AT THE MOVIES

by Isy Jordan

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and more.

The surviving members of the resistance face the First Order once again, and the legendary conflict between the Jedi and the Sith reaches its peak bringing the Skywalker saga to its end.

The final movie of what they're now calling the Skywalker Saga was a mixed bag but not a terrible movie experience.

The good? The miraculous way they gave us Princess Leia for one more film. Surprise appearances by characters we never thought we'd see again. Emporer Palpatine back in all his evil glory. Strong fight sequences and heart-stopping chases. One thing the story did was move forward. Sometimes the pacing was a little too fast. But as you hurtle toward the end, you come to realize that it was because there was so much they were trying to get in this one film.

The bad? Emporer Palpatine who, to long-standing Star Wars fans, went from one of the great villains of old to an almost Thanos-level of ultra villain and honestly, it took a little something away from the film for me. It reduced Palpatine to no more than a plot device because we can't figure out how to end it all otherwise. The absence of most force ghosts. No, Disney, we don't want just the voices. You want to tailor the film to a more general audience? Leave the ghosts visible, yeah? And finally, what was that between those two characters at the end? Really?

The film is rated PG-13 and it a long 2 hours and 22 minutes. It goes by fast and the film will leave you pondering what happened for some time after those final credits roll. In some good way, in some not so much. Still, if you're a Star Wars fan, you'll most likely find something to enjoy about the film.

Isy