SPOILERS
*I know this diverges a bit from the regular type of content I post on this website but I truly love the Star Wars franchise which is why I am speaking on the new film. Please note that this is just my opinion. As a fan of the trilogy, I feel that I should write something about this film simply because the STAR WARS films mean a lot to me. Please take everything I say with a grain of salt*
After watching the Rise of Skywalker, I could not help but feel underwhelmed at the lost potential. Let me be clear, this was not a bad movie. In fact, the film manages to adhere to the original episodes while also incorporating new ideas and storylines. However, as the final episode of the saga that spans decades, it felt incoherent and lazily crafted. So, let this post serve as an attempt to determine why these mistakes occurred in the big-budget film STAR WARS EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.
- Doing too many things at once
After watching The Rise of Skywalker, one thing that this movie tries to do is make up for the mistakes made in previous films. For example, one key narrative of The Rise of Skywalker is that they are rediscovering the true origins of Rey. Apart from the fact that this mystery was closed in Episode VIII where Rey’s parents were nothing special, the whole experience feels out of place. Instead of moving the story forward and exploring Palpatine’s involvement in the events of the new episode or any other interesting aspect of the movie, the producers decided to juggle many story arcs all at the same time. For example, a reoccurring narrative in the movie was this focus on Rey’s link to the dark side. On paper, this seems like a brilliant storyline to pursue yet the movie hardly explains how or why she is connected to the dark side. The movie only goes so far as to say that Rey is a Palpatine. That’s it. In one instance, Rey shoots down a carrier ship with her force lighting. Apart from the amazing cinematography, the movie does not show Rey’s progressive fall into the dark side. Rather, amazing feats such as shooting force lighting just happen to Rey without consequence or explanation. If I seem nit-picky, we can look toward another instance of a Jedi’s fall to the dark side being executed far better than Rey’s: Anakin Skywalker. In the Prequels, one motivation for Anakin to turn to the dark side is his desire to protect those he loves from death. Across the 3 films, Anakin goes through many trials and tribulations such as the death of his mother and his nightmares about a dying Padme. The point is the audience watched Anakin’s character develop into Darth Vader. They were invested in his journey and the feats that Anakin performed were warranted and understandable. In the Rise of Skywalker, while Rey does go through many trials to become a stronger Jedi, the same could not be said for the explanation of her sith powers.
2. Interesting plot choices
Although the plot of the movie was relatively coherent, there were some interesting plot choices that were made through the film. I say interesting because of the lack of explanation or development of the events which led my personal view of the plot to be “interesting”. Toward the end of the film, Rey and Ben/Kylo join together to fight Emperor Palpatine. Once the battle ends, Rey is severely injured until Ben heals her with the force. All of a sudden, Ben and Rey kiss and then he dies. What the heck? Why have you done this? These were all the questions that ran through my mind once I saw this scene. The problem is that the rivalry between Rey and Ben has been an integral part of the new STAR WAR episodes. Just like how Darth Vader became the face of the STAR WAR franchise through fan appeal, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren became the face of the new STAR WAR episodes. To top that all off, right after Rey and Ben kiss, Ben literally disappears and dies. BRUH. I understand that this is the last episode, but don’t kill off household characters for the sake off killing household characters. The death of Ben Solo was not warranted at all. When you look back at who we still have in the STAR WARS saga, the only two characters who have lasted from the originals are Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian. I get the whole idea of starting a new journey with Rey but Episode IX is the last episode. There was no point in killing off everyone and ending the movie in a place where the saga began. This brings me back to another interesting plot choice. At the very end of the film, Rey finally calls herself a Skywalker and the camera pans to the two suns on Tatooine, mirroring the scene with Luke Skywalker in Episode IV: A New Hope. This is a great way to end the saga but the ending would have had so much more weight if the producers had not played into the narrative of Episode IX being the last episode. Personally, I interpreted this ending as a beginning for Rey where she can explore the galaxy as a Skywalker with limitless possibilities. Hence, the term “last episode” did not fit in this context.
In the end, STAR WARS Episode IX is not a bad film. In fact, I was genuinely moved by some scenes such as the ending and Ben’s death. With that being said, it’s the most frustrating kind of movie in that the creative team had so much available to them and yet they never truly tapped into the number of resources to give fans what they want. The Rise of skywalker is not a bad film for average movie-goers but it suffers from a lack of identity. Where we had Episode VIII as a new take on the STAR WAR episodes, Episode IX tries too hard to rewrite the mistakes made in the previous film while also being full of twists.