Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Movie Review

Visually stunning

The ninth film in the Star War series is both an end and a beginning. It answers some persistent questions asked by frustrated fans ever since the first film in the new trilogy -- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) came about. It lays bare some mysteries and gives birth to some more. It might feel like the best Star Wars film of the modern era to some and for others, present reviewer included, it might prove to be an underwhelming experience overall.

The death of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in The Last Jedi (2017) and the real-life passing away of Carrie Fisher, who played the iconic Princess Leia added an emotional gravitas to it. Given that context, and compared to The Force Awakens, where Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) death really punched the viewers in the guts, the present film feels lightweight in contrast. It lacks the dramatic elegance and emotional core of the first two films of the current trilogy.

There are reports that Emperor Palpatine, long thought to be dead, is actually alive and maybe upto his old tricks. Both Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) want to investigate the truth behind these rumours for their own reasons. Meanwhile, the Resistance wants to find out what the opposition is planning next and they send Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac), as also and Chewie (Jonas Suotamo) abroad the Millenium Falcon to find that out. They have their own set of adventures before uniting with Rey. Our three protagonists then are set upon a quest to find a mystical object which will lead them towards Palpatine’s whereabouts. Their journey takes them to the frigid mountainous planet Kijimi, where Poe finds former associate Zorii Bliss, a fellow, ‘spice runner’ and also to the desert planet of Pasaana and to the ocean moon Kef Bir. The level of detail which has gone into the making of such diverse worlds is mindboggling indeed. The Kef Bir portions, seen in IMAX, actually make you feel you’ve been set amidst a gigantic ocean with mile-high waves threatening to crash down on you.

They meet rebel leader Jannah (Naomi Ackie), on Kef Bir, though the character isn’t developed as much as it should have been later on. That’s very much the problem with the film per se. For instance, Keri Russell, who plays Zorii Bliss, doesn’t even get to show her face as it’s always behind a helmet. Old faces from the past films as also characters who died keep popping up without actually adding something significant to the plot development. One suspects they were added to keep the film’s nostalgia value going.

The film offers a visual splendour unlike anything we have seen in recent times and one can watch it on repeat just for the extraordinary worlds on display. The action sequences involving the lightsabers, the various chases out in space and the final battle scene too take your breath away. But strangely the dramatic talents of its humungous cast lies vastly underutilised. What the film lacks is a big push, a big finale offering emotional catharsis to the viewers but that doesn’t happen. Both Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver aren’t given much of a scope to exercise their acting chops. The haphazard screenplay has led to some sloppy editing as well. Kylo Ren just conveniently lands up wherever he’s required out of the blue. A well-loved character is thought to be dead and then mysteriously found to be living. Director JJ Abrams seems to have been in a hurry to wrap up things. Given the finesse of the first two films, this one feels like a hastily put together product in comparison...

Trailer : Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker