(Disclaimer - This review contains MASSIVE SPOILERS! If you haven't seen the movie and want to go in fresh, I will give you a quick spoiler-free review. As a Star Wars fan, I loved it. As a critic, I had several issues with it. If you haven't seen the movie but don't care about spoilers, keep reading. But please, don't spoil it for anyone else. And if you do, I hope Carrie Fisher haunts you in your sleep.)
It's finally arrived. The most anticipated movie event of the Holiday Season... CATS!!! The enchantingly bizarre, acid trip adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical brought to the big screen by Tom Hooper is finally here!
But because it was sold out, I decided to check out Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a small independent film from the director of Super 8.
In all seriousness though, it is honestly hard to believe that after 42 years, the Star Wars Saga is coming to an end. Because we all thought it would end in 2005. We also thought it would end in 1983.
Since he started writing the rough drafts in the early 70s, George Lucas always intended for his space saga to be nine films. It would be about the ongoing adventures of Luke Starkiller. Making the first movie was so exhausting and so stressful, that he decided it would be just one movie instead. Especially since he and everyone else thought it would be a flop. He even had Luke blow up the Death Star in the first movie instead of the final movie like he planned.
But then a funny thing happened. When the first movie was released, not only was it more successful than everyone anticipated. It became a cultural phenomenon. Audiences around the world went back to the theater to see this movie over and over again. To put this in context for younger readers, online streaming did not exist back then. You couldn't just wait for a movie to appear on Netflix or Amazon Prime to watch it again. You had to wait for the theaters to re-release it.
And audiences saw Star Wars so many times, that Lucas made two sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. After he was done with the third movie, Lucas decided to take a break from Star Wars for a couple decades. By 1999, he made three prequels, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. Years after that, Lucas swore he would never make another Star Wars film. He insisted that the story was just six movies. And that there was nothing more to the story after Darth Vader kicked the bucket.
In 2012, Lucas had a change of heart and sold his company, Lucasfilm, to the Walt Disney Co., and with it the rights to his space series. Disney immediately announced they would make the next three episodes, along with spin off films, starting with The Force Awakens in 2015 and continuing with The Last Jedi in 2017, and concluding with The Rise of Skywalker.
As I am writing this, the film just released in theaters. It seems to be receiving mixed reviews from critics and fans. But then again, what Star Wars movie since 1980 HASN'T?
By now, we are all familiar with how fans reacted to The Last Jedi. We all remember the fans reactions to the Prequels. We all remember how fans complained about the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Even The Empire Strikes Back, which is now regarded as the best of the Saga, actually received mixed reviews upon its release.
The only Star Wars movie to have universal acclaim was the first movie in 1977. And it makes sense. It was the first time anyone had seen Star Wars. There was no lore behind it, and no other movies to compare it to. Audiences could go in completely fresh with zero expectations.
But since then every Star Wars movie has had to live up to unreasonable expectations from fans. Even the creator of the Saga, George Lucas, could not live up to them.
As fun as it is to speculate and make theories, by now we should all have accepted that no movie could ever live up to our expectations. So it's better to go in with an open mind. Which is what I did last night.
Beforehand, I managed to watch all Star Wars movies in one day at the marathon even at AMC Theaters. I was able to freshen up on the story to prepare myself to see how it all ends.
So what did I think of it?
As a Star Wars fan? I loved it! I absolutely loved it! It had action, suspense, great character moments, nice callbacks to the films before, and a lot of emotional moments.
As a film critic? I still enjoyed it, but had a lot of issues with its creative choices.
First of all, Carrie Fisher is the heart of this film. In fact, doing her character justice was the ONLY thing I cared about the filmmakers living up to. Before Carrie Fisher's untimely death in 2016, she was supposed to have a huge role in this final film. She was supposed to be front and center. Just like Harrison Ford was front and center in The Force Awakens, and Mark Hamill was front and center in The Last Jedi. Sadly, she passed away before filming Episode IX even began. The filmmakers were in a no-win scenario with no easy answer. Should they recast the iconic role with another actress? Should they CGI her like they did with Peter Cushing in Rogue One? Or should they write her out entirely. But then JJ Abrams looked at unused footage of her from the last two. And decided to write scenes around them to make it seem like she was interacting with the actors. He did this, of course, with the blessing of Fisher's family, including her daughter Billie Lourd.
Fisher is only in this movie briefly. But every time she shows up, I was brought to tears. And it was so cool to not only finally see her have a Lightsaber and have it established that she trained with her brother Luke, but also that she trained Rey! This makes it the first time we have seen a woman train a Jedi in these movies. And I am so glad it was Leia.
Leia Organa is one of the most iconic characters of all time, played by one of the most iconic actresses of all time. I am so glad I got to see her one last time. To me, she is royalty.
C-3PO has been here since the very beginning. He was the one who uttered the first line in the first movie, "Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor! We'll be destroyed for sure! This is madness!" Anthony Daniels, who plays the golden droid, is now the only actor to have appeared in every single Star Wars movie. This is most likely the last time he will be playing C-3PO. And he steals every scene he's in. This is honestly the funniest C-3PO has ever been in my opinion. Lord knows I'm gonna miss that uptight droid. And admit it. So will you.
It was also great seeing Lando Calrissian again. Let's be honest. Has there ever been an actor as cool as Billy Dee Williams? Every time he's on screen, he just oozes charisma and charm. Though it bothered me that he asked Rey to "send Leia my love". Very typical of Lando to wait until his best friend died to start hitting on his woman. Funny enough, Patton Oswalt kind of predicted that in his pitch for Episode VII.
It's also cool to see Rey, Poe, and Finn as a trio. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac have great chemistry together. You can just feel the love they have for each other on screen. It's similar to the chemistry of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher. I just wish we could have seen more of them together in the last two movies.
Unfortunately, Kelly Marie Tran has a smaller role than she did in The Last Jedi. Rose was one of my favorite characters in the last one. She was so full of hope and optimism, and served as a moral compass for both Finn and the audience. Sadly, Kelly Marie Tran was bullied and harassed off social media by racist and misogynist fans who hated her character. If JJ Abrams shortened her role in order to please those fans, then that is extremely disappointing. Kelly Marie Tran is a great actress and so much fun to watch in interviews. I know she'll have a bright future, and look foreward to seeing what she does in the next decade.
The movie answers many of the questions fans have had since The Force Awakens. We find out that Snoke was nothing more than a creation of Palpatine. And we finally find out who Rey is related to.
And it is none other than....
JAR JAR BINKS!!!
After giving Palpatine emergency powers and dooming the galaxy, Jar Jar Binks retired from politics, got married and had a daughter named Rey. However, knowing that he was responsible for Palpatine taking over the galaxy caused Jar Jar have immense guilt, which he combatted by turning to alcohol. He ended up selling Rey for drinking money. I must say that this is a bold storytelling decision by JJ Abrams.
Ok Ok! I'm just kidding.
It was actually Chewbacca.
Ok, for real this time.
It's revealed that her parents did NOT sell her for drinking money as Kylo Ren said they did in the last movie. They gave her away to protect her. From her grandfather. Palpatine!
I just have to say that Palpatine has always been my favorite villain in the saga. And it's so awesome to see him again, played by the great Ian McDiarmid. This is honestly the scariest I've ever seen him in the movies!
But with that said, it is honestly disappointing that the filmmakers decided to make Rey related to someone in these movies, including Palpatine.
I should probably mention that I loved The Last Jedi. Not just as a Star Wars fan. But I honestly thought it was a legitimately great movie. And one of the things I loved about it was that it doesn't matter what your bloodline is or where you came from. All that matters is what you choose to be right now. That's a powerful message. And it was refreshing to finally have a protagonist in these movies who's not related to anyone significant, or part of this ancient prophecy.
But a lot of fans were not happy with that reveal. So JJ Abrams decided that she's related to the most evil man in the galaxy. That's why she's so powerful.
While some fans will be happy with this choice, I was not.
A lot of this film feels like a direct response to the choices made in The Last Jedi. That film took many risks and challenged fans in a way we haven't seen in a long time. Not just in Star Wars, but blockbusters in general. So many franchises these days seem like they try to give fans what they want. Which is why it was so refreshing to see Rian Johnson to not resort to fan service, but instead make the movie he wanted to make. George Lucas was also the same way. Despite what the fans said about the prequels, Lucas never backed down. He had his vision, and stuck with it.
JJ Abrams is very talented as a director. But he definitely loves fan service. The Force Awakens felt like "Star Wars Greatest Hits", as it was a callback to the original trilogy. While I enjoyed The Force Awakens, I feel like The Last Jedi was a stronger, deeper film.
Funny enough, this sequel trilogy feels like the Original Trilogy. The first movie was this fun adventure that introduced us to new characters and opened up the possibilities for new and exciting adventures. The second film took the characters to a dark place, expanded the universe, challenged audience's preconceptions, and asked deep questions. The third film is a callback to the light-hearted feel of the first movie repeating many of the same beats, and offers a satisfying conclusion.
And as it turns out, the Reylos were right!!!! For the most part.
Ben Solo does get redeemed. And he and Rey are indeed in love. And even share a kiss!
When Rey dies, Ben Solo saves her using a Force power where he literally gives her his life Force. Which is what his grandfather, Anakin, hoped to do for his wife Padme. Turns out Ben Solo did finish what his grandpa started!
There is also a scene where he speaks with his father, Han Solo, from beyond the grave. It reminded me of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice when Clark Kent spoke to his dad, Jonathan Kent, from beyond the grave. It should be noted that both films were written by Chris Terrio.
After the Emperor is defeated, there is much rejoicing across the galaxy, just like Return of the Jedi.
Rey, Finn, and Poe share one last hug together. And Rey goes on Tatooine to Luke's old moisture farm. Where it all started.
She places Luke and Leia's lightsabers in the sand. And gets her own. A yellow one!
A settler asks her what her name is. She sees the ghost of Luke and Leia. And says "I'm Rey. Rey Skywalker." And walks off into the sunset.
Funny enough, that is how Return of the Jedi was supposed to end. It was to end with Luke Skywalker walking off into the sunset like in a Sergio Leone Western. But George Lucas wanted a happy ending.
Rise of Skywalker's ending is both happy, and sad. It's bitter-sweet. On one hand, evil is defeated. On the other hand, Ben Solo is gone. And Rey is back where she started. On a desert planet with BB8.
Despite my frustrations with the ending, it honestly made me tear up. Not just because we went back to where it all started. Not just because we saw the ghost of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. But because of John Williams' sweeping score.
With the exception of George Lucas, there is no one more responsible for the success of Star Wars than John Williams. Williams has scored every single major film in the Saga since 1977. Like Anthony Daniels, he has been there since the beginning. It's hard to imagine watching any Star Wars movie without his iconic score.
John Williams has said this is the last time he will score for a Star Wars movie. As sad as it makes me knowing that this is the last time we will ever hear him compose music for this Saga, I could not have been happier to have him come back one last time.
No Star Wars movie, not even The Empire Strikes Back, is perfect. But no matter what complaints fans and critics have had about these movies, John Williams music has always been amazing. And such is the cast here. The score features many callbacks to the music from the previous movies, while also feeling fresh and new. Hearing that iconic main theme with the opening crawl, and knowing it would be the last time, gave me chills.
Take a bow, Maestro! You've earned it.
I apologize for this review being so long. But hey, this movie gave me a lot to think about. Star Wars holds a special place in my heart. More than any other franchise.
For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of these movies. I remember going through a drive thru at Wendy's seeing a picture of Jar Jar Binks as part of The Phantom Menace promos. And I asked my Mom what it was. And she said "Oh. That's Star Wars." I thought it sounded weird. But I asked my Mom if we could watch the movies. So we rented them at Blockbuster. They were the first movies I watched where I honestly thought I could live in that world. They just looked and felt so real.
When Revenge of the Sith came out, I saw it three times dressed as Darth Vader. Every time.
In 2005, I thought the Saga was over. That there would be no more movies. And I was fine with it. I thought it was a great story as it was. It was a story I could revisit any time I wanted. One that gave me joy and comfort. I did not need to see any more.
When it was announced there would be more, I was nervous. But slowly came to accept it. And tried to keep an open mind.
And now that this new trilogy, as well as this Saga is completed (for real this time. Probably.), I could not have been happier to be wrong in my life.
I am so glad Star Wars came around one last time. I'm glad I got to see Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and of course Princess Leia, one last time.
I'm thankful for the new characters we got to meet. I'm thankful for Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, and Kylo Ren.
I'm thankful John Williams came back to create more beautiful music for me to add to my iPhone and listen to.
I'm thankful to George Lucas for inspiring me to become a storyteller and filmmaker, for creating this rich universe, and for coming up with the greatest fantasy story ever told.
I'm thankful for Kathleen Kennedy, JJ Abrams, and Rian Johnson for continuing this story. And for giving us an exciting, and emotional conclusion.
And most of all, I'm thankful for the friends I made through a mutual love of this Saga. Whether it was at school at the playground where we argued whether Darth Vader or Darth Maul would win in a fight. (Darth Vader, obviously!), or in line for a panel at Star Wars Celebration. I am thankful for all these lifelong friendships. I am thankful for all these memories I will get to keep with me forever. To me, that's worth more than any Rotten Tomatoes score or box office result. And it's all thanks to these goofy space movies.
Even though the Saga is now complete (or is it?), I know this is not the last we've seen of Star Wars. If the success of the Baby Yoda show is any indication, there's clearly more to explore in this universe. And I look forward to making more memories, and more friendships, in the future.
May the Force be with you. Always.
