Diana Vacc sees “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

by Diana Vaccarelli

MAJOR **SPOILER ALERT – SPOILER ALERT – SPOILER ALERT**

As an avid Star Wars fan I was pumped to see the new film, especially based upon the title, The Rise of Skywalker and that it is the end of the Skywalker family saga.

Walking into the theater I admit to the nerves and butterflies because I expected so much.

This final film in the Skywalker franchise brings back the biggest baddie in the galaxy Emperor Palpatine, which bothers me because the first six films of this space opera deal with the rise and fall of powerful Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker as he becomes arch-villian Darth Vader, and then his ultimate redemption through his son Luke, who defeats and ultimately kills the very same Emperor Palpatine.

To me, bringing the Big Bad back takes away from the whole story arc. So a definite face palm to writer-director JJ Abrams, and the corporate hacks at Disney and LucasFilm, for taking that oh-so disappointing route instead of following up on so many other opportunities.

For example:

One big moment the film explores is when all the Jedi guide Rey (Daisy Ridley) in the final battle against the Palpster.

Anakin Skywalker, voice performed by Hayden Christensen, should have appeared as a  force ghost with her.  I mean, the title is The Rise of Skywalker, right? So shouldn’t the film have gives us a good look at the very first Skywalker?

Who knows? Maybe there is a deleted scene doing just that (or something very much like it) and we can all be thrilled and surprised when it’s included in the inevitable DVD. I certainly hope so.

Another missed opportunity is the chance to explore the moral conflict Kylo Ren/Ben Sold/Grandson of Vader (Adam Driver) feels throughout his journey as Supreme Leader.

I understand that Carrie Fisher’s unfortunate death kept JJ and the Gang from basing the film on her deeply missed character’s arc, but making better use of Driver, who pretty much is the plot’s prime mover, could have elicited the kind of genuine emotional excitement every great film needs.

It certainly would have excited me more than having to watch all those minor characters stand up, sit down, and go rah, rah, just to tie together their old stories.

As far as I’m concerned, ST:ROS had a lot of entertaining scenes but never achieved the greatness worth of the Star Wars name. I hate to admit it, but if I’d never seen this film I’d never have missed it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In case you think Diana, who usually loves just about everything she watches, is picking on poor JJ and company, here’s a short review by TVWriter™ buddy Robert Glenn Plotner:

My review of “The Rise of Skywalker.”
Spoilers, I guess.
The Rise of Skywalker is a head spinning blender that keeps one amused/distracted with wizardry until one is inoculated against the flimsiness of the baseline truth or narrative.
There are people riding musk oxen dropped from star ships onto a capsized star destroyer in the middle of a swelling ocean who gallop around for awhile and are forgotten about when things go boom.
Also, it isn’t clear why Billy Dee Williams or whoever is in Rebel Command thought it was a helpful idea to transport musk oxen into this penultimate battle.
Also, those drop ships are going to have some serious musk oxen poo cleanup.
Also, “get yer ghost cameos here. Ghost cameos here!”
Also, you know when as a kid you scooted across carpeting in your socks and you touched something and got a static electric shock through your fingertips? There’s a LOT of that.

LB’S NOTE: If this film isn’t a true metaphor of life as lived in the year 2019 by myself and hundreds of millions of other human beings, then nothing is. And, yes, by this I mean, “Woah! This was a very bad year…and an awful movie as well.

 

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