Movie Review: "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"
This movie review will be two sections. The first will continue right after this paragraph and will contain my feelings about the movie and will be spoiler free. After the spoiler free section, I will continue with some spoilers about the movie. There will be a bold print warning before the spoiler section starts so if you haven't seen it, stop there and come back afterwords. If you have seen it, continue on and let me know what you think.
So, last night I experienced the final chapter of the Skywalker saga at a private viewing at Disney Springs. It was an incredible experience all around. I loved the atmosphere around the theater. Members of the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion were there in full costume and the music of John Williams filled the air. It was simply electric. I honestly didn't think the day could get any better than that....then the movie started.
I have seen a ton of movies in my lifetime. I have seen the Star Wars movies more times than I can remember. I remember being so excited and happy after walking out of the theater from seeing The Force Awakens in 2015. I remember slight disappointment when walking out of Rogue One, mainly due to how thrown off I was with the opening of the movie and the soundtrack. For the record, Rogue One is one of my favorites now and I love the soundtrack now. It was just so different I had to adjust. Anyway, back to the story at hand. I remember the shear confusion after The Last Jedi, a movie which was so divisive in the fan community. And I loved Solo: A Star Wars Story.
For The Rise of Skywalker, I walked out completely overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions, ranging from joy, to sadness, to excitement, ending with complete and total satisfaction. The Rise of Skywalker, in my humble opinion, is the best movie of the Disney era, the best movie of the sequel era, and ranks right up there with A New Hope, which is my favorite of all time. I found the story compelling, the effects incredible, and the nods to the movies AND animated shows that preceded it perfect in every way. Some online are calling this pandering to the fanbase and in a way I can see that, but this hit every mark that makes a Star Wars movie. If you have seen the movie, you know what I mean when I say I couldn't help but think of John 15:13 towards the end of the movie.
Seriously, DO NOT PROCEED if you haven't seen the movie, I am discussing spoilers below!!!
I'm not kidding, I'm going to be writing about the movie and there will be spoilers ....if you haven't seen it, i suggest you see it before continuing the blog.
This is your final warning!!!!!! SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!
Well ok, if you are still reading this and you haven't seen the movie, its your own fault now. You have been warned multiple times. Here come the spoilers.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker starts off at a full sprint and runs the race in record time straight to the finish!
I loved seeing Finn, Poe, and Rey all together on their missions. It was a great feel and led me back to the days of A New Hope with Han, Luke, and Leia all running around the Death Star or Attack of the Clones with Padme, Anakin, and Obi-Wan fighting for survival in the Geonosis arena. The comedic aspects played up nicely between the three. My favorite example of this is when Poe and Finn return from getting information from a Resistance spy (Not Kazuda Xiono from Star Wars Resistance), Rey is fixated on the mess that is the Millennium Falcon which is sitting there in flames from Poe's hyperspace skipping and Poe is upset that BB-8 had been damaged while in Rey's custody.
This movie also tugged on the emotional heartstrings of fans.....ok, lets be honest, ripped on the hearts of fans right out of their chests. From the death of Chewbacca (he didn't die, they just led you to believe that he did) to the touching moment we see in the trailers of C-3PO looking at everyone saying he was just taking one last look at his friends before his memory forcibly accessed to get a crucial piece of information need to save the galaxy. Things got even more emotional with the death of Leia, Kylo Ren (aka Ben Solo), and (what you thought) was the death of Rey. Not to mention, the emotional toll of finding out who Rey truly was...the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. Yeah! Go figure!
I also loved how the latest episode of The Mandalorian tied right into The Rise of Skywalker. The Child, commonly referred to as Baby Yoda, demonstrated the ability to heal ones injuries through the Force. This particular Force power is not one I recall seeing before. Well played by Disney, knowing that making Baby Yoda display this power first, makes it far more believeble when Rey demonstrates the same powers healing a sand serpent and then Kylo Ren.
One of the greatest things about Star Wars has been the redemption stories through out the series. We have seen the redemption of Anakin Skywalker, who turned the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. I would argue we saw the redemption of Jyn Erso (Rogue One). She left the life of petty theft and became a beacon of hope for a fledgling Rebel Alliance. We have seen the redemption of Han Solo. A smuggler who cares for no one but himself turned Rebel general. And as great as these redemption stories are, I think what we saw in The Rise of Skywalker is the greatest redemption story of all. The redemption story of Ben Solo.
We were introduced to the character of Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, in The Force Awakens as the master of the Knights of Ren (which we finally got to see in The Rise of Skywalker), apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke, and the fallen Jedi son of Han Solo and now General Leia Organa. He is obsessed with his grandfather, Darth Vader and the Dark Side. But as we see in the movie, there is a struggle in him between the light and the dark. Good verses evil. We see that fight so prevalent in the scene where Han Solo confronts Ren on Starkiller Base and Kylo kills Han. The story continues in The Last Jedi where I honestly thought we were seeing his redemption then when he killed Supreme Leader Snoke and fought side by side with Rey against Snoke's Praetorian Guard in one of my favorite scenes from the overall Saga. That all changed when we realize he was just removing his obstacle to complete control of the First Order. Then as Supreme Leader of the First Order, leading what was suppose to be the final destruction of the crippled and demoralized Resistance. He would have succeeded if it wasn't for Luke Skywalker's force projection power thingy that he did.
All of this just to get to the redemption of Ben Solo and it all began on the Death Star. Thats right, you read it correctly, the Death Star. You know, the one Lando blew up in Return of the Jedi. Well the story takes them to Endor where they are climbing through the wreckage of the battle station looking for the second Sith Pathfinder (i don't remember what exactly they called it, but basically it looks like a Sith holocron but it helps them locate places). Rey and Kylo end up fighting and during the fight, Rey stabs Kylo while he is distracted by Leia who is reaching out to him through the Force. Rey had the perfect chance to walk away, but was true to her Jedi teachings instead of finishing him off, she drops to her knees and uses the Force to heal his wounds. Then she leaves. The struggle in Kylo Ren's mind is real at this point cause he, as well as Rey, knows that Leia used all the strength she had left to reach out to him. As he is standing there watching Rey fly away in Kylo's TIE Fighter, Han Solo shows up and has a talk with his son. Of course he isn't truly there, its a memory through the Force from Kylo's mind. But a similar conversation takes place as in The Force Awakens, only this time, instead of killing his father, he throws his lightsaber away. To speed things up a bit, he and Rey both end up before Emperor Palpatine....oh by the way, did I forget to mention he is still alive. Anyway, in what ends being some incredible cinematic events, Palps dies, Rey dies. And in his final act of redemption. Ben Solo uses what is left of his strength and uses the Force to bring Rey back to life. They do have their Reylo moment, before Ben falls down dead.
Like I mention earlier, I couldn't help but think of John 15:13 at this point in the movie. It says "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." This is a prevalent theme through the saga and it prevails again here. Whether it was Poe and the Resistance in the great space battle against overwhelming odds, or Ben Solo's final act of redemption. Whether its Luke standing in the gap for his father against the Emperor, or Vader striking down the Emperor to save Luke. The Skywalker Saga has lead us on a tremendous journey of redemption, love and sacrifice. One that I have enjoyed.
Let me know know what you think of The Rise of Skywalker! Hope you enjoyed it! This is and always will be a judgment free zone, so like it or not, let me know what you thought and the reasons why.
Until next time,
Live long and prosper,
May the Force be with you,
and more importantly, God bless you.
So, last night I experienced the final chapter of the Skywalker saga at a private viewing at Disney Springs. It was an incredible experience all around. I loved the atmosphere around the theater. Members of the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion were there in full costume and the music of John Williams filled the air. It was simply electric. I honestly didn't think the day could get any better than that....then the movie started.
I have seen a ton of movies in my lifetime. I have seen the Star Wars movies more times than I can remember. I remember being so excited and happy after walking out of the theater from seeing The Force Awakens in 2015. I remember slight disappointment when walking out of Rogue One, mainly due to how thrown off I was with the opening of the movie and the soundtrack. For the record, Rogue One is one of my favorites now and I love the soundtrack now. It was just so different I had to adjust. Anyway, back to the story at hand. I remember the shear confusion after The Last Jedi, a movie which was so divisive in the fan community. And I loved Solo: A Star Wars Story.
For The Rise of Skywalker, I walked out completely overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions, ranging from joy, to sadness, to excitement, ending with complete and total satisfaction. The Rise of Skywalker, in my humble opinion, is the best movie of the Disney era, the best movie of the sequel era, and ranks right up there with A New Hope, which is my favorite of all time. I found the story compelling, the effects incredible, and the nods to the movies AND animated shows that preceded it perfect in every way. Some online are calling this pandering to the fanbase and in a way I can see that, but this hit every mark that makes a Star Wars movie. If you have seen the movie, you know what I mean when I say I couldn't help but think of John 15:13 towards the end of the movie.
***SPOILER ZONE BELOW***
Do not proceed past this point if you want to avoid spoilers if you have not seen the movie.Seriously, DO NOT PROCEED if you haven't seen the movie, I am discussing spoilers below!!!
I'm not kidding, I'm going to be writing about the movie and there will be spoilers ....if you haven't seen it, i suggest you see it before continuing the blog.
This is your final warning!!!!!! SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!
Well ok, if you are still reading this and you haven't seen the movie, its your own fault now. You have been warned multiple times. Here come the spoilers.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker starts off at a full sprint and runs the race in record time straight to the finish!
I loved seeing Finn, Poe, and Rey all together on their missions. It was a great feel and led me back to the days of A New Hope with Han, Luke, and Leia all running around the Death Star or Attack of the Clones with Padme, Anakin, and Obi-Wan fighting for survival in the Geonosis arena. The comedic aspects played up nicely between the three. My favorite example of this is when Poe and Finn return from getting information from a Resistance spy (Not Kazuda Xiono from Star Wars Resistance), Rey is fixated on the mess that is the Millennium Falcon which is sitting there in flames from Poe's hyperspace skipping and Poe is upset that BB-8 had been damaged while in Rey's custody.
This movie also tugged on the emotional heartstrings of fans.....ok, lets be honest, ripped on the hearts of fans right out of their chests. From the death of Chewbacca (he didn't die, they just led you to believe that he did) to the touching moment we see in the trailers of C-3PO looking at everyone saying he was just taking one last look at his friends before his memory forcibly accessed to get a crucial piece of information need to save the galaxy. Things got even more emotional with the death of Leia, Kylo Ren (aka Ben Solo), and (what you thought) was the death of Rey. Not to mention, the emotional toll of finding out who Rey truly was...the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. Yeah! Go figure!
I also loved how the latest episode of The Mandalorian tied right into The Rise of Skywalker. The Child, commonly referred to as Baby Yoda, demonstrated the ability to heal ones injuries through the Force. This particular Force power is not one I recall seeing before. Well played by Disney, knowing that making Baby Yoda display this power first, makes it far more believeble when Rey demonstrates the same powers healing a sand serpent and then Kylo Ren.
One of the greatest things about Star Wars has been the redemption stories through out the series. We have seen the redemption of Anakin Skywalker, who turned the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. I would argue we saw the redemption of Jyn Erso (Rogue One). She left the life of petty theft and became a beacon of hope for a fledgling Rebel Alliance. We have seen the redemption of Han Solo. A smuggler who cares for no one but himself turned Rebel general. And as great as these redemption stories are, I think what we saw in The Rise of Skywalker is the greatest redemption story of all. The redemption story of Ben Solo.
We were introduced to the character of Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, in The Force Awakens as the master of the Knights of Ren (which we finally got to see in The Rise of Skywalker), apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke, and the fallen Jedi son of Han Solo and now General Leia Organa. He is obsessed with his grandfather, Darth Vader and the Dark Side. But as we see in the movie, there is a struggle in him between the light and the dark. Good verses evil. We see that fight so prevalent in the scene where Han Solo confronts Ren on Starkiller Base and Kylo kills Han. The story continues in The Last Jedi where I honestly thought we were seeing his redemption then when he killed Supreme Leader Snoke and fought side by side with Rey against Snoke's Praetorian Guard in one of my favorite scenes from the overall Saga. That all changed when we realize he was just removing his obstacle to complete control of the First Order. Then as Supreme Leader of the First Order, leading what was suppose to be the final destruction of the crippled and demoralized Resistance. He would have succeeded if it wasn't for Luke Skywalker's force projection power thingy that he did.
All of this just to get to the redemption of Ben Solo and it all began on the Death Star. Thats right, you read it correctly, the Death Star. You know, the one Lando blew up in Return of the Jedi. Well the story takes them to Endor where they are climbing through the wreckage of the battle station looking for the second Sith Pathfinder (i don't remember what exactly they called it, but basically it looks like a Sith holocron but it helps them locate places). Rey and Kylo end up fighting and during the fight, Rey stabs Kylo while he is distracted by Leia who is reaching out to him through the Force. Rey had the perfect chance to walk away, but was true to her Jedi teachings instead of finishing him off, she drops to her knees and uses the Force to heal his wounds. Then she leaves. The struggle in Kylo Ren's mind is real at this point cause he, as well as Rey, knows that Leia used all the strength she had left to reach out to him. As he is standing there watching Rey fly away in Kylo's TIE Fighter, Han Solo shows up and has a talk with his son. Of course he isn't truly there, its a memory through the Force from Kylo's mind. But a similar conversation takes place as in The Force Awakens, only this time, instead of killing his father, he throws his lightsaber away. To speed things up a bit, he and Rey both end up before Emperor Palpatine....oh by the way, did I forget to mention he is still alive. Anyway, in what ends being some incredible cinematic events, Palps dies, Rey dies. And in his final act of redemption. Ben Solo uses what is left of his strength and uses the Force to bring Rey back to life. They do have their Reylo moment, before Ben falls down dead.
Like I mention earlier, I couldn't help but think of John 15:13 at this point in the movie. It says "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." This is a prevalent theme through the saga and it prevails again here. Whether it was Poe and the Resistance in the great space battle against overwhelming odds, or Ben Solo's final act of redemption. Whether its Luke standing in the gap for his father against the Emperor, or Vader striking down the Emperor to save Luke. The Skywalker Saga has lead us on a tremendous journey of redemption, love and sacrifice. One that I have enjoyed.
Let me know know what you think of The Rise of Skywalker! Hope you enjoyed it! This is and always will be a judgment free zone, so like it or not, let me know what you thought and the reasons why.
Until next time,
Live long and prosper,
May the Force be with you,
and more importantly, God bless you.
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