Utterly pointless.

Rating: 3/10 (23 December 2019)

In retrospect, all the signs for impending disaster were there. Way back in 2012, George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney, along with his original story treatments for Episodes VII, VIII and IX. In April, 2014, Disney erased much of the original Star Wars canon (now to be consumed under the 'Legends' banner) to make way for their new timeline of canonical storylines to accommodate their brand new cinematic releases. This, of course, was the first strike for many, with large parts of the fandom rightfully miffed about this erasure. The Force Awakens (2015), the first instalment of the sequel trilogy, broke records upon release, scoring a mighty box office return of $2.068b. I enjoyed The Force Awakens very much, and at the time overlooked how it was basically an updated version of A New Hope (1977). Despite this, J.J Abrams set up plenty of interesting plot threads that could have moved the trilogy into new and exciting territory. Two years later, Rian Johnson takes the reigns with The Last Jedi, ultimately regarded as the most polarising Star Wars film to date. While The Last Jedi does have several good things going for it, it was a largely disappointing instalment only made worse by Mark Hamill's negative remarks concerning Johnson's treatment of his character, Luke Skywalker. Perhaps what didn't help either was Johnson's complete rewriting of what Abrams had planned, opting to instead "subvert fan expectations" and, in the process, muck up the whole flow of the trilogy with his questionable creative decisions. And now, The Rise of Skywalker is upon us. Strap yourselves in folks, you're in for a wild one.
God bless J.J Abrams for trying, right? Originally, Colin Trevorrow was scheduled to direct Episode IX, but was ultimately let go from the project due to 'creative differences'. It took Trevorrow getting the boot to pave the way for Abrams to return and complete the trilogy he started, but how to you go about concluding a trilogy you'd thoughtfully outlined from the beginning after another filmmaker took what you wrote and scrapped it all to pave way for his own vision? With The Rise of Skywalker, it is clear to see Abrams is desperately trying to return to the plot threads he introduced in The Force Awakens, dismissing many of Johnson's previously established ideas in the process. What goes around comes around, I guess. It's no secret that The Rise of Skywalker was a hard nut to crack due to the heavily publicised reshoots and rewrites. After enduring the final cut, it's difficult not to view TROS as a painfully botched effort. It breaks my heart to report Abrams has (despite his best efforts, I'm sure) delivered an absolute calamity that reeks of blatant unoriginality and will no doubt test the patience of the most ardent Star Wars fan.
First, a few positive notes; the cinematography remains fantastic and there are some stunning visuals to be found here, and John William's score is once again wonderful. Sadly, my optimism ceases here. Short, I know, but so was my patience watching this mess. All of the problems to be found within TROS lie within its disjointed storytelling. One of the biggest problems is the lack of character development. Rey (Ridley), Finn (Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) remain underdeveloped, one-dimensional heroes who haven't undergone memorable arcs since the trilogy began. Kylo Ren (Driver) was never much of an interesting villain, either. Ren's arc is essentially Darth Vader's all over again, only his rise to evil ultimately comes down to a psychotic temper tantrum spiralling out of control as opposed to Vader's tragic submission to the dark side. As for the return of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), his reprise marks the very definition of 'creatively bankrupt'. By bringing back one the saga's biggest villains, Abram's ends up undermining the whole climatic confrontation between Luke, Vader and Palpatine in Return of the Jedi (1983). To make matters worse, he practically remakes it, as if the original ending wasn't definitive enough. Terrio and Abrams have crafted a script here that is plagued with plot holes, character inconsistencies, annoying humour and recycled ideas from previous instalments, therefore offering nothing new whatsoever. Even the action fails to captivate.
Perhaps The Rise of Skywalker was always unsalvageable. Perhaps J.J Abram's isn't capable of making blockbuster cinema without relying on nostalgia or recycled plotlines. Perhaps Lucas never should have sold Lucasfilm to Disney. It's difficult not to wonder where George Lucas would have taken the sequel trilogy. In an interview with James Cameron, Lucas explained his vision would have further explored midichlorians and a microscopic universe. Sadly, all we're left with is a lobotomised trilogy of retold stories of the saga's past and a fandom divided. Disney's trilogy very much feels like a p**sing match between Abrams and Johnson; both directors had their own vision for the franchise, resulting in a scrambled mess with no clear direction. Creatively speaking, it's damn right offensive. The Rise of Skywalker is frustrating, soulless, boring and, worst of all, utterly pointless.