Movie Review: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is disappointing and fun in equal measure

Movie Review: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (PG-13)

After 42 years, the “Star Wars” saga officially comes to a close. That is, unless the powers that be at Disney decide to keep going at some point. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t put anything past the mouse house these days, because clearly nothing is sacred. Particularly when gobs of money are part of the equation.

It stands to reason that your overall enjoyment of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” might be hinged upon whether you’re Team “The Force Awakens” or Team “The Last Jedi.” True, there are plenty of fans who like both, but there was certainly a large contingent of the fanbase that was monumentally displeased with Rian Johnson’s subversive, against-the-grain approach to the saga. Simply put, to call “The Last Jedi” divisive would be a gross understatement.

With “The Rise of Skywalker” — Yes, the title will make sense by the end of the film — director J.J. Abrams does some subverting of his own. To be more specific, he’s reversed key plot points from “The Last Jedi” in an apparent effort to appease upset fans. Not all plot points, mind you, but certainly the bigger ones — most notably one regarding Rey (Daisy Ridley).

Now, before getting into this film, it should be noted that I’m not the world’s biggest “The Last Jedi” apologist. I certainly didn’t hate it, and I admire that Johnson was looking to shake things up a bit, but there were plenty of plot points and beats that irked me in that picture. But if Johnson’s approach was too against-the-grain, it could be argued that Abrams’ fan service approach to the saga is sort of a detriment to these movies in a polar-opposite way.

Oh, if only there could have been a happy medium.

No matter your thoughts on that particular subject, had this new trilogy been more mapped out from the get go, it would have allowed for more consistency over this three-story arc. Instead, there’s a messy “we don’t always know where this thing is headed” vibe to the proceedings. And speaking of “messy,” that particular word is a good way to describe a lot of “Episode IX.”

As “The Rise of Skywalker” opens, some time has passed since the Resistance’s minor victory and the unfortunate passing of Luke Skywalker. Rey has evolved in the ways of the Force under the tutelage of Leia, but she still struggles to find her identity. Be as it may, she finds purpose and solace among her friends Finn, Chewie, and Poe. Meanwhile, lost soul Kylo Ren continues his path towards universal dominance, one leads him to an iconic foe of the past long thought dead. Together, Kylo Ren and his new master hatch a plan to bring about the destruction of the Resistance … again.

Abrams works hard to deconstruct some of what Johnson deconstructed the last time around, and while the end result is a movie that’s probably more in the “Star Wars” tradition than “The Last Jedi,” it’s still overly complicated and lacks the cohesion and all-out joyful nature of the flawed but entertaining “The Force Awakens.” What’s more, “The Rise of Skywalker” doesn’t offer up a genuine sense of closure. Translation: Abrams was too focused on making a movie for those who were displeased with the previous installment instead of just forging his own path and making a fulfilling finale. But then, “forging his own path” is not a phrase often associated with Abrams, a gifted (and good-hearted) filmmaker who often relies heavily on fan service and nostalgia (see “Mission: Impossible 3,” the Amblin-esque youthful adventure “Super 8,” and a couple of “Star Trek” reboots). And the fan service as seen in this picture isn’t just limited to “Star Wars.” Clearly, Abrams is a fan of “The Goonies,” too! Not that I’m opposed to fan service and nostalgia — even I can’t deny the elated joy of seeing Billy Dee Williams return as Lando — but this film often goes overboard.

Furthermore, while “The Rise of Skywalker” is supposed to be the closing chapter of both this new trilogy and a nine-chapter saga, there’s simply too much going on, particularly in the first half. Enough exposition and the finding of things to find other things to fill a whole other trilogy: Daggers with inscriptions, never-before-seen Force powers (and highly questionable ones at that), an artifact that leads its possessor to a hidden planet, new characters galore, etc.

While we’re on the topic of new characters, Abrams unwisely introduces a handful of newbies into the mix (played by the likes of Keri Russell, Naomi Ackie, and a terrific but underutilized Richard E. Grant), even though he can barely give returning characters like General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) anything substantial to do. In fact, Rose is so sidelined that her 75 seconds of screen time go even further to suggest that Abrams is simply attempting to appease fans who dislike the character and the role she played in “The Last Jedi” rather than rising to the challenge and integrating her into “The Rise of Skywalker” in a fresh and exciting way. The end result is both uninspired and a blatant slap in the face. As for General Hux, we’ll get to him in a moment.

The screenplay by Abrams and “Argo” co-scribe Chris Terrio often leaves a bit to be desired. In fact, some of it borders on downright parody. I won’t go too far into spoiler territory here, but there are unnecessary cameos (teddy bears), expected twists (a big one involving Rey), silly sitcom-level throwaways (just about everything with General Hux, and what was it that Finn wanted to tell Rey, anyway?!), obligatory gotcha moments (watch for a cheat of a scenario involving Chewie), and the prerequisite call backs: Ever heard of the Death Star? Because it makes yet another appearance in a “Star Wars” movie.

In addition to the main thrust of the plot, which features the fittingly scary but almost nonsensical and virtually unexplained reemergence of a key “Star Wars” player, there are a lot of things in this picture that simply don’t work. Aside from all the little moments I already mentioned, a lack of a memorable space battle doesn’t help matters. Worse still, “The Rise of Skywalker” would have greatly benefited from a more dynamic lightsaber duel. There is one big one to speak of, and while the location of the battle is pretty awesome, the fight itself doesn’t come close to matching the best of the series (for the record, this fan counts the climactic saber battles in “The Phantom Menace,” “Revenge of the Sith,” and “The Empire Strikes Back” as the most exciting).

Beyond that, for all the hostile words thrown Johnson’s way in regard to “The Last Jedi,” one of the things I feel he truly got right is the idea that anyone can do important things in this life no matter where they come from or who their parents are. It opened up the “Star Wars” universe in a really interesting way. Sadly, Abrams pretty much throws that idea out the window.

The things that do work in “The Rise of Skywalker,” however, couple with Abrams’ undeniable sense of fun and his lively ability as a director keep this large-scale movie from turning into a complete train wreck. There’s a lot of joy to be found in this safe and familiar movie. Not surprisingly, it’s a great-looking production filled with wonderful special effects, winning performances, massive set pieces, solid cinematography, and a spectacular John Williams score (which intricately and masterfully weaves in cues from each chapter in the saga).

But again, for all the pluses, there are plenty of minuses.

While the strength of the writing in any “Star Wars” movie is always going to be debatable — even the original trilogy has its detractors — where Abrams really nailed it with this new trilogy is in the casting. That said, given the pure energy, likability, and endearing nature displayed by both John Boyega and Oscar Isaac in “The Force Awakens,” it’s disappointing that Finn and Poe haven’t lived up to their full potential as characters. Still, these engaging actors give it their all.

Daisy Ridley, on the other hand, gives her best turn as Rey in “The Rise of Skywalker,” and while her place in this saga still doesn’t feel as earned as Luke’s (this isn’t a sexist thing, it’s a character-as-written thing), Ridley brings a real sense of weight to the proceedings, particularly when it comes to an obvious reveal — another Abrams retcon, even though he says it’s not, from her mysterious (or not so mysterious) past. Ultimately, Ridley is strong, vulnerable, and easy to root for.

Likewise, Adam Driver (who’s having a banner year thanks to his outstanding work in “Marriage Story” and “The Report”) is magnetic as the conflicted Kylo Ren. There’s an inconsistent, wishy-washy nature to the Kylo Ren character arc throughout this recent trilogy, but Driver rises above the writing to create a compelling, confused, lost soul of a man looking to fulfill his own destiny.

Of course, you can’t talk “Star Wars” without mentioning the likes of Leia (Carrie Fisher), Luke (Mark Hamill), and Han (Harrison Ford), and all three have a part to play in “The Rise of Skywalker,” be it in physical form or in spirit. Carrie Fisher is the most prominently featured original-trilogy cast member here, and given her unfortunate passing before the release of “The Last Jedi,” it makes for a haunting and sometimes uneasy final appearance. It was important to Abrams and crew that Fisher be honored, so rather than writing Leia out entirely or pulling a “Rogue One”/Peter Cushing CG job, it was ultimately decided that unused footage from “The Force Awakens” would be  implemented. The end result doesn’t always work as some of Leia’s scenes don’t feel entirely organic to the story, but hats off to Abrams for what must have been a very difficult decision to make. In the end, he chose to go the tribute route, and you can’t really fault him for that.

As for Luke, he clocks in about as much screen time in “The Rise of Skywalker” as he did in “The Force Awakens,” and that’s disappointing, particularly given his importance in the overall mythology. Furthermore, love or hate what Johnson did with this iconic character in “The Last Jedi,” Hamill absolutely crushed it in terms of performance, making his cameo in this picture all the more disheartening. As far as what little of Hamill there is in “The Rise of Skywalker,” though, I guess it should be noted that a little Luke is better than no Luke at all.

As for lovable rogue Han Solo, if you’ve seen “The Force Awakens,” you’re already well aware of his fate. But his spirit lives on, and his overall influence on Kylo Ren is very much present in this film.

On a final character note for those of you still hoping to see Leia, Luke, and Han on screen together again, you’ll have to revisit the original trilogy for that. Thankfully, though, let it be known that one of the strongest moments of this picture does feature a pair of Force-strong characters working together in their prime.

Abrams came on board “The Rise of Skywalker” after “Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow left the project over apparent creative differences, and he reportedly started from scratch, although word is that some of Trevorrow’s ideas did make it into the finished product. The quick production turnaround probably added to the seemingly rushed and messy nature that often plagues this movie.

At the end of the day, though, no matter my opinion on any of the films in this series, “Star Wars” will always be about family for me. Therefore, I’ll always be a fan. That said, even though I’ve loved elements of all the films — yes, I even liked aspects of “Attack of the Clones” — I think the saga truly ended with “Return of the Jedi” for me. Yes, that movie was flawed and didn’t measure up to “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” but it was still moving and offered up a fulfilling sense of closure that a safe and often uninspired “The Rise of Skywalker” can’t seem to muster. On the other hand, it was always going to be an uphill battle for this new trilogy, and how could it not be given the legacy that inspired it?

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