CULTURE
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Gives the Fans What they Want J.J. Abrams takes few risks in the final instalment of the Skywalker trilogy. That is no bad thing There is no better way to understand the uniqueness of the “Star Wars” franchise than the adage: “no one hates ‘Star Wars’ like a ‘Star Wars’ fan”. The first entry in George Lucas’s space opera had its premiere in 1977 and became the highest-grossing film in nearly 40 years. Mr Lucas’s second trilogy of films, released from 1999 to 2005, helped make “Star Wars” the most valuable franchise in the film industry at the time. Still, many fans had begun to turn on Mr Lucas. In the 1990s he had made a number of edits to his original films that some argued “ruined” their childhood memories. Some fans resented the prequels for their determination to explain the mysterious “force” through science, a slavish devotion to computer-generated imagery and poor creative decisions, including some that seemed motivated by a desire to sell toys (see: Jar Jar Binks). When Disney announced in 2012 that it had acquired Lucasfilm and would produce a new trilogy, many fans were elated. Under Disney, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had thrived (in fact, Mr Lucas was so impressed with Disney’s stewardship of the comic-book company he solicited no other bids for his). And early results were tremendous. Disney’s first “Star Wars” film, “The Force Awakens” in 2015 (“Episode VII” of the Skywalker saga), delighted fans and became the third-highest grossing film in history. In 2016 “Rogue One”, a spinoff film, became the second-biggest film of that year. But over time a resistance formed. In 2017 the eighth Skywalker film, “The Last Jedi”, divided fans. Rian Johnson, the film’s director, chose to subvert much of the mythology of “Star Wars”. Mr Johnson’s Luke Skywalker was a cynic who disdained the force and the ideology of the Jedi. In the film the Disney trilogy’s antagonist, Kylo Ren, urges the hero, Rey, to “let the past die. Kill it, if you have to”—an apparent meta-commentary on the restrictive tropes of the
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MANY HAVE HOPED THAT “THE RISE OF SKYWALKER”, WHICH BRINGS TO A CLOSE THE STORY MR LUCAS CREATED MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO, WOULD REDEEM THE MISTAKES MADE OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES “Star Wars” narrative. It was daring film-making, and many fans loved it. But many also loathed choices that upended their conception of the “Star Wars” universe. This included some who were involved in the franchise. Mark Hamill, the actor who plays Luke, registered his disapproval of Mr Johnson’s story choices in some interviews and on social media. During the media tour for the ninth Skywalker film, “The Rise of Skywalker”, J. J. Abrams, who directed the film as well as “The Force Awakens”, praised the “bold choices” of “The Last Jedi”, but also said he didn’t think “Star Wars” fans want to be told, “this doesn’t matter.” Over time, even Mr Lucas, who had initially resisted commenting on the new films, began to publicly express disappointment with Disney’s creative decisions. (He did not like, for example, the fact that “The Force Awakens” repeated many of the ideas of his first “Star Wars” film, though he has given no indication that he liked Mr Johnson’s choices, either.) Many have hoped that “The Rise of Skywalker”, which brings
to a close the story Mr Lucas created more than 40 years ago, would redeem the mistakes made over the past two decades. This was probably impossible. A franchise as beloved and long-running as “Star Wars” will always struggle to match the expectations of its deepest fans. But “The Rise of Skywalker” mostly feels like what “Star Wars” should be. The film is joyful, epic and ultimately moving, specked with moments of humour and humanity. It renders its universe with beautiful visual images, from glaciers and desert planets to violent seascapes and lush forests. The heroes move through the terrain in an inelegant hurry, as the plot too often relies on their racing against the clock (or, in this case, against Ren and the evil First Order) to find the next thing (a common device in Mr Abrams’s films). But in the pivotal lead roles of Kylo Ren and Rey, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley deliver the most complex emotional performances of the entire nine-film saga. Their intertwined character arcs serve as the core of Disney’s trilogy—narratively, the-
matically and emotionally—and together they deliver a richly satisfying conclusion to the story. Fans will notice the repercussions of Disney’s creative choices, including hiring different directors and writers for each film (and then firing the original director of “The Rise of Skywalker”). The story created by Mr Abrams will be seen by most as conflicting with Mr Johnson’s, but they are not wholly incompatible. Mr Abrams plays his choices against Mr Johnson’s in ways that cast important aspects of “The Last Jedi” in a new light, without necessarily invalidating (all of) them. The two directors are engaged in a dialogue with each other, a struggle for the soul of “Star Wars”. There is little doubt that Mr Abrams wins that struggle in “The Rise of Skywalker”. Where Mr Johnson pushed boundaries and challenged viewers, Mr Abrams takes few risks. Where Mr Johnson rejected “Star Wars” nostalgia, Mr Abrams unabashedly embraces it. He continues to remix plots, themes and visuals from Mr Lucas. In so doing Mr Abrams risks retroactively diminishing the stakes of earlier films; the return to the screen of Emperor Palpatine, whose death in “Return of the Jedi” delivers redemption for Darth Vader, is the most obvious example. But the reward for fans is an entertaining finale. And Mr Abrams gives the audience plenty of fan service on the way to a feelgood ending. That may be just what “Star Wars” needed. At one particularly delightful moment during the premiere screening, an audience member yelled, “Yeah, J.J!” in gratitude to the director. The crowd laughed and cheered in agreement, and applauded many more times as Mr Abrams delivered what they wanted. In the end, no one loves “Star Wars” like a “Star Wars” fan. From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com
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