Movie Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 星球大战：天行者崛起

Movie Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 星球大战：天行者崛起


The final film in the latest trilogy of Star Wars films that began with “The Force Awakens” (2015) and then “The Last Jedi” (2017). The first film was written and directed by J.J. Abrahams and then the second film was written and directed by Rian Johnson. Abrahams was brought back to direct this final part in the trilogy.


The biggest speculation prior to the release of this film was the conflicting directions of the last two films. Abrahams had a vision for “The Force Awakens” that focused on the nostalgia of the last two trilogies. But he didn’t want to make the next two films so Disney hired Johnson. Johnson believed that the trilogy needed to go forward in a new direction. When “The Last Jedi” was released it proved divisive with the fans. Concerned by the divisiveness of their fans, Disney went back to Abrahams. The result: a return to the nostalgia a la “The Force Awakens”.


The opening crawl of this movie reveals that there is a rumor that Emperor Palpatine may have returned. Rey is training under the tutelage of Princess Leia in preparation for a future battle with the First Order. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren is on a quest to find the “Phantom Emperor” so he can confront him and prove he is the Supreme Leader. That is all I can reveal without further spoilers. 


The first forty-five minutes of this film is frantic and fast paced cutting from scene to scene with loads of things going on. It’s hectic and you might need a second viewing to go back and take it all in. After that, the film slows down and focuses more on the relationships between the key characters before driving towards a final act that you’ll either love or hate.


Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) have the best scenes in the movie and their interactions are show-stealing. The scenes featuring the late Carrie Fisher were touched up from unused footage from “The Force Awakens”. The scenes are well done. 


Personally, I enjoyed two thirds of this film but Abrahams made some questionable plot points that try to appease the fans without progressing the storyline forward. The emphasis is purely on the lingering storyline of the Skywalker saga. I wish Abrahams had took more chances with this film and tried to progress the story forward instead of using cheap plot points to reach a convenient conclusion.