The Saga Concludes.
The conclusion of saga that forges a familiar path to adventure by reverently reflecting on the hidden truths that came before while illuminating an uncertain future.
The surviving forces of the Resistance must find a way to rally the civilians of the galaxy to fight against the remaining contingent of the First Order just as their new supreme leader makes an alliance with an ally hidden for years, but ready to shift the tide of battle with a military of their own. A cadre of friends go on a mission to retrieve an archaic artifact with information that may be able to lead them to the key to unlocking one of their pasts while providing a path to galactic victory.
Rey is currently the last jedi still learning the ways of the Force from the texts passed down to her from the late Jedi Master Luke Skywalker as she trains under the guidance of his sister General Leia Organa, but still has questions about her past she needs answers to. Finn is a defected stormtrooper FN-2187 from the First Order who has become a trusted member of the Resistance tasked with helping Rey retrieve a mystic device used by the Sith that could lead to a clear and present danger. Lando Calrissian is a veteran of the Rebel Alliance prepared to help Poe Dameron and his friends stop the evil that has been biding its time before engulfing all life in the darkside of the Force. Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo has become the Supreme Leader of the First Order and teamed with the former Emporer Sheev Palpatine aka Dath Sidious on the outer rim of the galaxy to stage an attack with the potential to reshape the universe.
Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker is a fare thee well love letter to fans that tries to appease all of fandom by checking off the boxes of things that the diehard fanatics have always wanted to see onscreen, but this is the franchise of “Do or Do Not, There is No Try.” Being someone who has enjoyed Star Wars from the beginning I can see how the focus has shifted from film to film in different ways as the cinematic series attempted to stay relevant on a global scale. If I had to compare the perceived reception of this final entry in the Skywalker Saga to another movie franchise, I would have to say it was like watching Avengers Age of Ultron after watching Captain America Winter Soldier. The Force Awakens like The Avengers gave fans a high that they had been expecting, but wasn’t sure they were going to get and that was fine until another film in that same universe took the audience down some unexpected avenues. Now I want it to be known that Captain America Winter Soldier is orders of magnitude better than The Last Jedi as a film, but both movies gave us a look at the world of these characters from a new and fresh point of view. Once you have seen characters with an unexpected depth, no matter how it made you feel, you now know to expect at least some hint of that facet in those characters moving forward and that is the only misstep of this farewell tour for this theatrical serial. The cast does an admirable job of finishing the story that some of them started decades ago from Billy Dee Williams to Ian McDiamid to the late great Carrie Fisher. JJ Abrams does what he does best as a director in supplying spectacle that takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of excitement and awe through this swashbuckling space adventure. The screenplay by Abrams and Chris Terrio based on the story by them with Derek Cokkolly & Colin Trevorrow is full of nods to the galaxy created by George Lucas, yet lacking his singular vision for better and for worse. The score by John Williams is as grandiose as ever with musical flourishes that hearken to all the previous entries of the saga while always elevating the scene it is used in. This was a cinematic experience I will not soon forget and even though the closure is not what was exactly wanted, I know that it is because on this current motion picture landscape nothing ever really ends. I rate this film a rating of 4 out of 5.
In Theaters
