MARCUS BLAKE

The rise of Skywalker, did it meet expectations? Was it a satisfying ending to the Skywalker Saga, yes! Does the film have problems, absolutely! I will go ahead and tell you that I enjoyed the film. It’s not my favorite film in the saga, it doesn’t even make my top five. But it is a fun film and with all the pressure on the filmmakers and Disney to come to a satisfying conclusion, I think they accomplished that as best as they could try and make fans happy  There is a lot of fanservice to Star Wars because of JJ Abrams. He certainly goes out of his way to fix the issues that people complained about from The Last Jedi. To me the biggest issue as a film is they had a 4-5 hour movie packed into 2 hours and 20 minutes… There’s a lot going on and you don’t have time to really get to know the new characters or even stay long enough with the old characters except for the primary, Fin, Poe, and Rey. It’s very clear that The Force Awakens is definitely the best film of the Disney trilogy. You have time to get to know the characters and to set up their journey’s. Where we should have time to spend with these characters as they conclude their journeys, it’s all fast-paced and filled with action. It can be fine, but it doesn’t have the same emotional weight as the end of Return of the Jedi, at least for fans like me who grew up with the original trilogy.

I do think that one of the best parts is bringing the Emperor back and making him the main antagonist of the entire Saga. We finally know Rey’s lineage, her being the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine is brilliant. Having the chance to be the empress of the empire and be tempted by the main devil of the Saga is a great storyline too And of course she does what we all expect and helps save Ben solo from the dark side. Yes, we’ve seen this story before, but we like familiarity in Star Wars movies or at least most fans do and that’s why I’m they hate The Last Jedi. With the Rise of Skywalker, there’s plenty to like from cameos of old Legacy characters to tender moments with Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and to having Luke be the Yoda or Obi-Wan like Jedi Master that we always wanted him to be when guiding Rey that  we didn’t see enough in the previous film. But there is also a lot to dislike. It’s basically one big action movie and the first act is all over the place. It doesn’t really quite settle down until you get to the last half of the movie. However, Ian McDermott absolutely delivers a great performance as the emperor.

I do feel like the film is rushed and with all the expectations to have a great finale, they packed too much into this film. It’s almost as if Disney was trying to tell a story that would be great over 10 episodes much like Game of thrones instead of 3 movies. Maybe that’s how they should tell stories from now on. But I won’t tear this movie apart and say that it’s bad. That wouldn’t be true at all. To me it’s good in the same vein as the return of the Jedi where you do come to a great conclusion to end this trilogy. But it is a shining example of how Disney will never be able to capture the magic of the original trilogy. All we can do is enjoy them as fun films and know that it will never be the true Star Wars that we love. Despite it being very fast paced and having too many characters in the film that we’re supposed to know about and then trying to retcon the previous film, it’s still a good Star Wars movie and better than movies we’ve gotten in the past like the Star Wars Prequels.

You get the things that we all want in a Star Wars movie. You have great lightsaber duels, you have great space battles, and you get scenes that make you feel the mysticism of the force without it being forced as in the Star Wars Prequels. Could Disney, JJ Abrams, and especially Kathleen Kennedy have done better, yes, but despite any convoluted mess the film might be, it could have been a lot worse,  You definitely get some great scenes with Kylo Ren and Rey, although you don’t have to force a kiss between them because that’s totally unnecessary. We know there’s a connection with these characters because of how they’re connected within the force and the simple embrace would have been perfect. It’s easy to nitpick at every little thing, but for me, I can enjoy this film for what it is. I will definitely watch it again. And it’s a satisfying conclusion to a pretty satisfying trilogy by Disney… Satisfying for the most part considering it could never be in the same league as the original trilogy. Some things are too great that no matter what you do, you just can’t come close to recreating it. But overall I liked it and where I usually give good Star Wars films a nine just for my love of Star Wars, I give this a very generous 8. It’s good,  but not great and that’s all it needs to be.

BRENDAN SMITH

If the prequel trilogy is remembered for overly complicated plots, spectacular lightsaber duels, and some rather cheesy romance dialogue, than the sequel trilogy will be remembered for it’s grand pendulum swings in tone.
The Force Awakens, while not an amazing film, was still an enjoyable romp through a galaxy far, far away. Even if it was essentially A New Hope 2.0. But, it was a huge pendulum shift away from the complicated political machinations of the Prequels.

Enter Rion Johnson, who in his own words, eschewed fan service for subverting expectations. His pendulum shift took Star Wars in a direction where it had never gone before. Whether that is a good or bad thing, I’ll leave to you. Though personally, I loathe how in my opinion, he bungled Luke’s handling of Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren. (but that’s a discussion for another day.)

Finally, we come to The Rise of Skywalker and J.J. Abrams once again swings the pendulum back to a more simplified and straight forward good vs evil story. As was in The Force Awakens, where Abrams hearkens back to A New Hope, here Abrams has scenes which evoke many of the pivotal moments of Return of the Jedi. This in and of itself, is not a bad thing. The film is beautifully shot and as always, the score of one, Williams, John was superb. There were a few moments that I did truly enjoy, some that tugged at the old heartstrings and others that well, frankly fell kinda flat. Also, the pace of the film was rather frantic. Even with a 2 hour 22 minute runtime, it felt like neither the characters, nor the audience had a chance to breathe. If ever there was a case to be made for a 3 hour plus runtime, or splitting a finale into two movies (Hello Harry Potter, nice to see you Avengers) this is it.

All in all, I give 7 Lightsabers out of 10.

R.I.P. General Hux, we hardly knew you.

ALEX MOORE

Star Wars, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Official Review by Alex Moore

As I typed out the title of the film, “Rise” became “Ruse” and “Rose” before I got the word that I intended. Let that be an omen for the results of what is being dubbed, by some, as the close to the Star Wars saga. Surely, there will be plenty of spin-offs and additions to enjoy, in the future, for years to come, and I expect that we, as true fans, will continue to dabble. However, aside from outstanding music and set designs and cinematography, “Episode IX” is not one that I can admit to liking, at least in the immediate time.

Sometimes, combining enough positive elements is enough to carry or save a film, but not always. I will not say that this is a bad movie. After all, the saga has great standards, which can only bring down a single installment so far. I will just add that this is the weakest of the closing trilogy entries, between the three trilogies of the mainstream franchise.

JULIE JONES

Well, the movie was better than the one before. But, I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I thought it could have been better, but definitely could have been worse. Worth seeing if you want to get the taste out of your mouth from the last one. But, not worth camping out for tickets. And maybe go someplace you can have drinks and food.

I didn’t hate it. I didn’t fall asleep. I thought it was funny in some parts and it had some pretty horses. A short and sweet review.  If you want to know more then listen to out Star Wars Saturday Morning Nerd Show Podcast.

CHAD WOMACK

Star Wars means SO many things to different people. It’s practically pointless to try and encapsulate the cultural impact and significance of the space opera phenomenon as that’s been done more times than anybody can count. It’s also pointless to think that it can possibly be ALL things to ALL people. There’s a group of people that will love every film no matter what…. revile the prequels because they lacked the charm of the original trilogy…. and despise the current trilogy of films simply because “Disney RUINS everything it touches!!!” Once people come to the realization that Star Wars doesn’t BELONG to them specifically…that it belongs to ALL of us, it’s easier to enjoy the saga both in pieces, and as a whole. Try keeping this in mind as the latest and last film in the “Skywalker Saga” “The Rise of Skywalker” comes roaring into theatres this holiday season.

Speaking not just as a critic, but as a fan of the series from day one, it’s the culmination of a series that grew with me from childhood and that had evolved over time. Watching the series evolve hasn’t always been easy, but the changes were necessary to move it forward, for better or for worse. I found the experience both cinematically and personally satisfying, reaching for a tissue on several occasions. Having the opportunity to experience this film with not just a group of friends, but my wife that I met back when “Return of the Jedi” originally released. Our lives have been linked directly to the saga from the very beginning, culminating in our Star Wars themed wedding on “May the Fourth” this past summer. We found ourselves laughing and crying together, feeling the overwhelming emotional impact of a movie-going experience that transcended the walls of the theatre and crept into our own personal history that enhanced it just that much more. Call me sappy or overly sentimental, but I loved this film a LOT more than I expected to, and I will look upon it fondly for the rest of my life. Try and taper your cynicism and just enjoy this film for what it is….the end of a very long journey that we have ALL shared together that helped make us who we are as filmgoers and fans.

CHLOE JAMES

The last film of the new trilogy packs quite a lot of plot into its two and a half-hour time frame. While this keeps the film fast-paced and very interesting to watch, viewers may feel almost exhausted by the halfway mark. However, this is when the film really starts to shine as the story and characters are given some wonderful moments before the epic last battle. Those who felt like the last film didn’t feel enough like Star Wars, should hopefully like this one more as it does bring back many familiar tropes of the series. While it may not be a “perfect” film, “Rise of Skywalker”, was perfect for me as it gave me all of the satisfaction and warm feelings “Return of the Jedi” did when I was a kid.

STAFF REVIEW