Star Wars Review

A long time ago in a bedroom that was very, very small, I discovered “STAR WARS.” Since “A New Hope” rose to define a generation 43 years ago, “Star Wars” has been running since 1977. The final installment of their latest trilogy, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” premiered December 20, 2019 and has split the community with debates over its quality.

Avoiding spoilers like the plague, I walked into the theatre with no opinions or assumptions. I wanted the experience to be as authentic as possible. What did I think? Well, I can’t decide. “Star Wars” has been and always will be great, but, when it comes to this movie, I don’t know if it’s any good.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was directed by J. J. Abrams, while the sequel, “The Last Jedi,” was directed by Rian Johnson. “The Rise of Skywalker” turned into J. J. Abrams’s attempt to blend their opposing visions.

Character arcs that started in the first film and were put on hold for the second were hurriedly wrapped up in this new installment. The only character with a satisfying storyline to follow is Kylo Ren. The two directors seemed to agree on the direction of his arc. However, the rest of the film has a messy quality and lacked the much-needed feeling of continuity which would have saved this sequel trilogy.

However, watching it, I wasn’t thinking about different directors or continuity errors. I was thinking about the film, and I enjoyed it. As always, “Star Wars” proves to be a visual masterpiece. Fight scenes and galactic landscapes, despite heavy computer animation, are completely breathtaking.

The truth is, this sequel trilogy was good, but it was not planned out ahead of time, and it shows. The creators of “Star Wars” have the opportunity to create films that are guaranteed to be viewed by millions. The greatest betrayal of these new films is that differing artistic visions got in the way of a well-developed continuation of this franchise.

On the other hand, I doubt there will ever be an addition to the “Star Wars” universe that is not criticized. The fanbase is diverse to the point that it is impossible to appease them all. The truth is, “Star Wars” is so great, it will never be good. No Spoilers Review Star Wars by Maggie Petersen, entertainment/opinion editor

I saw “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” twice in theaters. The first time, I loved it, because I am the kind of viewer who believes if the character work in a story is good, it will outshine the rest of the plot. That is what Kylo Ren/Ben Solo did for me. His struggle with the light side is so palpable in this film. Every second he was on screen, I was engaged in the scene and the character interactions. Also, I felt so much more connected to Rey in this film. The greatest flaw of her character in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was her uncanny talent for virtually everything she tried. She was able to speak to droids she’d had no contact with, fly a spaceship despite having not left Jakku since she was a young child, and hold her own in a lightsaber duel against a trained force-user. Not only was this a continuity error, but it was also a character error because the root of likeable characters is struggle. I had serious trouble connecting with her character because of this. However, “The Rise of Skywalker” added the depth that Rey so desperately needed. I rooted for her and connected with her struggle with the dark side. However, the revelation that Palapatine was Rey’s grandfather was where I fell off the bandwagon. It is painfully obvious that this plot twist was not the original plan for her character. In fact, I almost don’t believe there was an original plan for her character. Palapatine’s death in Episode VI was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy that Anakin was the chosen one to bring balance to the force. This film sacrifices the integrity of previous lore to compensate for Snoke’s death. I do concede that this film experienced substantial difficulties in its production. The tragic death of Carrie Fisher, for example, put the creators in a moral predicament. I, for one, respect their decision to honor her memory and not do hefty amounts of computer generating. They did the best they could to complete her character arc using old footage from deleted clips and editing her into scenes. Also, the way they handled her death, dying when Ben Solo was mortally wounded, was a beautiful scene and probably the most impactful moment of the movie. I love “Star Wars,” and I’m not sure if there’s anything that will make me stop loving “Star Wars.” However, I think it’s time that the creators take a step back and work on other projects, ones where they are not attempting to pander to millions of diverse fans (i.e. the romantic but out-of-place Rey/Ben Solo kiss). “The Mandalorian,” for example, is a fantastic spin-off “Star Wars” series, and it’s good because it’s not afraid of being original. I think it’s time we tell new “Star Wars” stories; ones that don’t rely on the success of their predecessors.

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