The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
Something that’s impressed me with the prequels and sequels is that the opening and closing titles have followed the same formula. I’m really impressed that any idea of playing around with or “improving” them seems to have been put aside in favour of giving something that feels cohesive and true to the original trilogy. I enjoy that comforting feeling of the familiar opening crawl with the familiar opening theme which helps complete the impression of watching episodes from a serial.
John Williams has helped with the sense of cohesion. His work on all nine episodes has been another of those notable continuities. He and Anthony Daniels have been the two most welcome constants for me though the passing decades onscreen (Threepio would be up there as one of my favourite
Star Wars characters, and that’s been a big surprise to me).
I feel the tone of this film was a definite improvement over
The Last Jedi, though it still didn’t quite deliver on the promise that came with
The Force Awakens. It feels as though there’s an effort to get back to the characters from
TFA, and it's lost the middle film's awkward, clunky "comedy". But the balance still doesn’t quite work.
Rey being the central character felt wrong and there was, frankly, far too much of her. Daisy Ridley gives good “grim determination in the face of overwhelming odds” face but that, unfortunately, is about the extent of her range and two and a half hours of it got a bit much. And I kind of resent her not only having the last word but also cheekily purloining the Skywalker name for herself.
Ben/Ren was a character with potential in the first film, but his arc felt forced, contrived and predictable. It feels like re-treading old ground. I was never that invested. And the kiss between him and Rey was just plain uncomfortable.
Even Palpatine - a favourite of mine from earlier films - felt as though Ian McDiarmid was giving a performance by numbers. It was nice to see him, but this is far from his finest moment.
Finn had more screentime than in the previous film (and possibly almost as much as in his first) but he seemed to get lost in the mix, as though the writers either forgot about him or lost interest in his character. It’s a shame, because
The Force Awakens had me excited about following his story and we didn’t get to stay as connected with him beyond that first film. The conversation he had with the woman who was part of a mass Stormtrooper mutiny was one of the film’s better moments because it gave him something to do besides running and flying vessels.
Richard E. Grant was just too distractingly Richard E. Grant to be effective as an antagonist (even though I’ve still to see the film in full, one just thinks of
Withnail whenever his face is onscreen). His character just appeared from nowhere which didn’t help.
I knew ahead of time that Carrie Fisher’s scenes were patched together from unused footage and digital trickery. It showed, but I can forgive that, and I thought it was sweet that she finally got top billing.
Luke and Han’s brief appearances were welcome, though I really had expected to see all three of them in that final force spirit moment. Another wasted opportunity.
Billy Dee Williams’s arrival back on the scene was a really nice touch. I had no idea he returned, and was happy to see him.
Aside from one or two nice scenes, the quieter moments actually dragged for me in this film. And I speak as someone who in general favours character moments over action scenes. It felt every minute of its two and half hours and would have been more enjoyable to watch had it lost thirty or forty minutes.
I do feel a sense of achievement for having watched all nine films. I can’t see myself ever doing so again (though never say never), but it has been quite a journey.
