Rise of Skywalker Review
I recently saw Rise of Skywalker for the 4th time and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. While not perfect I feel that it was a fitting end to the saga. This movie is in many ways predictable but I think that was inevitable given the circumstances of how it was set up. Of course, we all knew that the good guys would win but it's seeing how that would happen that was magical.
There were many positives in this film. The music was excellent as it was in every single preceding Star Wars film. John Williams is always a win and it was great having him compose all the soundtrack for this epic trilogy of trilogies. The acting and performances were all excellent particularly from Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Rey and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. I feel that the character arcs between the two came to a satisfying conclusion.
Star Wars has introduced many important themes over the course of the movie. One of them is about bloodlines. Ben Solo was descended from Anakin Skywalker and like his grandfather, he turned to the dark side and Rey who was descended from the evilest man in the galaxy chose to be good. While bringing Palpatine back may have been seen as mere fan service for many it seemed an appropriate twist. With Snoke slain in the previous installment a void was created. Palpatine had such importance in the prequel trilogy and in the original trilogy that it made sense to have him there for the end. Honestly, Snoke was never that interesting of a villain to me and I was fine with him bein slain in the previous movie. Before viewing Rise of Skywalker I theorized that he was an apprentice of Palpatine rather than something grown in a vat.
Palpatine's return did explain a few questions that had me yearning for answers for years. I knew Rey had to be related to somebody. Rey happens to be mean "King" in Spanish and in a matter of fact we discover that she is indeed Sith Royalty. While Palpatine is her family he does not treat her as such. He merely see's her as a means to an end just as he did with Anakin Skywalker and he tried to do the same with Luke. It's so interesting how this film tied together many themes that were presented not only in this trilogy but in all three trilogies. Palpatine tried to destroy the Skywalker bloodline and in a sense he did by helping to destroy Ben Solo and while his offspring survived she chose the name Skywalker. The main theme of the movie is that family is more than just blood it's about those we connect with spiritually and mentally. The scene at the end where Rey chose the name Skywalker was very emotionally satisfying.
Some other strong points of the movie were the humour. I particularly like C-3PO in this one. I felt like he had some really funny lines. I also found the character Babu Frik very endearing. Like ET he had that so ugly he's cute factor going on. I enjoyed the new additions to the cast such as Zorii and Jannah. I found them to be likable characters. It's a shame that they didn't get more character development. Such was inevitable due to being late additions to the cast.
Some excellent action scenes take place in the movie. One of my favourite scenes is where Ben has a lightsaber transported into his hand and begins to fight the Knights of Ren. For some reason this scene reminded me very much of Neo before he started fighting the Smith's in The Matrix. My favourite scene in the entire movie was having Rey look into the Sky and calling to the spirits of the Jedi past. When all the Jedi Past spoke to her and in unison said "Rise" and Rey got up and faced Palpatine it was indeed a very emotional moment indeed. This movie is full of emotion rich action that will please fans.
While this movie may not have been perfect there were plenty of good elements in it that put a smile on my face. It was a great nostalgia trip and a fitting end to a wonderful saga. While this will probably not be the last Star Wars film to date it will hold a special place in my heart as do the others films.
My rating 8/10