Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Directed by: JJ Abrams | 142 minutes | action, adventure, fantasy, science fiction | Actors: Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Ian McDiarmid, Kelly Marie Tran, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, John Boyega, Billy Dee Williams, Joonas Suotamo Dominic Monaghan, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Greg Grunberg, Jimmy Vee, Dave Chapman, Amir El-Masry, Brian Herring, Philicia Saunders, Nasser Memarzia, Simon Paisley Day

Fans (who haven’t dropped out yet) held their breath for ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, the (provisional) final part of the Star Wars film series. Would this be the spectacle and satisfyingly dramatic conclusion everyone is hoping for? The answer is: ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Yes, there is much to see, experience and feel; the acting is excellent, the honor of some characters has (partly) been restored, and the story of the (real) Skywalkers has come to a fairly satisfying end. At the same time, with perhaps not that much extra effort, the film could have been much better.

JJ Abrams surprised friend and foe in 2015 when he managed to create a new Star Wars film with ‘The Force Awakens’ that impressed with beautiful images, moved with old, familiar characters, and held the attention well with new, successful characters. And that in a film with well-dosed speed, humor, drama and action and excellent acting. Well, it all seemed a little too familiar at times, making the film feel like a remake of the old trilogy at times, but it was a price many viewers were willing to pay.

Two years later, Rian Johnson also surprised many viewers with his follow-up film ‘The Last Jedi’, although not everyone was equally pleasantly surprised. While the vast majority of professional critics were praising – ‘The Last Jedi’ could count on even better reviews than the already very well received ‘The Force Awakens’ – there was gradually more and more criticism among die hard fans. Although Johnson with his interpretation seemed to want to avoid that feeling of ‘been there, done that’ from ‘The Force Awakens’ by breaking new ground and kicking against some holy houses here and there, you can do this with the real fanboys don’t do it, as it soon turned out. The dissenting voices started off mild, with some criticism here and there, but soon grew into full-blown rants and entire essays about how the diabolical Rian Johnson had committed character assassination of their heroes—especially Luke Skywalker—and how he had acted retroactively. strength had ruined their childhood. For those who have seen the ‘South Park’ episode about ‘Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ – in which creators Steven Spielberg and George Lucas abuse Indiana Jones –: that’s the idea.

So when JJ Abrams took the reins again for this third installment, it was clearly a mission for him to fix some of the ‘mistakes’ of his predecessor and give the fans what they want. And to some extent they are getting that now. Various scenes and story elements clearly try to brush away what ‘The Last Jedi’ had deployed. And sometimes it’s even an undisguised middle finger to Rian Johnson. It is almost literally said, ‘That’s not how you treat the fans and Star Wars mythology; bye!’. A nice chuckle for the combative fans, but too flashy for many other viewers.

In addition, it is now too often the case that an idea is not sufficiently developed, or with so many twists – intended to keep different target groups happy – that the original message is lost. As in the case of heroine and (future?) Jedi knight Rey’s background. It was a big shock when she was ‘nobody’ in the previous part, in terms of her background, but it was also refreshing. And completely in line with the – encouraging – theme that everyone is capable of great things, regardless of their origin. This realization gives people hope, even the ‘ordinary’ people. They are capable of more than they think and can also – successfully – fight for their own place in the universe.

Admittedly, the part of the ordinary citizen is certainly reflected in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ – in a crucial scene still – but the motivation behind it is not very clear. Moreover, something is now being done with Rey’s origins, which makes the theme a bit more murky. Not necessarily less interesting, but the common thread is now a bit gone.

It’s also a problem that JJ Abrams and his scriptwriters didn’t take the time to properly flesh out certain story elements and scenes. In part this could have been solved with a longer playing time; an extra three quarters of an hour could have provided much more breathing room. But in part, Abrams just wants to cram too much into it. It’s like going through a checklist: meeting old friends: check, lightsaber fight: check, blaster fight: check, Rey doing Jedi training: check, visit to bar with colorful characters: check, Kylo Ren die takes one of his subjects into Force stranglehold: check.

They are certainly not superfluous or unwanted moments, but they now hardly have the opportunity to ‘get in’ with the viewer. Take that last scene with Kylo Ren. While it’s not a very subtle reference to a Darth Vader scene from the original trilogy, the moment does work. That is, the few seconds it takes. Because just when the tension builds and Kylo can show his dominance in all its glory, there is very abruptly ‘cut’ to another scene in a different location. As a viewer, you are regularly tossed back and forth. Fortunately, the places, scenes and characters you’re hurled at are usually well worth a look, but sometimes it’s hard to really get involved in what’s happening through the chaotic editing.

That involvement sometimes also lags behind due to the lack of threat. Yes, the evil Emperor Palpatine makes his presence known, but he remains largely in the shadows as Kylo Ren tries to assert himself within his own ranks and occasionally makes contact with the ‘Force video calling’ concocted in the previous film. rey. These scenes are, again, a bit double. On the one hand, it’s a smart way to allow these characters to develop relative to each other without actually meeting each other, but on the other, the communication goes so far – now with even more ‘physical’ capabilities at a distance – that there is hardly any extra tension when they are actually face to face with each other.

The dividing lines between – and rules for – virtual and real reality, death and life, and spirits and physical bodies, have also become thinner here. In which useful concepts are introduced to enable confrontations. Like an important idea that could make Palpatine a real threat again. Maybe it’s all part of the ‘canon’ of the Star Wars universe, but it’s like being dragged in here.

How nice that we can simply go along with the spirited play of the protagonists in much of this scene. Daisy Ridley still manages to convince as the doubting, conflicted Rey, and Ian McDiarmid is delightfully evil as Emperor Palpatine. His malice oozes with every word he utters, in a rendition that could be called subtle to an extent. But the greatest strength of ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is Adam Driver, who portrays a layered Kylo Ren who, like Rey, struggles with his identity, past and future. His development comes to a wonderful apotheosis; and the small moment when he makes a subtle gesture during a key action sequence is arguably the most satisfying of the entire movie. This scene alone is almost worth the price of the ticket.

A lot more could be said about ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, but it won’t matter much. The film will be massively watched and opinions will be all over the place. It is also an illusion to think that no Star Wars movies will be made. Yes, this trilogy – and with it the story of the Skywalkers – has come to an end, but the evil will never be eradicated, and so there will always be heroes who will rise up to do battle shoulder-to-shoulder with friends and allies. How far away and in any galaxy.