Why 'The Rise Of Skywalker' Is Better Than You Think

The Rise of Skywalker, the ninth and final entry in the Skywalker saga, has polarized the Star Wars community, much like the movie that preceded it, The Last Jedi. Rise of Skywalker is frequently mentioned on lists like "worst finales" or even "franchise killers," alongside other controversial finales like season 8 of Game of Thrones. Aside from the fact that Rise of Skywalker, in fact, has NOT killed the Star Wars franchise, it is actually quite a solid movie, and I think it is worth a second glance (or a first one if you have not seen it yet).

1. Palpatine's Return

Yes, you read that correctly. While bringing Palpatine back was certainly a controversial choice, what better villain to end the saga than the one that started the whole thing? In addition, Ian McDiarmid does such a good job playing him, and it is fun seeing him opposite a new set of characters, especially Rey and Kylo Ren. With him as the primary villain, it also gives Kylo Ren a path to redemption, which was hinted at in The Last Jedi. By also making him Rey's grandfather it creates a parallel between Rey and Kylo Ren being grandchildren of Palpatine and Vader. It is also poetic to see descendants of the two most powerful Sith lords in millennia both ultimately reject their dark heritage and choosing to embrace the Light Side of the Force.

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2. Visual Effects

Like all the movies in the sequel trilogy, Rise of Skywalker boasts some amazing visual effects in many scenes throughout the movie. Some of my favorites include the dissolve from Kylo holding the Wayfinder to his hyperspace journey to Exegol, the overall look and design of Exegol, Poe's "lightspeed skipping" where the Falcon almost instantaneously jumps between several planets/systems, the mirror images of the Falcon and the pursuing First Order TIE fighters, and the "split-screen" duel that Rey and Kylo have from a distance on Kijimi through their connection in the Force. The waterlogged Death Star 2 wreckage is also a visually amazing backdrop for Rey and Kylo's final duel. Let us not forget Finn leading a "ground invasion" on the outside hull of a Star Destroyer during the final climactic battle with the Final Order.

3. John Williams' Final Score

Maestro John Williams has been composing music for Star Wars ever since A New Hope in 1977. Thankfully he is able to finish out the saga with Rise of Skywalker, completing one last score for the galaxy far, far away. While the soundtrack CD does not include the entirety of the music composed for the movie, it still has one of my favorite new themes created by Williams. The titular "The Rise of Skywalker," a pastoral and heroic theme, which appears both as a concert arrangement as well as a leitmotif for Rey and the Resistance heard throughout the film. He also wrote a new ominous new theme for Kylo Ren and the First Order entitled "Anthem of Evil." The soundtrack also includes many familiar cues from throughout the Skywalker saga, such as "Rey's Theme," "The Imperial March," "Luke and Leia’s Theme,” and, of course, “Palpatine's Theme” from Return of the Jedi. The best re-use of music in the movie goes to "Yoda and the Force" from The Empire Strikes Back, which is heard in the film as Luke, now a Force ghost, raises his submerged X-Wing from the water on Ach-To for Rey, just as Yoda once did for him on Dagobah. Since we are on the subject of John Williams, he also had a small cameo as a bartender on Kijimi.

4. Character Development

Rise of Skywalker further develops the main characters from the previous two sequel trilogy films. Rey continues her Jedi training with Leia, and, through Kylo, discovers her true family name and history. She is horrified to find out that she is the granddaughter of one of the worst villains in all of Star Wars history, causing her to run away at first from what she fears will be a dark destiny. With some guidance from Luke and some unexpected assistance from Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, however, she ultimately finds the courage to confront and defeat Palpatine, becoming the embodiment of all Jedi. With Leia's passing, Poe officially steps up to become a general, and along with Finn and Lando, leads the Resistance to a seemingly impossible victory over Palpatine's Final Order on Exegol. Finn being Force sensitive is also teased in this film, though unfortunately the film never touches on this subject again. After pursuing Rey for most of the film, Kylo/Ben finally returns to the light and helps Rey defeat Palaptine and the Sith Eternal at the end of the film.

5. Concluding The Skywalker Saga

Rise of Skywalker provides an emotionally satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga. Palpatine's Final Order is defeated by one of the largest fleet of ships ever assembled in the history of the saga, composed of mostly "just people." Drawing on the power of Jedi of the past (represented by the voices of various Jedi from throughout the franchise), Rey is able to vanquish Palpatine by deflecting his Force lightning back on him. As with Anakin Skywalker, Kylo/Ben gets a redemption arc in Rise of Skywalker, ultimately sacrificing himself to bring Rey back to life at the end of the film. Rise of Skywalker also sees the inevitable passing of Leia, necessitated, of course, by the tragic passing of Carrie Fisher in 2016. The film manages to handle her posthumous appearance in the best way possible, with her using her last ounce of strength to try to reach Ben through the Force. Ben finally "comes home" to Leia as they join together in the Force at the end of the film. In reliving his last memory of Han, Ben also makes peace with his late father, which gives him the final push back to the light. In the film's epilogue, Rey travels to Tatooine, where the entire Skywalker saga began. She symbolically "lays Luke and Leia to rest" by burying their lightsabers in the sand near the deserted Lars homestead. She also builds a lightsaber of her own out of her staff. Most importantly, however, Rey chooses to take on the Skywalker family name for herself, ensuring that its legacy will continue to live on through her.

While the film has its flaws, it is a solid film that does it best to conclude the Skywalker saga. I believe that it succeeds in doing this more than not. My hope going forward is that, despite the backlash that the sequel trilogy and this film has received, we will one day see Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, and the other characters in future stories in that special galaxy far, far away.

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Written By Mara Butler

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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