Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Rise of Fan Service … Spectacle of the End  

Legacy; a profound word used for many things in life.  It is a word used to capture generations, the core essences of any memory of knowing, caring and sharing among people alike.  Legacy is the detail of the moment and the heart of the journey.  This is the epitome of what makes Star Wars what it is today.  For many years, we have watched stories of many characters move us through the hierarchy of light vs dark.  With the ending of a legacy, we arrive to the final episode of the Skywalker saga, a mix bag of highs and lows.  No matter the flaws and obvious fan service, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a fun adventure on the big screen.   

A year after the events of the The Last Jedi, we find the First Order and Resistance facing each other in one final fight.  When a looming threat from the past insert himself into the fight, enemies must come together and find a way to take out the ultimate threat.  The final film of a trilogy (and the whole Skywalker Saga), it is a monumental task to string many stories together into one complete ending.  Taking bits and pieces from everything before, the filmmakers manage to build a plot that is loose with explanation but filled with thrilling action sequences, fun character dynamics and fandom moments.  When you seed the strings of past stories, you get a sense of the spectacle that has traversed nine films.  You realize the obvious flaws in the manner of meaningful storytelling elements within this ninth chapter.  There is no trying to explain the what and whys in the prologue or first act, just convenient plot points inserted because of the lore and journey ahead.  Even when it is apparent, it doesn’t excuse the fact that they are noticeable genre tropes meant to tie the past with the current cast of characters.  This creates shortcomings that leave some emotional sequences to its own vices.  There won’t be explanations for everything, but just enough to understand the mission of the Resistance, First Order and the return of the Emperor.  With three motivations, it creates a fun dynamic of seeing how the obvious will come to an end. 

As the story moves along, you get the linear point A to B stringing of sequences.  This creates a second act that is all spectacle for the fans.  You get answers to most things related to characters of this new trilogy like Rey’s mysterious past, Kylo Ren’s troubled path with the Force and how everything strings together with the original and prequel trilogy.  Ambiguity is prime within character interactions, but you just move from one scene to the next because of the visual prowess of the adventure.  As you come to the final act, everything comes to one confrontation, leading to the ultimate fight between the light and dark side.  The consequences of the past arrive for a final judgement, bringing us a climax that defines what the ideas of Sith and Jedi are meant to be as one.  As the film reaches its epilogue, it brings together the meaning of hope, but also a chance of an awakening to explore different stories in this galaxy far far away.  Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a fun adventure, but one that is convoluted because of having to wrap up many past elements of prior films.  Even in its faulty script, there is enough to say it is a pure cinematic spectacle for the big screen.  I say this is worth seeing at the theater, but only as a matinee.

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)

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