I Watch Movies: Rise Of The Skywalker
The Last Jedi was in conversation with the previous Star Wars films, mostly asking the question “Hey, remember this, is Star Wars, but also, what if this is Star Wars too?” This overwhelmed almost everything in the film. On recently rewatching The Force Awakens I noticed that J J Abrams film had also done that, but much more gently, and much less often.
And I think that’s what’s going on here. Rise Of The Skywalker is perfectly happy to have a quick chat with The Last Jedi, especially the idea that there are (potential) rebels everywhere who will rise up given the chance, and even the thought that sometimes you need to throw your sword away (brought up in Return of the Jedi and cribbed from samurai films). And yes, it has a complex relationship with the suggestion that how you win is saving what you love.
On the other hand it just asserts the wrongness of Luke’s self-exile, and Poe again leads a suicide attack against overwhelming odds. Also forgets about arms dealers, just have 10,000 warships with planet-busting cannon appear on the Sith holy world, why not.
Anyway, plenty of Star Wars action, great to see Billy Dee Williams making a cameo, the new droid looks terrible but has a great personality, cavalry charge on the deck of a star destroyer, why not, the wreck of the Death Star as secret vault, it’s all good. Maybe slightly too much in love with the iconography of Star Wars to really dig into what it is and means.
Watch This: It’s a bit dumber than the best Star Wars films, but it has friendship and excitement and that’s what counts
Don’t Watch This: It’s a silly space battle film that doesn’t really have much to say about the series to tie it up
Comments