There are few movies that I still get very excited about these days. Few movies (and television shows, I might add), but there were a few here in 2019. There was the final installment of M. Night Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy, “Mr. Glass.” About one month or so later, there were the final episodes of Game of Thrones.
Now, the final installment of the third and final Star Wars trilogy of the Skywalker saga. That does not mean the end of Star Wars, as that universe will go on. But if the official line is to be believed – and it is not at all guaranteed that they are, since George Lucas had once promised that there would never be another Star Wars movie following “Revenge of the Sith.”
Frankly, though, it was hard to imagine a huge movie franchise (and money maker) like Star Wars simply disappearing into irrelevance, especially since there is so much that can be done, as it is an entire universe yet.
And so, of course, there are more movies. And there will be more movies after this, for that matter.
Just not ones that focus on the Skywalker family, in particular.
Since the original Star Wars movies were about the Skywalkers, with the first trilogy focusing on Luke Skywalker’s rise to become a Jedi Knight, and the next trilogy (no spoiler alerts on this one, right?) focusing on Luke’s father Anakin Skywalker’s descent into evil and becoming a Sith, all we knew for the first almost 40 years of Star Wars was that it seemed centered on the Skywalkers.
Now, this latest movie is the last one that will do that. This is the last installment of the Skywalker saga, which started in 1977, with the first movie, known then simply as “Star Wars.” I remember the days when “Stat Wars” still basically referred to that first movie. It still sometimes feels weird to think of it officially as “A New Hope.” It just was not known as that for the first couple of decades or so, at least not popularly.
But the Star Wars universe has expended, if anything. And so they could not simply have one movie known eternally as “Star Wars,” when that now referred to a whole universe, no longer just limited to movies or even toys. There have been lines of books and comics and video games and now, television shows.
Still, there is a certain thrill when it comes to new movies, and this latest one is the biggest of the new movies, potentially. I am guessing, anyway, because everyone knows that this will indeed close out the Skywalker saga.
I ordered tickets back in October, when they first became available. I picked the earliest date available, and got tickets for December 19th. At the time, I did not realize that this was actually the night before the movie is officially supposed to come out, which means that my son and I would get to see the movie before almost anyone else. This would be the first time that I had seen a Star Wars movie so early since seeing a midnight screening of “Revenge of the Sith” back in May of 2005.
So, how was it?
Also, can I write a review without any spoilers?
Let me try exactly that here:
Okay, so we saw the new Star Wars movie, which also happens to be the last installment in the Skywalker saga, the third in the last of a trilogy of trilogies. Obviously, there is a lot to talk about. Yet, I have to be careful, at least in this particular review, because this one will be the spoiler-free review of the movie. So, here goes.
What can I say?
Let’s start with one thing that was a surprise when they first announced it back in the summertime, but which every Star Wars fan pretty much knows about by now. Yes, I am talking about the re-emergence of Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine (who used to be better known simply as “The Emperor,” back in the original trilogy days). Yes, he definitely is back, and he is, once again, the central villain. But I had questions regarding his reappearance, and I hardly think that I was the only one. Would he be a ghost, more or less in the form of Obi Wan or Yoda in ‘Return of the Jedi’ or other movies? Or had he somehow physically survived and was actually alive? For that matter, was it perhaps something else, like some kind of a clone? Well, those questions (and many more) are answered in this movie, although I have to say that it was kind of…well, weird. Perhaps I just need more time to digest it all, but it was probably not what I was expecting, personally.
Hard to elaborate on these points without spoilers, but I am trying. It seems hardly to be a spoiler to state that the thing (Rivalry? Friendship? Some other kind of connection?) between Kylo Ren and Rey continues. In fact, I think that this was the most complex chapter between them, and made the movie quite intriguing. With the first two movies, there are layers to their relationship, which makes it complex. Now in ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ there are some new layers added, and it makes for some very entertaining movie watching, and post-movie discussions. Well done on that end, I think.
Then, there is Lando. Obviously, it is no surprise that he makes another appearance in this movie, as well. Not going to give away at what point in the movie, or how frequently, or what role specifically he plays. However, I can say that it was very cool to see Lando again, and it really seems like a missed opportunity not to have incorporated him in this new trilogy earlier, frankly. But yes, it was great to see him again, and he was solid in this movie.
Of course, there are other familiar faces, like the few characters who have literally been in all nine of the Skywalker saga movies. I am talking, of course, about Chewbacca, C-3P0, and R2-D2. The droids provide some comic relief, as they pretty much do in all of the Star Wars movies.
Leia is in this movie, in what appears to be fresh scenes. Again, no give aways or spoilers, but she is definitely in it, and my son and I were wondering if they filmed these scenes for the other movies, and used them in this one, or what the deal was, exactly. It was very nice to see her, and I do not believe Carrie Fisher was a product of CGI, but legitimately did the acting before her untimely death.
Otherwise, there are some surprises, which I will not speak of at any length here.
These movies of course feature Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe, and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. They were all solid in their acting, helping to make “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” a likely popular success for director J.J. Abrams.
Overall, this was an enjoyable movie!
That said, be forewarned: I could see how some people would be disappointed with this latest installment. Not even entirely sure if a Star Wars movie could satisfy everyone antmore these days. Star Wars fans seem as polarized as the political world these days, and this movie will likely exacerbate that. So far, I have read some reviews, and they seem split down the middle, in terms of being positive and negative. Interesting.
But again, I tried not to include any spoilers.
Go see it for yourself if you can, and be your own judge!
What can I say?
Let’s start with one thing that was a surprise when they first announced it back in the summertime, but which every Star Wars fan pretty much knows about by now. Yes, I am talking about the re-emergence of Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine (who used to be better known simply as “The Emperor,” back in the original trilogy days). Yes, he definitely is back, and he is, once again, the central villain. But I had questions regarding his reappearance, and I hardly think that I was the only one. Would he be a ghost, more or less in the form of Obi Wan or Yoda in ‘Return of the Jedi’ or other movies? Or had he somehow physically survived and was actually alive? For that matter, was it perhaps something else, like some kind of a clone? Well, those questions (and many more) are answered in this movie, although I have to say that it was kind of…well, weird. Perhaps I just need more time to digest it all, but it was probably not what I was expecting, personally.
Hard to elaborate on these points without spoilers, but I am trying. It seems hardly to be a spoiler to state that the thing (Rivalry? Friendship? Some other kind of connection?) between Kylo Ren and Rey continues. In fact, I think that this was the most complex chapter between them, and made the movie quite intriguing. With the first two movies, there are layers to their relationship, which makes it complex. Now in ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ there are some new layers added, and it makes for some very entertaining movie watching, and post-movie discussions. Well done on that end, I think.
Then, there is Lando. Obviously, it is no surprise that he makes another appearance in this movie, as well. Not going to give away at what point in the movie, or how frequently, or what role specifically he plays. However, I can say that it was very cool to see Lando again, and it really seems like a missed opportunity not to have incorporated him in this new trilogy earlier, frankly. But yes, it was great to see him again, and he was solid in this movie.
Of course, there are other familiar faces, like the few characters who have literally been in all nine of the Skywalker saga movies. I am talking, of course, about Chewbacca, C-3P0, and R2-D2. The droids provide some comic relief, as they pretty much do in all of the Star Wars movies.
Leia is in this movie, in what appears to be fresh scenes. Again, no give aways or spoilers, but she is definitely in it, and my son and I were wondering if they filmed these scenes for the other movies, and used them in this one, or what the deal was, exactly. It was very nice to see her, and I do not believe Carrie Fisher was a product of CGI, but legitimately did the acting before her untimely death.
Otherwise, there are some surprises, which I will not speak of at any length here.
These movies of course feature Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe, and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. They were all solid in their acting, helping to make “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” a likely popular success for director J.J. Abrams.
Overall, this was an enjoyable movie!
That said, be forewarned: I could see how some people would be disappointed with this latest installment. Not even entirely sure if a Star Wars movie could satisfy everyone antmore these days. Star Wars fans seem as polarized as the political world these days, and this movie will likely exacerbate that. So far, I have read some reviews, and they seem split down the middle, in terms of being positive and negative. Interesting.
But again, I tried not to include any spoilers.
Go see it for yourself if you can, and be your own judge!
No comments:
Post a Comment