4 January 2020
142 mins
PG-13
J. J. Abrams (Director)
Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver
Fantasy/Action
After Palpatine mysteriously returns, the Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. (IMDB Synopsis)
It's hard to know where to start with this review, but perhaps it would be wise to begin with a warning. This review will contain spoilers. If you have not yet watched the movie and do not wish to know key details from the plot, do not read this review.
So, with that out of the way, let me proceed.
I am one of the few people who enjoyed The Last Jedi. I found that story fresh and interesting, following on from the first movie, which had basically been a rehash of A New Hope. The Rise of Skywalker isn't bad, but it's certainly not good either. It had moments I liked, but overall it felt episodic, and the pacing was all over the place. Mostly, though, I hated the way they ended it. I am a Reylo shipper, so I was happy to see that become canon, but Ben's death was totally unnecessary. They send the message that you can only find redemption in death. Plus, that, and much of the dialogue between Palpatine and Rey, was nothing but a copy of the events and speeches in Return of the Jedi. It would have been far more interesting for them to let Ben live. His death is a complete cop-out on so many levels. Other things bugged me too--the awkward attempt at a romance for Poe, the token lesbian kiss at the end, several loose ends left unexplained, and the vague implication Finn might be in love with Rey, which really made me cringe. The effects looked great and I was entertained for the most part, but I also left the cinema disappointed at all the wasted opportunities. Instead of creating something new and exciting, they went for easy way out and just copied from things already done in past movies. As such, the most I can give this is 3.5 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment