Still-Shot From Final Trailer
Disney wanted to make a successful “Star Wars” trilogy, but failed. After watching “The Rise of Skywalker” and the first two installments of the sequel trilogy, I think everyone can agree on one thing: the complete lack of vision.
Upon initial viewing, I laughed, I cried and I loved it overall. The wrap up felt right. Sure, there are a number of aspects critics have nitpicked to death, and rightfully so. However, I liked it. But it’s still evident that Disney had no plan and no foresight for this trilogy and it’s tragic.
Looking at the trilogy as a whole, I think J.J. Abrams had a promising vision for this new Star Wars trilogy. Rian Johnson took that plan and completely threw it away. “The Last Jedi” had no place in this sequel trilogy.
Therefore, this caused “The Rise of Skywalker” to feel rushed, packed with information and, at times, Abrams completely ignored elements Johnson had established in “The Last Jedi.” As a result, “The Rise of Skywalker” almost felt like a sequel to “The Force Awakens.”
I say that to exaggerate how different and out of place “The Last Jedi” feels compared to the other two films in this trilogy. And because of that, Abrams had a very hard task in making “The Rise of Skywalker.” I think Abrams made the story coherent in the best way he could with what he had.
I realize that I’m throwing a lot of shade at Johnson and “The Last Jedi,” but the fault truly lies with directors not cooperating between movies. “The Last Jedi,” by itself, is a visually stunning movie with good messages. But the problem is that it backed the trilogy into a narrative corner.
The same goes for Abrams and his two installments in the sequel trilogy. “The Force Awakens” was a promising and fulfilling opening with Abrams having a clear roadmap for the rest of the trilogy. But that plan was seemingly and completely ignored by Johnson leaving Abrams to cram as much of his original story as he could in “The Rise of Skywalker.”
I love each movie in the sequel trilogy individually. What I don’t like is the continuity errors. If I were to rate “The Rise of Skywalker” individually, I would be much more positive. But considering I cannot examine “The Rise of Skywalker” without looking at the rest of the trilogy, I’ll have to give it two and a half flames out of five.
