Review Tuesday - Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

STAR WARS

Episode IX

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

After a mysterious broadcast of Emperor Palpatine occurs, the Resistance and the First Order are in a race to find him. 

I have to admit. I went into the theater to see this with ZERO expectations after Episode 8, but extremely hopeful. The fancy pants reviewers already panned the movie as well as a bunch of people who didn't even bother to go see it. Since I have been a huge fan of the franchise ever since 1977, I wasn't going to allow a bunch of big jerks ruin the ending of the series that changed my life without even seeing it on my own. 

NO SPOILERS!

After the events of Episode 8, what was left of the Resistance assembled on a planet to regroup. While they are making plans to try to figure out the next move, they get intel that Kylo Ren and the First Order joined forces with a massive Sith fleet assembled by the VERY living Emperor Palpatine. The plot of the movie is that Rey, Poe, and Finn need to track down this hidden fleet and take it down before it has an opportunity to overwhelm the galaxy with force. 

This movie answers ALL of the questions that the fans have been asking since the start of this trilogy. Who IS Rey? What are the Knights of Ren? Who was Snope? Where did the First Order come from? It was very cleverly written and filmed because it has all that crammed into the movie, while having it's own story moving well, and fluidly. Excellent cast. Seamless special effects. Daisy Ridley is distractingly beautiful, once again.

This movie made the corrections to the franchise that was needed, while being coherent and fun to watch. At over 2 hours and 20 minutes I would say it's well worth a fan's time to get in and see this movie sooner than later!

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SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

Rose returns for a very small role. 

Really, this entire movie is about the re-emergence of Palpatine. His appearance throws everything off. It seems to work in Kylo's favor, ends up changing Rey's destiny in the end. 

They handled the death of Carrie Fisher really well. The effect used to put her in scenes was very impressive. 

I had a feeling that Luke's X-Wing shown under water in Ep 8 would have more important significance. Ir got dragged out of the water AGAIN!

They made it seem like there were like a dozen members left of the Resistance, and that's it. Nope, they didn't have large numbers, but they had more hiding out. 

General Hux hates Kylo Ren so much that he, himself, leaks information to the Resistance in hopes of Kylo being defeated. 

They gave hints regarding Rey's lineage during the movie. Force lightning? Dropped off in a Sith ship? Her amazing abilities without even much training? It would be too easy to make her a Skywalker, it was just clever to make her Palpatine's granddaughter. 

Snope was created by Palpatine.

Palpatine had been the voices in Ben Solo / Kylo Ren's head his entire life. 

The Knights of Ren have a role in the movie. They look brutal and seem to be Kylo's enforcers. But not a whole lot else is provided about them. But it's really not important for the story really and we find out they still existed. 

One of the voices speaking to Rey is Ahsoka Tono from The Clone Wars, confirming her death. Others who whisper in her ear are: Obi-Wan Kenobi (young and old!), Mace Windu, Yoda, Anakin Skywalker, Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli, and Adi Gallia.

The "DARK REY" scene is maybe 5-10 seconds and is reminiscent of Luke's training on Dagoba when he faced Darth Vader.

There are numerous homages and cameos from previous Star Wars movies as well as JJ Abrams previous works. I wouldn't be surprised if in the shot with the Resistance fleet appearing, lead by Lando, that a Star Trek reference might not not be back there.