SPOILER-FREE SECTION
Two years ago came The Last Jedi, an iconoclastic wedge of a movie that split the fandom violently in half. Some, like me, praised it for the way it upended tired Star Wars tropes—like the its suggestion that you don’t have to be from some famous space wizard family to be special, to name just one example. Anyone, from a desert scavenger to a humble broom boy, can have a spark of greatness in them.
Others didn’t like it as much. They felt cheated that it didn’t immediately answer questions raised by The Force Awakens. They had lots of other issues as well—some legitimate and some… less so. I’ve written at length about how I consider much of TLJ’s criticism to be unfounded, but you can read about that here and here, if you really want. (It should be noted that the majority of critics, people paid to think critically about movies without being beholden to obscure lore or personal head-canon, agree with me.) However, I won’t discuss that here, except where it pertains to the new movie.
And that brings us to The Rise of Skywalker. It’s How The Last Jedi Should Have Ended: The Movie, created in a clear attempt to win back the fans who felt alienated by TLJ—for better and for worse. If the franchise were a cheating spouse, TROS would be the extravagant gift with a note begging for you to forgive them. (They’ll even sleep on the couch.)
First, let me make it clear that I did enjoy TROS. I can appreciate a good movie and still be conscious of its faults. There was a lot to like, even a few parts I loved. John Williams is at the top of his game (and even gets a well-deserved cameo!). Finn, Rey, and Poe finally get to be together, and their group dynamic is a lot of fun. The movie moves along at a breakneck pace, so you’re never bored. (Or at least, I wasn’t.) Both Rey and Kylo Ren’s arcs are well done and conclude in logical places (though Rey’s arc does diminish her TLJ arc, where she learned to “let the past die” and look forward). There are a few scenes that were perfectly executed—but those include heavy spoilers, so I’ll discuss them below. The action was great, and the visuals, particularly in the finale locales, were haunting.
I simply felt that the movie’s desperation to walk back the so-called “damage” done by TLJ was a bit transparent, even cowardly—it’s almost like JJ Abrams and company made a list of the loudest TLJ complaints and did everything short of declaring the last movie non-canon to check each box. There’s no need to pander, Disney. When you try to please everyone, you risk making a compromised product.
Well, let’s dive into spoilers, shall we?
SPOILERS AFTER THE IMAGE
So you didn’t like the way Luke carelessly tossed aside his lightsaber in TLJ? Don’t worry, he catches it this time (as a Force ghost, no less) and reminds Rey that a Jedi’s weapon is to be treated with respect. Angry that Kylo Ren smashed his helmet as a symbolic rejection of the past? It’s all right; he has it repaired right off the bat. Still mad that Snoke was killed off without a laboriously explained backstory? Take a deep breath; TROS gives you the Cliff’s Notes version. You hated Rose for interfering with Finn’s fruitless self-sacrifice at the Battle of Crait? Fear not, this time she stands dutifully by and lets him go down with the ship. (She’s also mostly sidelined, just to be safe.) Bugged that Admiral Holdo’s lightspeed-ramming maneuver “broke” the established laws of space combat? Good news—they make a point to explain that it won’t work again.
And of course, were you frustrated that Kylo Ren revealed that Rey’s parents were nobodies?
Well, the glass is half full for you, because actually they chose to be nobodies to protect her, and she was actually the descendant of a famous space wizard family after all. She’s the granddaughter of Palpatine (presumably, Palpatine had a kid before he got all crinkly).
I was irritated by that, I’ll be honest. I really like the idea that you don’t need to be a Skywalker or a Kenobi or a Palpatine or whatever. That’s something that annoyed me about the old Expanded Universe (now Legends), the pre-Disney books and comics where Luke, Leia, and Han always seemed to be the ones who had to save the galaxy again.
However, Rey’s choice at the end to be Skywalker rather than a Palpatine felt like a compromise between those who feel like I do and those who want her to be someone famous. She’s still from a famous space wizard family—but at least she gets to choose which one.
I’m all right with that. If we have to appease the people who really needed her to be related someone (ANYONE!), I’m glad that, to paraphrase a famous non-space wizard, “it is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our [heritage].”
STRAY SPOILERY THOUGHTS
I thought Kylo Ren’s arc was very well handled—especially the scene where his memory of Han Solo appears to him, mimicking the scene where Kylo killed him, except with different results.
My wife and I laughed when he strode toward Rey, soaking wet like an emo Mr. Darcy, though.
The part where Luke lifted the X-wing was pure fan service, but it got me. I may have teared up a little. (However, I know for a fact that the door of Luke’s hut in TLJ was made from a wing from said X-wing, but I guess we’re going to ignore that.)
The scene where all the reinforcements show up when all hope is lost was a lot of fun, but I think I would have liked it more if I hadn’t seen it done a little better in Endgame earlier this year. And perhaps if the trailers hadn’t spoiled that for us already.
Hux died as he lived: the butt of jokes.
So Palpatine survived by…mysterious Sith alchemy? And the Death Star survived somewhat intact by… You know what? I’m not going to get caught up in that. It’s space magic.
Speaking of space magic, I can hear the self-appointed guardians of Star Wars lore getting mad at the “hyperspace skipping” scene, but who says hyperspace technology hasn’t evolved? Same with Force ghosts. Who said that those who have gone beyond haven’t figured out new ways to interact with the physical world (like Luke grabbing his saber and Yoda lighting a tree on fire in the last one)?
Anybody have a full list of all the Jedi whose voices were heard encouraging Rey? I did like that part.
The Knights of Ren looked like pretty bad dudes, but Kylo Ren took them out pretty quickly. That part where Rey Force-teleported her saber to Kylo, though? That was cool.
Leia’s death confused me a little bit. I guess she projected herself across the galaxy in some form to help Kylo, and either the effort of doing it or the shock of Kylo being stabbed killed her? I suppose the filmmakers would have liked to make it more clear, but I respect that they had to work with the footage they had and didn’t want to CGI more Leia again. (Other than the flashback to Leia’s training, which was fine.)
I also wanted Threepio’s sacrifice to have more impact. Getting his memories back at the end was a bit too easy.
Chewie got a medal! Finally.
That same-sex kiss between two background characters at the end isn’t going to make anyone happy. LGBTQ advocates will declare it a half measure, while others… well, the conservative-looking people next to me in the theater actually let out audible cries of disgust. You can’t have it both ways, Disney. You can’t please everyone.
So that’s the end of the Skywalker Saga, then. The Disney era has had its flaws—but so did the originals, no matter how thick the nostalgia-covered lens with which we view them. And at least they’re not the prequels. It’s been a fun ride, bumps and all.
And besides—no matter how we feel about this movie, we still have Baby Yoda. And what a blessing that is.
PS: Totally random, but if regardless of how you feel about Rian Johnson, director of TLJ, you should see his latest movie Knives Out. Some people didn’t like his style—subversion of tropes—for Star Wars, but that style makes for a really entertaining murder mystery. Just putting that out there.
