The Rise of Skywalker - Upon Second Viewing
I'm going to say this up front because after rewatching the supposed finale to the epic nonology that was the Star Wars saga, my opinion on this has not changed. In my opinion, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a complete disaster.
But not in the way you might think.
Because, much to my genuine surprise and amusement, I actually did enjoy the Rise of Skywalker upon second viewing. If you look to my first review, I said I enjoyed the film despite its massive missteps. In the time since, nearly everyone on the internet has had their say about this film, many of whom believing this is the single worst piece of Star Wars cinema put out to date. And upon further reflection, the problems that I had with the film the first time continued to bother me even more, especially as Lucasfilm tried desperately to backtrack and cover up their mistakes.
Palpatine was a clone you say? Not only was Palpatine a clone in The Rise of Skywalker, but also in Return of Jedi? Not only were they BOTH clones, but Palpatine's son was a FAILED clone of the Emperor? Give me a break. You tried, you failed, Disney, time to move on.
And yet, after sitting down and seeing the film again for the first time since late December, expecting to dislike this film even more for its horrid plot decisions, I came to the realization that I really didn't. I rather mildly enjoyed the movie, and I will stand by that opinion because just as much as anyone out there is entitled to hate this film and call it an utter piece of garbage, I an entitled to my opinion as well.
But again, let be be clear, to me this film is an utter disaster. This film represents the exact opposite of the prequel films, most namely Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (we don't talk about Jar Jar and his endeavors in the Phantom Menace). Episodes 2 was a terrible movie by most standards, but I do believe it was a great Star Wars movie. There's a difference. Let me explain.
You see, as a film analyst, I have to look at movies a certain way, through a different lens, if you will, pulling apart structure, story, characters, etc. However, for franchises with the longevity of Star Wars, Pixar, or Marvel, where I have preexisting emotional attachments, it's extremely hard for me to separate the respective films from their predecessors. How does one simply ignore the events of Infinity War when watching Endgame and judge Endgame as a standalone? It's near impossible.
But to the best of my ability, as I look back upon the Rise of Skywalker as a standalone film, it's fine. It's very fine. There are some classic, cliche moments of foreshadowing, such as the force healing of the worm that saves Rey later, there's a nice little redemption arc for Kylo Ren, Rey defeats the Emperor, and good triumphs in the galaxy.
But as a Star Wars fan?
Kylo Ren was REDEEMED?
The mere fact that JJ Abrams so flippantly decided to redeem a character who had killed his father, killed his master, taken over as the dictator of a Nazi-Germany-esque regime, and tried to kill Rey is absolutely absurd. And before anyone says anything about Darth Vader, let me be quick to point out that Darth Vader's struggle towards the light was apparent. In that final moment, and in fact, all throughout the trilogy, Vader wasn't trying to kill Luke. He was trying to bring him over to his side, however twisted that may be, and what finally got in the way of the dark side for him was his love for his son. Kylo Ren attempts the same thing with Rey, except there is absolutely no tangible emotional connection OTHER than the kiss (oh, the horror) that JJ Abrams decided to add in (which, by the way, I believe to be the single worst scene of "romance" in any Star Wars film, INCLUDING Anakin and Padme in Attack of the Clones). Throughout this entire trilogy, rather than hinting towards a lingering good in Kylo Ren, the filmmakers, namely Rian Johnson in Episode 8 for better or for worse, decided to buckle down and commit Kylo Ren fully to the dark side. He is the SUPREME LEADER.
And force healing? It would've been helpful if Obi-Wan knew how to do that when Qui-Gon was dying. How about Luke when Vader was dying? Where was this knowledge obtained? A simple explanation, a sentence, even a few words saying that Luke had discovered this from Force-Ghost Yoda would have at least helped.
Lest we forget that JJ Abrams resurrected the single biggest villain in the entire galaxy and one of the most iconic characters in movie history and DIDN'T SAY HOW.
And of course, there's the plot convenience of the dagger happening to line up with debris of a broken Death Star that probably should have moved over the last thirty years, Anakin's lightsaber that was clearly split in two and is now back with no explanation...
This film is a disaster.
And yet, it was still enjoyable. Once I was able to sit back and enjoy the numbing action of Star Wars lightsabers swinging at each other, or giant star destroyers fighting the scrappy Resistance, I had a good time. But there is something to be desired when you watch the Anakin v. Obi-Wan fight compared to any battles in this new trilogy. Even if the movies were not nearly as good, you can feel the emotion, the bond, the struggle between those two characters as they fight.
At the end of the day, I just wish that the people behind the film had the presence of mind to have a plan. To hash out a story that spanned 3 films and THEN go for it. The ONE SCENE would have made this movie infinitely better isn't even a scene in this movie, but a hypothetical scene in Episode 8. If, at the end of Episode 8, there was a cackle coming from an intercom and Palpatine's voice calling out to Kylo Ren saying that he had fulfilled his training in killing Snoke, THAT would have made this movie infinitely better. Now, Palatine's return feels earned, even if it wasn't explained.
But this is what we got instead. And for better or for worse, the Skywalker Saga is now over.
Because, much to my genuine surprise and amusement, I actually did enjoy the Rise of Skywalker upon second viewing. If you look to my first review, I said I enjoyed the film despite its massive missteps. In the time since, nearly everyone on the internet has had their say about this film, many of whom believing this is the single worst piece of Star Wars cinema put out to date. And upon further reflection, the problems that I had with the film the first time continued to bother me even more, especially as Lucasfilm tried desperately to backtrack and cover up their mistakes.
Palpatine was a clone you say? Not only was Palpatine a clone in The Rise of Skywalker, but also in Return of Jedi? Not only were they BOTH clones, but Palpatine's son was a FAILED clone of the Emperor? Give me a break. You tried, you failed, Disney, time to move on.
And yet, after sitting down and seeing the film again for the first time since late December, expecting to dislike this film even more for its horrid plot decisions, I came to the realization that I really didn't. I rather mildly enjoyed the movie, and I will stand by that opinion because just as much as anyone out there is entitled to hate this film and call it an utter piece of garbage, I an entitled to my opinion as well.
But again, let be be clear, to me this film is an utter disaster. This film represents the exact opposite of the prequel films, most namely Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (we don't talk about Jar Jar and his endeavors in the Phantom Menace). Episodes 2 was a terrible movie by most standards, but I do believe it was a great Star Wars movie. There's a difference. Let me explain.
You see, as a film analyst, I have to look at movies a certain way, through a different lens, if you will, pulling apart structure, story, characters, etc. However, for franchises with the longevity of Star Wars, Pixar, or Marvel, where I have preexisting emotional attachments, it's extremely hard for me to separate the respective films from their predecessors. How does one simply ignore the events of Infinity War when watching Endgame and judge Endgame as a standalone? It's near impossible.
But to the best of my ability, as I look back upon the Rise of Skywalker as a standalone film, it's fine. It's very fine. There are some classic, cliche moments of foreshadowing, such as the force healing of the worm that saves Rey later, there's a nice little redemption arc for Kylo Ren, Rey defeats the Emperor, and good triumphs in the galaxy.
But as a Star Wars fan?
Kylo Ren was REDEEMED?
The mere fact that JJ Abrams so flippantly decided to redeem a character who had killed his father, killed his master, taken over as the dictator of a Nazi-Germany-esque regime, and tried to kill Rey is absolutely absurd. And before anyone says anything about Darth Vader, let me be quick to point out that Darth Vader's struggle towards the light was apparent. In that final moment, and in fact, all throughout the trilogy, Vader wasn't trying to kill Luke. He was trying to bring him over to his side, however twisted that may be, and what finally got in the way of the dark side for him was his love for his son. Kylo Ren attempts the same thing with Rey, except there is absolutely no tangible emotional connection OTHER than the kiss (oh, the horror) that JJ Abrams decided to add in (which, by the way, I believe to be the single worst scene of "romance" in any Star Wars film, INCLUDING Anakin and Padme in Attack of the Clones). Throughout this entire trilogy, rather than hinting towards a lingering good in Kylo Ren, the filmmakers, namely Rian Johnson in Episode 8 for better or for worse, decided to buckle down and commit Kylo Ren fully to the dark side. He is the SUPREME LEADER.
And force healing? It would've been helpful if Obi-Wan knew how to do that when Qui-Gon was dying. How about Luke when Vader was dying? Where was this knowledge obtained? A simple explanation, a sentence, even a few words saying that Luke had discovered this from Force-Ghost Yoda would have at least helped.
Lest we forget that JJ Abrams resurrected the single biggest villain in the entire galaxy and one of the most iconic characters in movie history and DIDN'T SAY HOW.
And of course, there's the plot convenience of the dagger happening to line up with debris of a broken Death Star that probably should have moved over the last thirty years, Anakin's lightsaber that was clearly split in two and is now back with no explanation...
This film is a disaster.
And yet, it was still enjoyable. Once I was able to sit back and enjoy the numbing action of Star Wars lightsabers swinging at each other, or giant star destroyers fighting the scrappy Resistance, I had a good time. But there is something to be desired when you watch the Anakin v. Obi-Wan fight compared to any battles in this new trilogy. Even if the movies were not nearly as good, you can feel the emotion, the bond, the struggle between those two characters as they fight.
At the end of the day, I just wish that the people behind the film had the presence of mind to have a plan. To hash out a story that spanned 3 films and THEN go for it. The ONE SCENE would have made this movie infinitely better isn't even a scene in this movie, but a hypothetical scene in Episode 8. If, at the end of Episode 8, there was a cackle coming from an intercom and Palpatine's voice calling out to Kylo Ren saying that he had fulfilled his training in killing Snoke, THAT would have made this movie infinitely better. Now, Palatine's return feels earned, even if it wasn't explained.
But this is what we got instead. And for better or for worse, the Skywalker Saga is now over.
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