by Conall Sahler ‘20

Like the aim of a stormtrooper, “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker” is clumsy yet oddly charming. “The Rise of Skywalker” is the culmination of 42 years, 11 films and four television shows. Does this concluding chapter properly end this beloved series? Kind of.

“The Rise of Skywalker” has a lot to wrap up in its two hour and 21 minute run time. Director J.J. Abrams attempts to conclude the stories of characters new and old as well as offering his own take on the iconic franchise. The movie is too convoluted and the pacing is far too messy, and the first two-thirds of the film are a blur of exposition and damage control from the controversial eighth entry to the franchise, Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi.” In this, the film completely backtracks on everything Johnson set up in the previous film and instead of embracing the controversial past, Abrams attempts to erase all traces of it (including its characters).

Everything Johnson did to subvert audience expectations, Abrams ignores. For instance, consider Rey, the main character of the Disney trilogy (episodes VII, VIII, IX). Throughout the previous film, we wonder who Rey’s parents are until her parents are revealed as nobodies in the Star Wars universe, completely surprising the audience. In episode IX however, Abrams ignores this detail and reveals Rey’s lineage to be something completely different.

Something positive about the film, however, are its performances, from Daisy Ridley’s Rey, Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, and John Boyega’s Finn. Abrams respectively handled the passing of actress Carrie Fisher and honored the character of Leia Organa. Though the performances shine, this new trilogy clearly lacks an end goal. In 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” Abrams brings us back to the world of “Star Wars” 30 years later. The film was criticized for being too much like the original 1977 “Star Wars.” In 2017’s “The Last Jedi” Johnson attempts to fix the errors of episode VII by subverting audience expectations and trying something new. Johnson fails to follow Abrams original story though, and in his subversion destroys most of what Abrams has set up. Abrams returns for the final film and again tries to right the wrongs of the previous film. The rise of social media presence around the release of these films scared the creators of the movies into only trying to appease the audience.

With a messy plot, and choppy pacing, “The Rise of Skywalker” is difficult to follow for the first hour and a half. But, with a strong conclusion and great performances from each actor, the “final” film in the saga is a fun popcorn movie as long as you don’t overthink the plot.

Grade: C-