Certificate: 12A
Running time: 142 minutes
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Issac
Directed by: J.J Abrams.
The story: The last of the resistance returns to face the First Order for one final time. Meanwhile, both Rey and Kylo Ren battle their inner demons in order to determine their true nature.
The verdict: Much like the Star Wars universe itself, the Star Wars franchise has been infiltrated by the dark side. Toxic fans have bullied actors off of social media, attacked the directors, and generally made life hell for a lot of people. With that being said, my underlying feeling both before and after watching the film is that there are going to be many people who destroy this film. And that’s not because it deserves in any way to be destroyed, but just because the Star Wars franchise has become this franchise that many hold to an impossible ideal - it is never going to win and many are never going to let it. Therefore, it may be worth taking some of the negative reviews you see with a very large pinch of salt. Headlines are declaring Rise of Skywalker “the worst Star Wars film of all time,” and my reaction to that is....
I cannot for the life of me understand why! I had an absolute ball watching it. I laughed, I gasped, I felt tearful at one point - all in all, Rise of Skywalker provided all those emotive reactions that audiences crave from films. The action was non stop and some of the fight sequences were the best I’ve seen in the franchise. The production design was incredible, the score was brilliant and the performances were great. I feel that each actor has really embodied their character, and Daisy Ridley in particular was a powerhouse in this - Rey is definitely a force to be reckoned with in this film. Altogether, the visuals were a really strong point in this film - there were so many perfectly framed shots and iconic images that will stay imprinted in fans’ minds.
Like most other films, Rise of Skywalker isn’t flawless. As this is the last instalment in the saga, there is a lot to pack in and I think there was less time for character development. There were also times when the non stop action was a bit full on, thus making the film feel slightly frenzied. I’ve seen a lot of reviews mention that the story is a bit far fetched, but I think that’s the joy of a film set in a fictional sci-fi universe - the film should only be restricted by the power of imagination and everything was still with Star Wars lore. The scenes involving Carrie Fisher were a bit jarring, you can see that there has been a lot of digital work done. However, considering this was due to her sadly passing away during filming, it feels a bit distasteful to complain about it. My only major complaint is that I do feel Rise of Skywalker did veer into schmaltzy territory possibly just a tad too much. I certainly don’t mind a bit of cheesiness in my Star Wars films, the original trilogy never minded a bit of cheese, but Rise of Skywalker was in danger of overdoing it a bit.
However, overall I throughly enjoyed this film. There are some great reveals and twists, it’s fun and engaging throughout, and it definitely evoked that classic Star Wars nostalgia. In the cinema, I felt like a kid watching Star Wars again - looking up at the screen in awe and feeling on the edge of my seat. I have to go with my heart on this one, and my geeky heart loved it. I can’t entertain these claims of how bad it is. Any other film that provided audiences with an entertaining film of this scale would be praised, any other film that saw audiences leave the cinema excitedly discussing every aspect would be given recognition - so why shouldn’t Star Wars be given the same respect?
The verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.
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