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There are FULL spoilers in this article. Just thought I’d mention that.

Alright then. It’s done! The Skywalker saga is over. I’ve just got back from seeing The Rise of Skywalker in the cinema on Thursday 19th December, when I’ve started to write this. And (quick time travel) I’ve also now seen it again on Saturday 21st and just added to my thoughts below a bit after a second viewing.

First of all, in a nutshell I really enjoyed it. Sure, there are maybe some little things I can nickpick below, and I’ve not sat down to analyse every part of the plot, but while watching it I was totally engulfed in the film and enjoyed every minute of it. It felt like a Star Wars film to me. And the characters felt like a real group this time. Poe and Finn both got good airtime and I finally warmed to both of them. For the record I didn’t hate The Last Jedi. I actually really liked a lot of it, and you can read my first review of it here and my second review here, but I thought that JJ Abrams did a great job of talking the slightly more challenging storyline from The Last Jedi and working it into a good storyline for TROS and give the saga a (reasonably) fitting ending. 

‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ POINTS
Let’s get a few little niggly things out the way first. Certainly nothing major here in the slightest. And to be honest the main reasons for any negative comments with parts of the plot are probably due to A) Rian Johnson taking the story in a different direction in The Last Jedi and B) Carrie Fisher sadly passing away. But again I thought JJ Abrams did a great job of dealing with those two challenges.

  • The first 15-20 minutes or so seemed very rushed. The whole film seemed to move at a breakneck speed but this first portion particularly so. They were jumping about like crazy, from scene to scene. I do video editing as part of my job and I was extremely aware that some of the cuts were very abrupt and they were jumping between locations very quickly. Maybe this was to give quick exposition, maybe it was subtley trying to highlight how they had to take Rian Johnson’s ending and quickly establish a new storyline here. Either way I think it must have been a conscious decision, which is interesting. Or perhaps they were struggling to fit it all under 2 hrs 30 mins
  • I felt quite aware that they were just using static shots of Carrie Fisher saying one-liners and obviously writing the dialogue around her to fit her lines. But I still think they did a fantastic job of blending her character into the film, so this really can’t be a negative point at all
  • I was very worried when we saw that weird creature on the Falcon with Poe and Finn at the beginning. I had concerns it could be another Jar Jar type character. But we only saw him again right at the end of the film for a couple of seconds which was a relief
  • I felt there were a couple of bits where the CGI or VFX wasn’t great. One was right at the start when we saw Rey floating amongst lots of rocks. It just looked like slightly poor CGI green screen on my first viewing. And then when she floated back down to the ground it was soooooo obvious that she was on one of those wire harnesses that you see people using on TV shows like Dancing on Ice
  • I’ve not liked the humour in the ranks of the First Order in these new films, and in this one I didn’t really like how the Stormtroopers responded to the force persuasion. They kind of came across as stoners or something and I just think that might age the film a bit when viewed in the future. I prefer the humour of the Empire or First Order to be more straight
  • My reaction when Lando joined the big battle at the end with quite a few reinforcements was that maybe there were actually too many rebel ships. It almost looked a little ridiculous or incredible. It didn’t affect me as much on the second viewing though. Perhaps it could have just been shown better in terms of composition, I’m not sure
  • One thing I had hoped they would have mentioned and discussed was the whole ‘balance of the force’ thing. The ‘balance’ thing has always been confusing to me. How does killing Siths bring balance, when actually it makes the light side greater. And in the prequels how would there be balance if there were hundreds of Jedis and only ever two Sith. I never quite got that. Maybe it’s because the Dark Side is stronger? I was hoping there might be a clever answer to that in this film, but it wasn’t addressed directly. Although to be honest maybe balance was achieved at the end because the Emperor was destroyed and Rey isn’t a proper, practising Jedi as such?
  • I felt that R2 was perhaps the character that I felt got the least attention and the least opportunity to shine, which was a shame, seeing that he is one of only two characters that has been in each movie
  • I kind of felt that it would have been nice to have some more references back to some of the Jedis and Sith of the older movies in the final wrap up between Palpatine and Rey and Kylo Ren, just to bring the whole 9 arc movie series to a nice finale
  • In general my one main gripe to JJ is that I thought the ending could have been slightly better and slightly more climactic. It was good, and raised good questions and had a lot at stake etc, but I think it could have been done even better or had a better final battle or evoked more memories of the Jedis from the past or something

GOOD POINTS AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS

  • The friendship between them all became a big theme in this movie. I liked that. It seemed to really bond this group together and it worked well
  • I loved seeing Leia training. Was great to see even just a snapshot of Jedi Leia. The young Mark Hamill CGI looked fantastic. Young Carrie Fisher was not bad
  • Great seeing Leia’s lightsaber. It looked very cool
  • Some people think the force healing thing is controversial but I liked it. And it was done well in the movie I felt. We saw Rey do it with the serpent and BB-8 was impressed by it. Rey then says that she’s sure BB-8 would do the same. We perhaps laugh slightly at this cute line, because BB-8 is a droid and can’t give life force to anyone, BUT, just a few minutes later BB-8 gives some of his life force (battery energy) to D-O to bring him back to life. Very cool. And this all sets us up nicely so that we more easily accept that Rey can heal Kylo Ren from the saber-in-the-stomach injury, and ultimately Kylo Ren saving Rey at the very end
  • I thought Daisy Ridley acted it really well when D-O came to say hi. She sounded caring but slightly distant, as of course she thought she had just been the cause of Chewie’s death. I thought it was all very well handled
  • D-O was super cute and really funny. I really hope they make real life versions of him that you can buy
  • Babu Frik was awesome! I thought he was really cute, cool and very funny all at the same time. His funny lines all completely landed for me
  • I’m sure I recognised the weird alien/person in Babu Frik’s cantina who had a robot body and what looks like a backward head. Perhaps he just reminds me of Hacker from Centurions! Also, apparently it’s John Williams who plays the cantina barman!
  • It felt a bit weird seeing Chewie naked, without his bandolier on
  • It was very powerful to see Chewie break down when he heard about Leia’s death. He wasn’t really given time to show pain at Han’s death or to mourn on screen in the last film, so this one felt right. And a nice touch when Finn, I think, runs past a Chewie a few minutes later saying they need his help and you kind of see Chewie gather himself and agree to come
  • C3-PO had some fantastic lines in this film. He really hadn’t had all that big presence in the last two films, other than being even more annoying than usual, but here he was back to his old self, with some very funny lines, particularly with Poe
  • It was great to have Luke back. I did, however, think he just came across as slightly snarky again. Not as bad as in The Last Jedi, but it would still have been nice to have him a little more friendly and upbeat in his final appearance. It was cool that he managed to lift the X-Wing that he couldn’t life in Empire Strikes Back, but he kind of looked really smug about it, and it’s not a patch on what Rey did earlier with the transport, so it just came across a bit weird to me
  • Sith Rey was very cool. I bet Daisy enjoyed shooting that day
  • Kylo Ren was extremely well played yet again by Adam Driver
  • It was a big surprise to see Han again! Albeit just a memory of him. That conversation was obviously a very big mirror of their chat on the walkway in The Force Awakens which is when they last met (and where Kylo killed Han). I really liked when Kylo Ren just said “Dad…”, and it seeming like he was about to try to say “I love you”, but Han just replies straight away “I know”. Great throwback there. It was very cool they got an appearance of Han in this final film
  • Finn had a much better innings than in The Last Jedi. I thought his involvement was much more this time and also his lines were great and Boyega’s acting was very good
  • Lando! Obviously it was no surprise that he was in it, but I thought his appearance was just right. Some tactics at the war table, some flying in the Falcon, helping with advice and also fighting presence. Pretty good
  • Wedge appears! I let out a little audible ‘Yeah!’ when he appeared on screen. Very cool to see
  • It was interesting how many people died (or we thought they died) and then came back. First we thought we had lost Chewie, but then he came back. Then we thought Kylo Ren had died but then Rey saved him. Then we thought Rey died, but Kylo saved her. 
  • It was great to see two new lightsabers in the film. Leia’s and Rey’s. A shame to see Kylo Ren throw his awesome one into the see though
  • I still think the First Order generals have been a bit too comedic for my liking in the latest trilogy, but I did think General Hux and Pryde were quite good in this film. This is the first one that I haven’t actively disliked Hux
  • Rey and Kylo’s kiss. For me personally, I didn’t really know if the kiss was earned. I think I would have been happier with a hug. But hey, who am I to get in the way of unearned love
  • Chewie got his medal! I’d say that was the biggest fan service bit of the film. Why did Chewie get one of the medals just out of the blue just now though? I’m not sure it really made sense in this movie and was probably purely to appease fans who had previously complained. But so what… Chewie got a medal! I was really surprised it didn’t get a cheer in the cinema. I’m sure it did get a cheer in a lot of cinemas
  • On my second viewing I noticed Star Wars’ first on screen gay kiss, between two of the female rebels during the end celebrations. I applaud Star Wars for including this. I’m sure some people might say it’s not required. Hopefully they are in the minority. It certainly wasn’t done in a big in-your-face way in the slightest, so I don’t really think there can be any argument on that side I’d say. And, alternatively, I’m sure some people will complain that there wasn’t enough representation here and that it was a cop out by Star Wars. I’m sure it’s a tricky topic and is hard to please everyone, but I would say it’s good that there was anything like that at all. Star Wars should be a very diverse universe in every way
  • Very nice second last shot, where BB-8 was on screen and the two suns of Tatooine made the shape of… BB-8!
  • I realised that the old woman at the Lars homestead probably saw where Rey buried the lightsabers, and so part of me likes to think that Rey was obliged to delve into her dark side and massacre the old woman and her camel creature right there in cold blood. Or is that wrong of me?

OTHER PEOPLE’S COMPLAINTS

  • I’ve heard some people complain about the extra force powers in The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker. I don’t really have a problem with it. Each Star Wars film has introduced new powers. Empire Strike Back first showed force pushes (or moving objects in fights at least) and ROTJ showed force lightning for the first time. How can anyone who is not a Star Wars writer complain about what is and isn’t valid in a fictional world? The big complaint has been the ‘teleporting’ effect of grabbing necklaces and passing lightsabers. They explain it as Rey and Ren being a dyad and having a special connection. That’s fine by me and I think it’s quite cool. And the passing of life force to heal people makes perfect sense to me. I like it
  • Plot holes have been mentioned, but I’m not sure about details. I tend to just go along for the ride and not worry too much about the plot details anyway. One thing I’ve heard is that if a Sith wayfarer was needed to get to that end planet then how did so many Star Destroyer crews get there. Well I guess the Emperor just showed them somehow? It’s probably just uninvited guests who need the wayfarer
  • Rey being a Palpatine. I like this. I personally don’t mind that she isn’t a nobody. And I’m fine with her not being another Skywalker or even a Kenobi etc. The fact that she is a Palpatine raises more questions about her propensity for evil, so that makes for an intriguing story of her temptation to become an Emperess. It worked for me. My only question is who would have a child with Palpatine?! I hope someone writes some fan fiction about the Emperor going on a General’s stag party and having a one night stand or something. But seriously, I want to know more about the Emperor’s son. Did he not have any force powers? And how did he fall out with his super-powerful ruler of the galaxy Dad?
  • Even though there has been huge internet hate towards Rian Johnson’s take on the story in The Last Jedi, there has also now, of course, been a large backlash saying that JJ Abrams has not respected Rian Johnson’s storyline. You can’t have it both ways, internet. I personally think they should have kept the same writers for all three films. And to be honest I like how Abrams brought it back and I think he did it in a good way, saying that Kylo Ren didn’t really know about Rey’s parents, and just wanted to make her feel alone when he said that. The only thing that I think was left untouched by Abrams was the broom boy at the end of The Last Jedi who used a bit of the Force. Are there other people out there with strong force powers who are going to revive the Jedi? Perhaps the only hint that some other people might have some force sensitivity was how Finn seemed to have a force-type connection with Rey a couple of times during this film. 

There has obviously been so much internet hate about The Last Jedi, and pressure on Episode 9 to be good enough. But if anyone still thinks that this film isn’t Star Wars or that it has also ruined their childhood then I think they have to just get out with a video camera and make their own film, in order to make themselves happy. The sense of entitlement amongst some Star Wars fans is palpable sometimes. If you don’t like it that’s absolutely fine, but I don’t really like people whining about it as if their rights have been violated.

The bottom line is that the first time I watched this I was totally on board. I loved every minute of it and I felt totally satisfied at the end of it. Only afterwards am I thinking of things that I might have slightly wanted added or addressed etc. But I think Star Wars as a whole is something that we each feel such a personal ownership of that it’s probably impossible to not have those sorts of feelings afterwards. 

I enjoyed my second viewing very much too but to be honest I am not in a huge rush to see it a third time just yet. When my son asked me what was my favourite bit I struggled to think of what ‘bits’ there were in the film. I could remember some great lines and great relationships and emotions etc, but I slightly struggled to remember some big set pieces or stylistic moments. 

There’s one thing I really like about all the third films in each trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Jedi and Rise of Skywalker. They are probably the ones that wrestle most with the light v dark temptations. That’s a big aspect of Star Wars that I’ve always appreciated since Luke being in the Emperor’s throne room in ROTJ. I used to scream at the TV for Luke to kill the Emperor and it took me ages to understand what the Emperor was saying about how killing him in anger could be Luke’s path to the Dark side. I think that whole thing was something that was dealt with well in this one.

It’s very hard to rank all the Star Wars films, because all three trilogies are so different. I do basically rank the original trilogy first, followed by the new trilogy, and the prequels bringing up the rear. But I still really enjoy the prequels in many ways. Here’s my current list at the moment of writing.

1. Ep 4: A New Hope
2. Ep 6: Return of the Jedi
3. Ep 5: The Empire Strikes Back
4. Ep 9: The Rise of Skywalker
5. Ep 8: The Last Jedi
6. Ep 7: The Force Awakens
7. Ep 3: Revenge of the Sith
8. Solo
9. Rogue One
10. Ep 2: Attack of the Clones
11. Ep 1: The Phantom Menace

It feels weird having these nine films come to an end. For so long I just considered Star Wars to be three films. But that story grew longer. That universe expanded. It’s been a very interesting journey along the way and I look forward to rewatching all of these films many times in the future, and I’m sure my ranking above will fluctuate a bit.