260.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
7.5/10
A fitting time to post this review when I had just completed watching the Skywalker saga over the past two days, starting on May the 4th (EVEN THOUGH I GOT DELAYED POSTING THIS!). For my two cinema experiences in watching this finale, my first was a triple bill with The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. If it was up to me, I'd have slept through The Last Jedi to make sure I was 100% awake but the mind boggled and needed to be awake to remember how pointless the movie was within the trilogy. J.J Abrams was back at the helm for this one thankfully and I needed to have faith that he could save the storyline from what Rian Johnson has for some reason, been given the freedom to produce. I grew up at the time of the improved first trilogy hitting the cinema again in the 90s', paving the way for my love of the franchise. I really hope that we get a great ending.
As always, it's worth starting with a synopsis of the storyline so if you haven't gotten around to see the finale yet, skip everything else and go and watch it now. As always there is a complex storyline to dissolve so I'll touch on what we need. Since the last movie, Kylo has been on a mission to track down a sith finder which will lead him to an unknown force on the planet of Exegol. We know what that force is thanks to the laughter of Palpatine spoiling the trailers. Not spoiling in a bad way but imagine the audience pop when they come across the Emperor!
He has been revived by some mystical formula and a load of siths as he explains that he created Snook as his puppet but now that Kylo Ren has found him, he can become what is destined. He must kill Rey and use the armada of Star Destroyers that have been built to take over the galaxy. Rey has been carrying on her training under Leia, who we even get a flashback about as she trains with Luke. Poe and Finn get some information on what lies on Exegol and that they need the same map system to get there. Our heroes are straight on the case. Heading to a planet for their latest clue, Kylo uses the forces to create a bond with Rey and find out where she is. He sends the Knights of Ren, who we finally get to witness but the gang is saved by an old friend. Lando is back on our screen. Finally getting to the clue C3-PO can read the text but his programming does not allow for him to reveal what it means. Enter Kylo. Rey wants to face him and in the tussle, Chewy gets captured and loaded onto a transport ship. Rey tries to use the force to stop it taking off, Kylo tries to help it leave, Rey overpowers, sends a lightning bolt up her arm and blows the ship up. Speechless, just as she is, with the thought that Chewy is dead, what a way to go. Turns out though, that isn't the case, we saw him a couple of scenes later on Ren's ship. Back with the remaining trio and they are heading to a planet that Poe knows to get C3-PO talking and after introducing another couple of side characters, they reveal the location but not before we get a nice character arch from the droid. C3-PO has always been seen as a straight-lined kind of character, never wanting to get into trouble and when he does, gets completely helpless and cowardly. Standing firm, he says goodbye to his friends one last time as finding out the location will reset his memories. With all of this happening, Ren has tracked them down through the use of his knights and after searching the city, Poe, Rey and Finn get up to Ren's ship as Rey feels Chewy is up there. They free him, she has another weird vision encounter with Ren and the team escape with Chewy. This is all thanks to the spy who is actually General Hux! He just wants Ren to fail but I remember a little cheer going up in the cinema when it got revealed. He doesn't last long afterward. On their escape, Ren arrives and finally reveals who Rey is. Her father was the son of Palpatine, she is a Palpatine and this explains the sparks coming from her fingertips earlier I suppose.
Now the story follows Rey on her journey to get the Wayfinder on a moon of Endor where the Death Star crashed all those years ago. She finds the Wayfinder, battle a vision of herself if she turned to the dark side and even gets a visit from Ren, who destroys the Wayfinder and proceeds to attack Rey in a visually stunning scene.
With Leia feeling what is going on, she uses her last energy to distract Ren with the force and Rey drives a saber through his midriff. Sensing that Leia has given her life for her son, Rey uses the force to heal his wound and steals his ship to complete her journey as he has the only Wayfinder still attached to his little ship. Kylo Ren is left to reflect on his choices in the waves. Finn and Poe are helpless as they watch Rey fly off. Just when you think you have this movie worked out, you may be wrong. Rey has flown to the island that she found Luke and she plans on hiding herself due to seeing the vision of her on the dark side. As she throws her saber into the fire of Ren's wrecking ship, it's caught by the force ghost of Luke, who says that a Jedi's weapon deserves more respect. Damn right it does! I hope that is a big f**k you to Rian Johnson for the last movie. He talks her around to travelling and ending all of this and even lifts out his old craft from the waters, a homage to The Empire Strikes Back when he failed to do so and Yoda did it. A complete arch for Luke. Rey is once again on her way, saving the Wayfinder and sending some co-ordinates back to base for everyone else to follow. R2-D2 receives them and restores C3-PO's memory to explain to the Rebels what is happening. We are on to our final every battle on the Skywalker saga.
At base, Lando is sent to try and get everyone to fight, no matter how scared they are, small their ship is or how far away they are, they need bodies for this and he's off. On Exegol, Rey confronts Palpatine, who wants her to kill him so that his spirit and the spirit of the Sith can pass on to her. In the background, we can see hundreds of hooded figures and I love how dark this part of the movie and scene is.
Back on the moon of Endor, a soaked Ren is visited by his father and we can finally see Ben re-enter the fold, he knows he needs to help Rey and he steals a really old craft from the Death Star. Above the base, the fleet is ready to leave as Poe and his gang are overrun but everyone knows what is about to come. Lando's voice over the headset reveals that he found a few friends and there are thousands of little ships, even the side characters that Poe knew are in the fight and I remember feeling elated at this moment.
He makes it to Exegol but is confronted by his Knights. This leads us to a great scene as Ben and Rey once again use the force and take down who they need to. They both confront Palpatine but he ends up draining them of their life force and healing himself, bringing back those evil eyes an antics as he sends lightning into the sky, disabling all of the Rebel ships, just as it looked like they were on to a winner. This is before Rey hears the voice of the Jedi from the past, whether they were in the animated series, Ewan McGregor was there, Yoda, Leia, Luke and even some Samuel L. Jackson as Windu popped in for a word. Rey picks herself back up and gives us an 'I AM ... IRON MAN' moment as she holds of Palpatine's lightning with a lightsaber before claiming she is all the Jedi, picking up Ben's used saber and directing Palpatine's attack back at him and ending his life. The movie draws to its close with the usual Star Wars celebrations on a planet to planet-scale, the characters embrace and we even get some nods to the older movies with the Ewoks. The one quick but massive moment for the older fans was Chewy receiving a medal that was due to him from A New Hope when Han and Luke got theirs. There was an outcry for years and years for this and it finally happened. Rey visits Luke's home that we first met the character back on Tatooine. She buries Luke and Leia's sabers before revealing her yellow one. She is questioned by a passerby on who she is to which she replies Rey, before looking into the distances and seeing the ghosts of Luke and Leia and turning back to say 'Rey Skywalker'.
This movie was never going to be considered one of the classic and to be honest, none of them have been and some have been nowhere near the original trilogy. I really enjoyed this movie and although there was a lot of fan service, it was needed considering what came before. The storyline was really good and the main twist was not expected. It was a little controversial bringing back Palpatine and how they did so but the need was there because they killed off Snoke for some reason and Kylo Ren was nowhere near menacing enough to be a leader of the Dark Side. Rey also needed to be someone if she wasn't going to be related to any of the rebels and although this bridge seemed to be burnt in the last movie when Kylo told her that her parents were nothing, this again seemed to be corrected. Even the fan service and nods for the past and part character were amazing to see. Another example and small example at this would be one of the pilots from the original trio coming back to fly at the end.
Heading on to the characters, it's sad to know that this is the end of their tale but I think everyone ended fittingly. Rey became someone on her own accord and although she doubted herself, she made the right choices in the end. The biggest change had to be Ben/Kylo Ren. Going from the spoilt brat in the last movie, moving on to wanting to kill Palpatine himself as he stood in the way of this total dominance to then finally changing and coming over to the rebel side of things to save Rey at the end by sacrificing himself. It was nice to see Ian McDiarmid back as Palpatine and reprising that role exactly how he left it. We have come to know the rest of the cast over the years and they didn't disappoint. One highly visible change in the line up from The Last Jedi would be Kelly Marie Tran's character Rose Tico. She was kind of forced down the viewer's throats from nowhere in the second movie and they, along with myself, didn't take to her at all. She was given a much quieter role in this finale and although there was a little bit on fondness towards Finn, it seemed nowhere near the amount that there had been.
John Williams gave us the sound that we have become accustomed to, the music that can get us excited but can also set the mood in how we are expected to feel. This helped with how visually spectacular the movie was at times had me wishing that I had seen the movie in an IMAX theatre but work didn't have great shifts for me to do so for travel. From each world, the crashed Death Star and even the fight scenes looked phenomenal, with Exegol and Palpatine's throne room a stand out for me.
The movie needed a lot of change to get the divided fans back on side after The Last Jedi and for me, it did just that. For a lot of other fans, they still didn't like this third, unfortunately. It was never going to be perfect with the number of storylines and characters that it needed to address, which I was truly thankful that they did if I'm to be honest. I have never seen such a middle finger to the movie that came before. It was enough to leave me satisfied with the Skywalker saga and that they had gone as far as they could with the story and characters involved. It was a sad time with the passing for Carrie Fisher during the filming but this was reacted to very well and she was given a hero's sendoff after saving the life of Rey. I would put this movie in the top 5 of the Star Wars nine when looking at everything that it had to offer. The force was strong with this one
7.5/10
A fitting time to post this review when I had just completed watching the Skywalker saga over the past two days, starting on May the 4th (EVEN THOUGH I GOT DELAYED POSTING THIS!). For my two cinema experiences in watching this finale, my first was a triple bill with The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. If it was up to me, I'd have slept through The Last Jedi to make sure I was 100% awake but the mind boggled and needed to be awake to remember how pointless the movie was within the trilogy. J.J Abrams was back at the helm for this one thankfully and I needed to have faith that he could save the storyline from what Rian Johnson has for some reason, been given the freedom to produce. I grew up at the time of the improved first trilogy hitting the cinema again in the 90s', paving the way for my love of the franchise. I really hope that we get a great ending.
As always, it's worth starting with a synopsis of the storyline so if you haven't gotten around to see the finale yet, skip everything else and go and watch it now. As always there is a complex storyline to dissolve so I'll touch on what we need. Since the last movie, Kylo has been on a mission to track down a sith finder which will lead him to an unknown force on the planet of Exegol. We know what that force is thanks to the laughter of Palpatine spoiling the trailers. Not spoiling in a bad way but imagine the audience pop when they come across the Emperor!
He has been revived by some mystical formula and a load of siths as he explains that he created Snook as his puppet but now that Kylo Ren has found him, he can become what is destined. He must kill Rey and use the armada of Star Destroyers that have been built to take over the galaxy. Rey has been carrying on her training under Leia, who we even get a flashback about as she trains with Luke. Poe and Finn get some information on what lies on Exegol and that they need the same map system to get there. Our heroes are straight on the case. Heading to a planet for their latest clue, Kylo uses the forces to create a bond with Rey and find out where she is. He sends the Knights of Ren, who we finally get to witness but the gang is saved by an old friend. Lando is back on our screen. Finally getting to the clue C3-PO can read the text but his programming does not allow for him to reveal what it means. Enter Kylo. Rey wants to face him and in the tussle, Chewy gets captured and loaded onto a transport ship. Rey tries to use the force to stop it taking off, Kylo tries to help it leave, Rey overpowers, sends a lightning bolt up her arm and blows the ship up. Speechless, just as she is, with the thought that Chewy is dead, what a way to go. Turns out though, that isn't the case, we saw him a couple of scenes later on Ren's ship. Back with the remaining trio and they are heading to a planet that Poe knows to get C3-PO talking and after introducing another couple of side characters, they reveal the location but not before we get a nice character arch from the droid. C3-PO has always been seen as a straight-lined kind of character, never wanting to get into trouble and when he does, gets completely helpless and cowardly. Standing firm, he says goodbye to his friends one last time as finding out the location will reset his memories. With all of this happening, Ren has tracked them down through the use of his knights and after searching the city, Poe, Rey and Finn get up to Ren's ship as Rey feels Chewy is up there. They free him, she has another weird vision encounter with Ren and the team escape with Chewy. This is all thanks to the spy who is actually General Hux! He just wants Ren to fail but I remember a little cheer going up in the cinema when it got revealed. He doesn't last long afterward. On their escape, Ren arrives and finally reveals who Rey is. Her father was the son of Palpatine, she is a Palpatine and this explains the sparks coming from her fingertips earlier I suppose.
Now the story follows Rey on her journey to get the Wayfinder on a moon of Endor where the Death Star crashed all those years ago. She finds the Wayfinder, battle a vision of herself if she turned to the dark side and even gets a visit from Ren, who destroys the Wayfinder and proceeds to attack Rey in a visually stunning scene.
With Leia feeling what is going on, she uses her last energy to distract Ren with the force and Rey drives a saber through his midriff. Sensing that Leia has given her life for her son, Rey uses the force to heal his wound and steals his ship to complete her journey as he has the only Wayfinder still attached to his little ship. Kylo Ren is left to reflect on his choices in the waves. Finn and Poe are helpless as they watch Rey fly off. Just when you think you have this movie worked out, you may be wrong. Rey has flown to the island that she found Luke and she plans on hiding herself due to seeing the vision of her on the dark side. As she throws her saber into the fire of Ren's wrecking ship, it's caught by the force ghost of Luke, who says that a Jedi's weapon deserves more respect. Damn right it does! I hope that is a big f**k you to Rian Johnson for the last movie. He talks her around to travelling and ending all of this and even lifts out his old craft from the waters, a homage to The Empire Strikes Back when he failed to do so and Yoda did it. A complete arch for Luke. Rey is once again on her way, saving the Wayfinder and sending some co-ordinates back to base for everyone else to follow. R2-D2 receives them and restores C3-PO's memory to explain to the Rebels what is happening. We are on to our final every battle on the Skywalker saga.
At base, Lando is sent to try and get everyone to fight, no matter how scared they are, small their ship is or how far away they are, they need bodies for this and he's off. On Exegol, Rey confronts Palpatine, who wants her to kill him so that his spirit and the spirit of the Sith can pass on to her. In the background, we can see hundreds of hooded figures and I love how dark this part of the movie and scene is.
Back on the moon of Endor, a soaked Ren is visited by his father and we can finally see Ben re-enter the fold, he knows he needs to help Rey and he steals a really old craft from the Death Star. Above the base, the fleet is ready to leave as Poe and his gang are overrun but everyone knows what is about to come. Lando's voice over the headset reveals that he found a few friends and there are thousands of little ships, even the side characters that Poe knew are in the fight and I remember feeling elated at this moment.
He makes it to Exegol but is confronted by his Knights. This leads us to a great scene as Ben and Rey once again use the force and take down who they need to. They both confront Palpatine but he ends up draining them of their life force and healing himself, bringing back those evil eyes an antics as he sends lightning into the sky, disabling all of the Rebel ships, just as it looked like they were on to a winner. This is before Rey hears the voice of the Jedi from the past, whether they were in the animated series, Ewan McGregor was there, Yoda, Leia, Luke and even some Samuel L. Jackson as Windu popped in for a word. Rey picks herself back up and gives us an 'I AM ... IRON MAN' moment as she holds of Palpatine's lightning with a lightsaber before claiming she is all the Jedi, picking up Ben's used saber and directing Palpatine's attack back at him and ending his life. The movie draws to its close with the usual Star Wars celebrations on a planet to planet-scale, the characters embrace and we even get some nods to the older movies with the Ewoks. The one quick but massive moment for the older fans was Chewy receiving a medal that was due to him from A New Hope when Han and Luke got theirs. There was an outcry for years and years for this and it finally happened. Rey visits Luke's home that we first met the character back on Tatooine. She buries Luke and Leia's sabers before revealing her yellow one. She is questioned by a passerby on who she is to which she replies Rey, before looking into the distances and seeing the ghosts of Luke and Leia and turning back to say 'Rey Skywalker'.
This movie was never going to be considered one of the classic and to be honest, none of them have been and some have been nowhere near the original trilogy. I really enjoyed this movie and although there was a lot of fan service, it was needed considering what came before. The storyline was really good and the main twist was not expected. It was a little controversial bringing back Palpatine and how they did so but the need was there because they killed off Snoke for some reason and Kylo Ren was nowhere near menacing enough to be a leader of the Dark Side. Rey also needed to be someone if she wasn't going to be related to any of the rebels and although this bridge seemed to be burnt in the last movie when Kylo told her that her parents were nothing, this again seemed to be corrected. Even the fan service and nods for the past and part character were amazing to see. Another example and small example at this would be one of the pilots from the original trio coming back to fly at the end.
Heading on to the characters, it's sad to know that this is the end of their tale but I think everyone ended fittingly. Rey became someone on her own accord and although she doubted herself, she made the right choices in the end. The biggest change had to be Ben/Kylo Ren. Going from the spoilt brat in the last movie, moving on to wanting to kill Palpatine himself as he stood in the way of this total dominance to then finally changing and coming over to the rebel side of things to save Rey at the end by sacrificing himself. It was nice to see Ian McDiarmid back as Palpatine and reprising that role exactly how he left it. We have come to know the rest of the cast over the years and they didn't disappoint. One highly visible change in the line up from The Last Jedi would be Kelly Marie Tran's character Rose Tico. She was kind of forced down the viewer's throats from nowhere in the second movie and they, along with myself, didn't take to her at all. She was given a much quieter role in this finale and although there was a little bit on fondness towards Finn, it seemed nowhere near the amount that there had been.
John Williams gave us the sound that we have become accustomed to, the music that can get us excited but can also set the mood in how we are expected to feel. This helped with how visually spectacular the movie was at times had me wishing that I had seen the movie in an IMAX theatre but work didn't have great shifts for me to do so for travel. From each world, the crashed Death Star and even the fight scenes looked phenomenal, with Exegol and Palpatine's throne room a stand out for me.
The movie needed a lot of change to get the divided fans back on side after The Last Jedi and for me, it did just that. For a lot of other fans, they still didn't like this third, unfortunately. It was never going to be perfect with the number of storylines and characters that it needed to address, which I was truly thankful that they did if I'm to be honest. I have never seen such a middle finger to the movie that came before. It was enough to leave me satisfied with the Skywalker saga and that they had gone as far as they could with the story and characters involved. It was a sad time with the passing for Carrie Fisher during the filming but this was reacted to very well and she was given a hero's sendoff after saving the life of Rey. I would put this movie in the top 5 of the Star Wars nine when looking at everything that it had to offer. The force was strong with this one
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