The Rise of Skywalker - Big, Fun, and (Hear Me Out) Simple

Note: For reference as to why I’ve mellowed out so much on this trilogy since The Last Jedi, check out this article I wrote about my changing feelings regarding Star Wars. In short, I’ve stopped putting Star Wars on a pedestal, to quote The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

The Rise of Skywalker is a big, ambitious end to the Skywalker saga. It answers a lot of questions and presents even more, all while planet hopping and sprinting to an action-packed, (hopefully) crowd-pleasing conclusion. The pace of the film, along with the decision to keep the core group together for most of the story, make this the simplest and most enjoyable film in the new trilogy. 

Some might scoff at the idea that this film is “simple,” but it is, from a certain point of view. To be fair, there are a ton of questions raised by this film (this article does a great job at listing them), so in that regard the movie is quite convoluted. But if you can just let those unanswered questions go, you’ll find yourself enjoying a refreshingly straight-forward adventure. 

The Rise of Skywalker is about Rey and company trying to find the resurrected Emperor Palapatine, so they can stop his new planet-destroying fleet of starships and save the world twice and for all (yeah, right). This causes them to pick up the search where Luke left off, going from planet to planet following clues and battling Kylo Ren and the First Order along the way. It’s action packed, funny, and you always know exactly why the characters are doing what they’re doing. Like I said, simple.

Many fans (like the guy I overheard right after my screening who said, “That is probably the worst out of all of them”) will not be able to get past the questions raised by this film and/or its dismissal or lack of followthrough with some themes presented in The Last Jedi. And that’s a shame, because the one thing that should be undeniable about this trilogy is that the new characters are likable and have great chemistry, and this film allows them to spend the most time together.

In most Star Wars films, the main characters have to split up early on, only reuniting briefly at the end (and sometimes not even then; I’m looking at you, Empire). But The Rise of Skywalker presents the importance of friendship as a theme many times. So instead of a character taking off because they have something they have to do on their own, we get characters flat out telling them, “Okay, but we’re still coming with you.” It’s a little cheesy, but it’s also the strongest aspect of the film. For all the action of this new trilogy, it pales in comparison to the joy of watching Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and BB-8 work together for most of the film.

But this is still an action movie at heart. In that regard, it’s very satisfying. All the blasters and stuff blowing up is fine, but the lightsaber work here is the best it’s been in the trilogy. This is by design, since Rey and Kylo became more powerful as the series progressed. Rey, in particular, has been training since the last film, so she’s much more formidable this time around. I was so used to seeing adept Force users in the prequel trilogy that I assumed anyone in this trilogy with a lightsaber would be badass with it. Looking at the trilogy as a whole now, I can appreciate the development of Rey and Kylo Ren rather than be disappointed by their initial clumsiness (Rey) or lack of control (Kylo Ren). (I admit that the throne room sequence in The Last Jedi is pretty awesome, but aside from that, the lightsaber stuff is pretty sparse in that film.)

Speaking of The Last Jedi, it does seem like this movie is more of a direct sequel to The Force Awakens than to Jedi, and that might bother fans of The Last Jedi. But this was bound to happen with Disney’s plan of going from one filmmaker to another for each film only to go back to J.J. Abrams for the third film. Of course, Abrams was going to focus on more of the stuff he set up with his film than with Rian Johnson’s. Still, it’s understandable if some fans are disappointed with this film in that regard.

For me, I went in to The Rise of Skywalker with new expectations after my disappointment with The Last Jedi.  I just wanted to see the story wrapped up with a lot of fun character moments and plenty of action. And that’s exactly what I got. 

It might sound like I'm actually a bit lukewarm with this movie, but I sincerely loved it. It's just that these movies are never going to be on the same level as the George Lucas films for me, and I've made my peace with that. I'm just happy to see a big, fun Star Wars movie. I left the theater wanting to immediately watch The Rise of Skywalker again, and that's all I can hope for from my favorite franchise.

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