Critics, who generally seem to not like movies in the first place, clearly have no idea what they are talking about when reviewing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The Rise of Skywalker is not perfect — no film is — but it does succeed in its goal of bringing to a close both the Skywalker Saga and the ancient conflict between the Jedi and the Sith.
From the start of the film, it is established that somehow The Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) is plotting his revenge for the events in Return of the Jedi. Both Supreme Leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Resistance General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) try to find out the source of the voice of The Emperor, and if it is in fact somehow Palpatine reborn.
Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) continues her Jedi training under Leia, who is present through the use of archive footage from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Although Leia is only present for a handful of scenes, the film is certainly about her and the goals she had for promoting peace and hope in the galaxy.
On a mission aboard the Millennium Falcon, Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) receive intel regarding The Emperor from a spy within the First Order. Rey, Finn and Poe set out to find a Sith artifact they hope will lead them to Palpatine. They are joined by C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and BB-8, while Leia opts to stay behind with the Resistance, including Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran).
While searching for the artifact on the planet Pasaana, the group runs into General Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), who says his flying days are behind him and wants the group to send Leia his love.
Kylo Ren learns the truth about the voices in his head he’s heard over the years, including the voices of Supreme Leader Snoke and his grandfather, Darth Vader (the voice of James Earl Jones) while investigating the voice. The Emperor has plans for both Kylo and Rey.
As the Falcon group works to retrieve the Sith artifact, they run into Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell), an old friend/colleague of Poe’s who reveals some surprising information about Poe’s past before he joined the Resistance. It is apparent that there is some sort of unresolved history between Poe and Zorii, including a possible romantic past.
Eventually, the group on the Falcon proceeds to one of the moons of Endor to the ruins of the second Death Star. There, they meet Jannah (Naomi Ackie), who has a story similar to Finn’s in The Force Awakens. The group enlists Jannah’s help to go to the Death Star, where Rey is sure the Sith artifact is located.
Everything comes to a head during the final battle between the Resistance and the Final Order, established by Palpatine to become the new ruling force in the galaxy. The Final Order is placed under the command of General Pryde (Richard E. Grant). And of course Rey goes to confront Palpatine in an epic showdown that is the final confrontation between the Sith and the Jedi.
The Rise of Skywalker pays tribute to many moments of the entire Skywalker saga. It ends the story of Skywalker in a memorable and nostalgic way.
Now, some hints to avoid spoilers and a few hints about what you’ll see:
- Avoid every Wikipedia and Wookiepedia Star Wars character page at all costs. Avoid reading the pages of characters from every era of the story.
- The story of Rey’s lineage is finally revealed.
- Do not look at the cast list on IMDb.
- The “Rise of Skywalker” mostly likely refers to one character in particular, but it could be two characters.
- Be prepared to cry.
- Though his role is small, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has a pivotal moment in the film, akin to Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan in the original trilogy.
The Rise of Skywalker is playing in theatres everywhere. Get your tickets and go see it! The Force will be with you, always.
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