Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Film Review

Synopsis

In the conclusion to a 42-year-long saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we continue with the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and R2-D2 in their fight with the Resistance against the Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order.

Review

First, I want to say that while I am a Star Wars fan, I think of the films on two different criteria: as their own films and as part of a series. That's why I really liked The Last Jedi: it, on it's own, was a very well made film, and as part of a series, it provided a twist that I really dug. Therefore, because of this, this review will sound very bipolar. As it's own movie, I thought that it was decent, but as part of a series, no bueno. There was one major problem with this film. This seems to either completely reverse anything that happened in The Last Jedi or just forget that it happened (Rose Tico, anyone?). This proves that there was no clear plan for how this trilogy would unfold. That is the film's biggest problem: a lack of direction. It didn't understand (or accept) where it had to come from and it didn't know where it was going. As a singular film, the film is pretty good. Most parts worked, not many but some parts REALLY worked, and more parts than anticipated REALLY bothered me. As for what worked, the film looks and sounds great. I've found that these films never have technical issues. Also, this film is surprisingly funny, considering the film has a relatively weak script. Without going into too much detail, there are a few sequences that are really stunning that remind you what Star Wars is all about. BUT, there are a couple things, mainly involving MacGuffins (Billy Dee, anyone) and retconning, that really irked me. On three different occasions, there are retcons that "fix" things that happened merely minutes before. And they retcon HUGE things that should crush Star Wars fans. They ruin any kind of feeling that one can feel after watching this film. The film tries to please everyone, and it just doesn't work. Overall, few fantastic sequences and egregious fan service alone do not keep this film afloat.