Empire series). All that said, the one thing I appreciated about the return of Palpatine was that not was relatively unexplained. I know some have complained about this, but in my opinion, it would have muddied an already dense story story. AND why not explain those details in the expended universe through novels and comics? Not to mention that those types of things are the conversations that make Star Wars fun for fans. Filling those gaps with your own head canon and discussing and debating those things with your friends. I also appreciated that the Emperor indicates that he had died at Endor which was important to me to salvage Anakin’s sacrifice at Endor.

Despite the shellacking of character that Luke took in TLJ, I think JJ was able to step in and salvage, what he could, of the character. Luke lifting the X-Wing out of the water was a nice touch. So was the retcon of the lightsaber and admission that he was wrong in his actions in TLJ. Hardly enough to really salvage Luke’s character in this series, but some “admission” of wrong doing was at the very least, a necessary step for this movie to take.

Speaking of Luke lifting the X-Wing in TROS, which is clearly redemption from his failure to lift the same star fighter from the swamps at Degobah, FAN SERVICE in this movie was on point. There has been a LOT of talk about fan service of late. Nearly all of the critic reviews I have read regarding TROS refer to fan service in this film as being something to abhor and despise showing a complete lack of creativity and failing to move the franchise in “new” directions. These critics generally claim to love TLJ because it “subverted” the expectations that we had of what makes a Star Wars movie a Star Wars movie. I am going to just come right out and call bullshit on all of that. I doubt that Disney purchased LFL for $4 Billion just for someone to claim that all the things that make Star Wars loved by the masses is irrelevant and we as fans should just be grateful for whatever piece of shit LFL shoves down our throats and calls Star Wars.

Here is the truth. Fans want new stories. Fans are even open to having their expectations subverted. What they aren’t open to are Star Wars movies that don’t feel like Star Wars movies. And I am not just talking about catch phrases like “here’s where the fun begins” and retelling the same stories again (ahem, Starkiller Base, ahem). Fan service, when done right, adds to the overall enjoyment of movies. And not just Star Wars movies. There was a TON of fan service in Avengers End Game, but almost no one complained about it. Everyone basically saw it as the nod many long time fans wanted. In Rogue One, when you see repurposed footage of Red and Gold Leaders used in the Battle of Skariff, the uber nerds get their joy-gasm and the normal movie goer is none the wise. Why critics, or anyone for that matter, give a damn that Luke raising the X-Wing out of the water at Ach-to is fan service is a mystery to me. It adds to the experience for some and in no way detracts from others. So hats off to fan service well done in this movie, unlike what we got in both TFA and TLJ. It was subtle in this movie and added to the experience for me.

The Bad

As much as I enjoyed this film overall, it certainly was not perfect.

I am torn with this score. The new music was not inspiring in any way and in fact was outright boring at times. I have to wonder how much John Williams was involved day to day on this score given his age (87 as of this writing). He has even admitted in interviews that he doesn’t work the long days he did in the past and has a team behind him now pulling many of the strings. That said, the score employed MUCH from the original trilogy score. So while it was nice to hear the familiar in key moments, there really was nothing new brought to the table this time around. The one exception is where he began melding Rey’s and Kylo’s themes toward the end.

In terms of story, I honestly would have preferred Rey been a nobody instead of a Palpatine. I get why JJ did it and this is one of those things that I have been able to accept. But I really think that her being no one was just as much of an issue to overcome as was the revelation that she was related to the most evil Sith Lord the galaxy has ever known. And, as much as I don’t care for TLJ, it would have kept more in line with the set up in that film.

I loved JJ’s use of the Lando character. As the last man standing in terms of legacy characters, his return to the fray and the wisdom he imparts to the new characters was spot-on. In fact, Lando’s treatment in this film is how I believe that all the legacy characters should have been utilized in this trilogy: wise old sages that impart wisdom in key moments. In my opinion, there was no need to kill off literally all of the original cast. That said, there was one Lando moment that was not as spot on as I perhaps would have preferred. At the final battle, what is left of the Resistance fly to Exogol to take on the Sith Fleet while Lando attempts to rally other worlds to the cause. In just the knick of time, Lando shows up with literally half the galaxy behind him. It all feels too rushed for me. I wish there would have been a way to dispatch Lando earlier in the film on this mission to give it more of a sense of believability that he was actually able to make contact with all these worlds and solicit their help. Would have been nice if it had been so early in the film, in fact, that we almost forget about him which would have added to the sense of near defeat at the end battle and the arrival of the “fleet” more grandiose.    

So General Hux becoming the traitor in the First Order was interesting. What was less interesting was the set up. He became a traitor to the FO because “screw that Kylo guy.” Ugh! Genral Hux and Captain Phasma are the biggest nothing burgers ever. In fact, the treatment of the entire FO leadership was just awful from beginning to end. They were the worst kind of caricatures of “bad guys” in film. They were buffoons who were constantly foaming at the mouth. Contrast that to the Imperial Leadership in the OT. The cold, calm, collected actions of Veers when he says, “Lord Vader, the shield generator will be down in moments. You may start your landing,” is simply perfect. I was never fearful of Hux or Phasma. They did better with General Pryde, but just barely.

Prior to seeing the film, I had heard that we were going to get a Reylo moment. For those who don’t know, Rylo is the term given by a certain segment of the fan base that wanted to “ship” (short for relationship) Kylo Ren and Rey into a sexual relationship. I was not thrilled at the prospect, especially since there is a nutty segment of this fan base that had taken to harassing Adam Driver’s wife in real life because they believed that he and Daisy Ridley should be together, because, well, they are a bunch of crazies. Anyway, that segment of people I don’t hold in high regard so this angle in the movie was not my favorite. That said, the Reylo moment was short and to the point; a simple kiss before Ben expired. But, it was completely unnecessary and was cringe for some people.

Can we all agree that going forward, there will be NO MORE PLANET KILLERS IN ANY STAR WARS EVER EVER EVER AGAIN?! Big guns on the Star Destroyers was the biggest eye roll of the film for me. We’ve now had planet killers in ROTS, RO, ANH, ROTJ, TFA, and TROS. ENOUGH ALREADY! WE GET IT!

My biggest complaint of this film is the lack of Anakin Skywalker. This was a disappointment for several reasons. First and foremost, I don’t know how you wrap the SKYWALKER SAGA without the Skywalker that started it all. The Skywalker whom the OT and PT was all about. The Skywalker who was prophesied about in the lore. There are rumors that the end battle with Palpatine was originally supposed to include Force Ghosts of all the Jedi, not just their disembodied voices that we actually got in the film. Rumor was that this scene would have indeed included Anakin. But alas, according to rumor, this idea may have been filmed but was scrapped in an effort to appease Chinese audiences who, apparently, find ghosts and spirits to be cultural taboos. A Chinese market, no less, that all but snubbed the film entirely anyway. Second, I would have liked to see Hayden Christensen on screen one last time.

The Ugly

The Disney Trilogy as a whole, although entertaining at times, is ultimately a repeat of the OT and doesn’t advance us any further than where we were after ROTJ. This fact is the most egregious to me. TFA was a re-write of ANH. Despite what its apologists say, TLJ was a re-write of TESB. The subversion was not clever and the movie literally added nothing new to the lore. TROS came the closest to an original script with its own adventure, but even it becomes a retelling of ROTJ by the end of the movie. And exactly like Luke at the end of the OT, Rey is the only surviving Jedi and is tasked with rebuilding the order. The Disney Trilogy really is a horribly missed opportunity to do something fresh and new inside the Star Wars universe.

It was a disaster no matter how much these movies made at the box-office. No sane person disputes the profitability of these films (save Solo: A Star Wars Story which reportedly lost some $80 Million by some estimates). A LOT of goodwill was lost after TLJ split the fan base and fans became the scapegoat according to many in entertainment media, at LFL, and by the movie’s producers. Here are some facts to consider:

Numbers across the board are down for Star Wars:

1. RT Scores, Cinema Score, IMDB, others
2. Box Office returned are showing a clear decline trend among the 5 Disney cinematic releases
3. Merchandise sales have also declined and interest in Star Wars toys seems to have all but vanished among youth

Kids aren’t gravitating to the franchise anymore. Anecdotally, I have purchased my 9-year-old son Star Wars toys since he was very young. They stay displayed on his dresser and are never touched. Star Wars isn’t attracting children. Routinely he, and my 12-year-old daughter ask me to play the OT movies.They never ask me to play any of the Disney Trilogy movies. Ever. That said, this may change. They both enjoyed TROS as much as I did. We will see how this plays out once the movie is released to streaming.

In my opinon, despite financials that show profitability for the brand, Star Wars is hurting. It is not on the upswing. It did not finish strong like its Marvel brethren. The reasons for this start and end at the top of the food chain. Primarily it was lack of strong leadership from Kathleen Kennedy at LFL and Bob Iger at Disney. Secondarily it was lack of planning and a unified vision for this trilogy. Thinking they could bring in three different filmmakers and each just pick up the baton where the other left off sounds moronic on its face. It will always be a mystery to me how anyone thought this was a good idea.

The Lowdown

There are three ways to view the movie. First, as a stand alone on its own merits. Second, as part of a trilogy. Third, as the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.

It’s difficult to view this as a stand alone film since you need the set up of at least TFA to get you where you need to go. That said this will be the movie in the Disney Trilogy that I come back to the most. It was just plain fun. I loved the banter between the heroes. The threat was credible and the stakes were high.

As the third film in a trilogy, it hit the mark. Although I personally will probably view this movie as part of a duology including TFA. TLJ is a film I will never intentionally watch again, It literally added nothing to the overall story. TFA and TROS however, work well together and make for entertaining viewing. TROS is a true sequel to TFA and does a good job of wrapping up the character arcs and overall story. In the end, this film was as good as I could have hoped for given the circumstances.

As the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga, this film was a huge fail. Not only was this film a huge fail but so were the other two movies. At the end of the day, this trilogy was a simple retelling of the OT, ends in the same place as the OT, and was completely unnecessary. I remember the high hopes we all had when Disney purchased Lucasfilm. We were excited at the prospect of a proper film company coming in with fresh new ideas to expand the lore and give us new and interesting stories in a galaxy far far away. I think that those high hopes are why I am so disappointed. TROS does not and never could have salvaged the Sequel Trilogy. The decision to have 3 filmmakers (JJ/RJ/Trevorow) with 3 separate visions make a trilogy without an overarching story was a mistake.

In my opinion, Kathleen Kennedy needs to go. The fact is I think she is ready to go at this point. I don’t see her contract being renewed after its expiration in 2021. I think she will be allowed to leave with dignity and reputation in tact, which is fine. This is the proper way to do this, IMO. You can cite her resume to me all you want. I don’t dispute for a moment that she is a highly competent business woman with tons of experience on some of the most iconic films of all time. But I will dispute all day long that she is the right person to run Lucasfilm. At the end of the day she has presided over a declining box office, declining reviews, declining merchandise sales, and high director turnover. All of this falls on her. It is clear to me that Star Wars and LFL need someone at the top that has not only the business savvy of KK, but the filmmaking prowesses and understanding of the creative process that George Lucas possessed in the past. Someone that understands and will respect the lore. Someone that can find filmmakers that are able to be creative in the universe, but also respect the established rules and lore of said universe. Someone like a Kevin Feige at Marvel. Or, closer to home, a Jon Favreau who is heading up the highly successful Mandalorian series on Disney Plus.

At the end of the day, it seems to me that Disney is learning its lessons. Or at least it is trying to learn.TROS feels like an honest attempt to course correct after the debacle of TLJ and its aftermath. This coupled with The Mandalorian give me hope for the future of Star Wars.

My Favorite Star Wars Movies:

1. TESB
2. ANH
3. RO
4. ROTJ
5. ROTS
6. TROS
7. Solo
8. TPM
9. TFA
10. AOTC
11. TLJ

3.5 out of 5.0 Stars

Interested in more information on the state of Star Wars? Here is some additional reading:

Info regarding Merchandise Sales

(We Got This Covered) Interestingly, last year, the company reported that revenue for the Consumer Products division had dropped 4 percent from 2017, and was down over 15 percent from 2016 – these include merch and sales from Marvel Comics as well.

“The increase at our consumer products business was due to growth at our merchandise licensing and retail businesses. Growth at merchandise licensing was primarily due to higher revenue from merchandise based on Toy Story, partially offset by a decrease from Star Wars merchandise. The increase at our retail business was due to higher comparable store sales and online revenue.”

(Fortune) The Star Wars performance could hinder Disney’s bid to revive growth at its consumer products division, where sales fell 13% to $4.83 billion for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

(Jedi Temple Archives) (Note: That merchandise based on The Last Jedi sells worse than for Rogue One was most certainly a surprise for Disney and Hasbro)

Disney’s remarks mirror the numbers Hasbro reported for its partner brands. Star Wars merchandise sales have been declining ever since October 2016 (remember that Disney’s fiscal year ends in September).

But not only merchandise seems to be affected, since Star Wars book sales and comic book sales are also down. So Star Wars as a whole seems to be in decline at the moment.

(Variety)

(Statista) READ THIS!! Good compilation of data.

(Amazon) Top 5 are Star Wars OT collection and 4 Legends books (Zahn Trilogy and Seven).

58/100 Book on Amazon’s Top 100 Star Wars books are classified Legends

Michael Archbold is really just a guy that watches movies and sometimes likes them enough to write reviews. You can hear Mike weekly on Better Kind Media’s Fly Casual Podcast. Follow Mike on Twitter @Mike_Archbold.

A Satisfying End To An Imperfec Trilogy? – Movie Review: The Rise of Skywalker

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