One Last Look At My Friends

Rating: Null/10 (5 January 2020)

The Dead Speak! the opening crawl proclaims. And, do they ever. Not only Emperor Palpatine, but just about every beloved character in the Star Wars canon makes some appearance or is referenced in one way or another (I said 'beloved', so no Jar Jar Binks that I could spot!). In one case, Carrie Fisher's, the 'resurrection' is literal, and somewhat creepy, in using extant footage (along with CGI and body doubles) to rope Princess Leia into the proceedings.
Still, the most important re-appearance here is George Lucas. While the father of the Star Wars universe wasn't apparently intimately involved with TROS, he was 'consulted'. Simply put, JJ Abrams and writer Chris Terrio are more in tune with Lucas' vision than Rian Johnson and THE LAST JEDI team were. That, of course, is a double-edged sword for LAST JEDI split the Star Wars fan-verse almost as deeply as Lucas' Prequels did.
What works in TROS are the same things that have always worked in Star Wars - heroic acts, derring do action, great special effects...and John Williams' music. What doesn't work here is the storytelling. A jumble of half-baked ideas, simplistic plots that nevertheless confuse, and a general lack of firm purpose outside of wrapping the damn thing up. In the end, Abrams, Terrio and "Disney" settle on fan service above all else.
Daisy Ridley has developed into a decent actress, even if she gets to mostly just look 'determined'. Adam Driver is more animated than usual, and his role has the closest thing to an arc here. The other main actors do their best with their compressed parts here, although Kelli Marie Tran's Rose is given noticeable short shrift. Ian McDiarmid chews the scenery as Palpatine. The main notable newcomer is the always valuable Richard E. Grant. But, it is Billy Dee Williams in a larger role than expected that is a pleasant surprise (even if his performance isn't vigorous).
With a trilogy that has had many hands involved, it's no surprise that TROS hasn't a firmer direction, so when in doubt, it reverts to the past. If THE FORCE AWAKENS patterned itself on A NEW HOPE (aka STAR WARS (1977)), then TROS conspicuously takes its blueprint from RETURN OF THE JEDI (with a pinch of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK). Many ideas and concepts introduced in FORCE and LAST are either largely ignored if not downright contradicted.
All that seemed to matter here is that the majority of the fan base is appeased. And, speaking as one who saw A NEW HOPE the very first weekend it opened wide in 1977 -- it does on a basic level. Great filmmaking it is not, but, like REVENGE OF THE SITH it rises to the occasion, if barely. Neither of the two latest Trilogies is up to the level of the original, but, SITH and now TROS are, respectively, the most satisfying on a primal basis. Hearing John Willams' exit music, my eyes were a bit misty. Not because I had seen a great film, but, as C3PO (Anthony Daniels) says at one point: "Taking one last look, sir. At my friends."