Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' review

Whether they like Abrams or not, anyone who knows George Lucas‘ 1977 galactic saga will tell you two things. First, ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ faces a huge challenge. Second, JJ Abrams may be the least qualified director to conclude the galactic saga. Not the first name that comes to mind.

Because ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is the last film in the third ‘Star Wars’ trilogy and the last based on the original story, the challenge is huge. This trilogy must conclude satisfactorily with this massive saga of Jedis, Jawas, Yodas, and Mandalorians because it must function as an event overflowing with nostalgic fan-service, bringing back all the mythical characters (and in many cases, actors) from the original film and not letting the story that inspired the franchise rest. An extremely complicated matter.

Abrams is less suitable because… he’s Abrams. He admits in a New York Times interview: “I’m bad at endings. Nothing’s my forte, but I can start a story. Finishing is hard.” These words will not delight those who shudder at ‘Lost’s ending. Especially since this new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy, despite its multimillion-dollar box office (with ups and downs, but the first installment, also directed by Abrams, grossed two billion dollars; he is good at principles), has been plagued by controversy, fan rejection, and Internet fights.

Abrams became involved in the trilogy as a personal gamble by producer Kathleen Kennedy, who had been considering a nostalgic and traditional approach before Lucas sold the rights to Disney. It would star the original actors and appeal to audiences in their forties who remember the trilogy’s premieres and re-releases as children. The third ‘Mission: Impossible’ film and the new ‘Star Trek’ reboot made Abrams a good fit.

The first film, The Force Awakens, was a box office success, but fans were divided over its disjointed plot and uncharismatic cast of unknowns who sometimes felt like extras. Back were the Millennium Falcon, the triangle of heroes, and familiar settings. Some fans’ sour expressions were somewhat melted by the overwhelming commercial success and the feeling that, unlike Lucas’s time, the saga was back to stay (and, supposedly, at the rate of one film a year, which would also become a problem).

‘The Last Jedi’, a 2017 commercial hit (300 million dollars budget, $1,000 earnings), revealed fans‘ extreme distaste for the film. Rian Johnson, who directed the extraordinary and recently released ‘Knives Out’, probably the most talented director in the franchise, insulted tradition by upping the eccentricity, humour, and female presence.

‘The Last Jedi’ is so strange that Abrams calls it “a meta-commentary on the franchise”; it breaks all serial narrative rules: it doesn’t solve any of Abrams’ cliffhangers (who is Snoke, where are Rey’s parents, what happens when Luke recovers his lightsabre) and it separates the trio of protagonist heroes. As we will see, the actors complained about the anticlimactic story’s nonconformity.

Naturally, fans are irritated, but the film surprises and stimulates the occasional viewer or those not emotionally attached to the franchise. But the rejection was overwhelming: an initial sequence of a failed radio communication seems more appropriate for ‘Spaceballs’ than ‘Star Wars’, and the film was even asked to be removed from the franchise. A fan with too much free time edited a 46-minute “defeminised” montage. We again exposed the (in)validity of ratings aggregator websites, the subject of another boycott.

This sequel wasn’t a bad hit in the West, but it was panned by critics in China and disappeared from theatres quickly. Fans abandoned it, and the general consensus was that it wouldn’t survive in the saga despite its visual and narrative discoveries, especially since in 2017, the plan to release one film a year was crumbling.

The prequel ‘Rogue One’, released a year before ‘The Last Jedi’, had similar numbers to Johnson’s film but had to redo its climax after disastrous test screenings and lacked the “event” air of the main films in the series. ‘Han Solo’, released a year after ‘The Last Jedi’, had a terrible pre-production process in which Philip Lord and Chris Miller, two ideal directors, were fired (Disney could have found ‘Thor Ragnarok‘ there), and the film, despite its light air, failed to impress.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ review

By b0oua

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ review

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