All good things must come to an end.
Now, depending on the opinion of the film fan you choose to huddle up with, things in the galaxy far, far away USED to be a whole lot better than they have been lately. Still, there’s no denying the cinematic weight of Star Wars’ Skywalker saga, and how notable an event it is in coming to a close with ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’.
SO, that said – here’s the big question; does this sequel meet the challenge in wrapping a bow on the sci-fi classic?
Again……I think it depends who you talk to.
The plot swirls around the search for a supposedly dead Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) who now resides on the planet Exegol. Oh, and if you haven’t already guessed it, he AIN’T all that dead. But before Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Jon Boyega) and Fin (Oscar Issac) can get to him, they have to track down a device called Sith Wayfinder, a hunt that reunites them with yet another classic character, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) – and the moment they meet is just so cool. Billy Dee, who has always been a bit, shall we say, TOO smooth to authentically make us believe that he’s central to this outer space war, looks to especially be having a blast with this.
Anyhooo….director JJ Abrams proceeds to serve up a number of visual goodies (does this series ever REALLY disappoint in that department), as well as revelations. And while Rey is undoubtedly the pivotal figure in it all, Adam Driver is gifted the most interesting ride as bad dude Kylo Ren – a sweeping transition that, in a lesser actor’s mitts, would be pushing it. With Driver, it’s fascinating.
As any film in which the fan base shakes with anticipation for weeks and months prior, there’ll undoubtedly be quibbles with some of the decision making that went in to ‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’, some justified, some just plan nit picking. Me? I think the sentimental nods to where this series began were perfect. The whole thing is maybe TOO carefully sculpted, yes….but at least its earnest. And the final scene hits such an especially sweet note, it’s easy to forgive whatever stumbles came before.
