STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER | The Boba Culture Review

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - Lucasfilm

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS

'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' closes off a nine-film saga that never seems to end. TROS is a wild ride, and it’s a lot to take in. Some fans love it. Some fans hate it. But hey, what’s STAR WARS without the controversy right?

Directed by 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' director: JJ Abrams, The Rise Of Skywalker mixes nostalgia and spunk to create a film that is hard to hate, but hard to love.

If you read nothing beyond this point, let it be known that I actually enjoyed this film. I thought it was pretty dang good, and I hope to see it many more times.

NOW

With that out of the way, I can tell you why I think Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker is “good at being good.”

When the initial reviews of TROS started coming out, I expected to see a movie play out that was “too fast paced” and “a mess.” Upon only watching it once, I can confidently say that this film is both of these things…sort of.

I believe these things are true about TROS, but none of these “elements” were detrimental to my movie-going experience. I understand why critics would have gripes with the film, but I quite enjoyed the pacing and adventure-styled nature of the plot.

Poe, BB-8, Rey, & Finn - Lucasfilm

My problems with TROS actually have nothing to do with the film at all.

I think that Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver nail their roles as REY and KYLO REN, respectively. They work well with what they are given, and the two are able to craft emotion in scenes that wouldn’t work without their performances.

It’s nice to see John Boyega as FINN and Oscar Isaac as POE again; and this time, they feel important to the plot. Everyone feels like they play an important enough role in TROS, to convince me that I should be paying attention to them.

To restate it: it’s not what’s in this movie that should get the finger shaken. It’s what didn't happen that takes The Rise Of Skywalker from something epic, to something short of being great.

The new/sequel trilogy poses questions that took too long to answer, and when it finally did, it kind of felt like drinking flat soda.

TROS gives us amazing space battles. We see the Falcon in a way that hasn’t been possible before. Star Destroyers look absolutely incredible in their Sith fleet, and we got to see one of film’s biggest bad guys on screen once again.

The nostalgia in the movie is crazy. Lando showing up in that famous yellow shirt, easter eggs to other Star Wars media, Luke lifting an X-Wing from water, and Han even showed up too! Lightsabers were ablaze. Rey taking on the Sith Troopers, and Ben the Knights of Ren. Those two even have a breathtaking battle atop the remains of the second Death Star in the middle of a raging sea.

Sith Fleet - Luscasfilm

The problem with it all is the emotional weight that these moments should have. We knew the answers were coming, yet that “punch” doesn’t sting the way it should. It’s like knowing that Captain America has to eventually say “Avengers assemble” before the ending of Endgame, but not feeling the gravity of the moment when it happens.

The Force Awakens gave us the questions, and instead of answering any of them, The Last Jedi took us on a “Resistance side quest.” I don’t hate any of the films of this new trilogy, in fact I think I’m satisfied with all three. But that’s about it.

As individual films I really like them, but I can’t see them as a coherent trilogy.

This is where the water gets murky for me and The Rise Of Skywalker. JJ Abrams is being asked to answer the new trilogy’s questions, in one movie. He has the impossible task of wrapping up the entire Skywalker Saga as well.

REY IS PALPATINE’S GRANDDAUGHTER. It’s wild, and I let out a little gasp when it was revealed. Supreme Leader Snoke is really just one of many “Snoke’s,” and he was created in a gestation pod. Reylo is even given their chance to shine for one (uncalled for?) moment in the ending of this film. All the questions are answered, and we got to see everything we came to see.

Rey Palpatine - Lucasfilm

The Rise Of Skywalker is a pretty good movie, and it’s worth the watch, but why does it feel so underwhelming?

A “Last Jedi hater” will say it was Rian Johnson’s fault for the lack of plot development in the trilogy. A “Disney hater” will say everything was rushed because Disney is just trying to milk Star Wars for the brand reputation. A “TROS hater” will say it was because the movie is an utter mess. You get the idea.

It’s a mix of these ingredients that prevent The Rise Of Skywalker from reaching its maximum potential. It’s a fine ending. It’s a definitive ending, and that’s what makes it so hard.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker takes us on one last journey into the galaxy we all know and love. I will personally go as far to say that it’s my favorite from the new trilogy. It’s very well acted, and it takes the audience on a rollercoaster of events going from planet to planet.

I saw everything that I needed to see, and nothing more. Choices were made that not everyone will agree with, but none of which bothered me to the point of un-watchability.

It’s a good movie that is placed into a trilogy that doesn’t quite have a single threaded narrative. I want to love it, but I don’t know if the epic/tense moments can outweigh the spontaneity of the second installment.

The Rise Of Skywalker is something that I can get behind. However it is the unbalanced nature of the trilogy that leaves me wondering: “why?”

But I don’t mind watching it again just to see Rey take the Emperor’s force lightning head on. That was pretty cool.

Rey and her Gramps - Lucasfilm

This was the ending to one of the most iconic franchises of all time. A franchise that was the first of its kind; giving birth to a new genre of film. It began a new niche of popular culture that people could resonate with beyond it being entertainment.

I like Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker despite its obvious flaws, but that’s just how Star Wars goes. It was a proper send-off to one of pop culture’s first families. Be that as it may, the rocky entry into this one makes it a little more difficult to stick the landing.

Episode 9 was good, but maybe with more time and better planning, it could’ve been the film to unite the fanbase again. All I’m left wondering is “what if?”

SWEETNESS LEVEL

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

80% Sugar