For the last two years, director Rian Johnson and “The Last Jedi” have been on the receiving end of a backlash from a large contingent of “Star Wars” fans. Johnson’s creative decisions pleased film critics, but hardcore Star Wars loyalists despised the fresh new direction Johnson took with the “Last Jedi.” There was no catering to fans, and risks were taken in the narrative (more sacrilege), however, Johnson’s deconstruction of Star Wars lore, including doing a 180 of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker by having him do things which, shall we say, went against the “spirit” of the beloved four-decade-old character.
Is it then any surprise that, despite the critical acclaim, Johnson did not return to direct “The Rise of Skywalker”? Instead, we get JJ Abrams, returning after directing the safe but entertaining first chapter, 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” I can tell you that the film fails because Abrams does exactly the opposite of what Johnson did — he appeases to the loyalists. Abrams has listened to the fans and has course-corrected the trajectory of Johnson’s “Last Jedi.” Whether that will work on the viewer will entirely depend on the individual, but I can tell you that where Johnson joyously succeeded, Abrams fails.
You can tell by watching ’The Rise of Skywalker’ that George Lucas had a major say in its creative development — after all, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and Abrams have admitted to meeting Lucas and “taking down a lot of notes” for this final chapter. This is a film jammed, a little too strenuously, with Star Wars lore. Disney wanted a “course correction” and they’ve delivered it here. Whether that’s good or bad will, of course, depend on the viewer. I wasn’t impressed.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” goes back to the spirit of Saturday matinees which was all over the prequel trilogy. This “final” chapter in the Skywalker Saga is a long, meandering and messy chase movie that sends characters scrambling from mission to mission but never truly finding a groove of its own. Rey (Daisy Ridley) is still distraught about the mystery of her family tree; Kylo Ren, the villain of the trilogy (Adam Driver), has a major vendetta against her and the resistance. But, really, for Abrams, this was a reason to finally unite Rey, Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). It’s a chase movie, filled with silly jokes, action and tons of nostalgia. If Johnson looked ahead, Abrams looks backward, and that’ll suffice for many who were turned off by Rian Johnson’s vision.
Billy Dee Williams, reprising Lando Calrissian, is a much-welcomed returning face. But the most interesting and well-rendered part of this final chapter is the way Carrie Fisher’s Leia is used. I was stunned by how much useable footage of Carrie Fisher’s performance Disney had in their vaults. The film turns into this sweet little love letter to Leia/Carrie. It’s all crafted effortlessly and in very good taste. Carrie would have approved.
And so, what we’re left with here are characters that we don’t necessarily care about as much as we thought we did. Despite all the hoopla created by the Disney marketing machine, Rey, Poe, and Finn are just not as interesting a set of characters as Luke, Han, and Leia. That, in the end, will be the downfall of this trilogy. Johnson laid the groundwork for a new and interesting direction, but Abrams decided to adhere to fan fiction instead of going out in the wild blue and taking some much-needed risks. “The Rise of Skywalker” is business as usual. [C]