Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

March 29, 2020

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker closes off the sequel trilogy of the Star Wars franchise. The film missed expectations, both critically and commercially. That said, it was still a $1 billion hit worldwide, so it was massively profitable. Is the film a fun way to end the sequel trilogy, despite the critical reception? Or was it a major misstep like many called it?

The Movie

The film begins as all Star Wars do, with an opening crawl. We are told Emperor Palpatine is back and no one is happy about that. The Rebellion is obviously disheartened by this news, but Kylo Ren is infuriated, as he sees Palpatine as a threat to his power. He cuts through a swath of nameless victims in search of a Sith Wayfinder, which he needs to find Exegol, the home planet of the Sith. There he plans on confronting and killing Palpatine. Emperor Palpatine explains that Ren finding Palpatine was part of the plan and that Ren will be his new apprentice as they rule the galaxy together. He even has an armada of spaceships ready to fight.

Meanwhile, Rey is continuing her Jedi training under the tutelage of General Leia Organa. She’s growing frustrated with her lack of progress and when Finn, Poe, and Chewie return with news of Emperor Palpatine’s return, she realizes she read in Luke’s journals about the Sith homeworld and how to find them. She’s ready to go on this mission alone, but her friends won’t let her go it alone.

During this fetch quest, Kylo Ren is able to create a connection with Rey telling her she will either join the dark side with him or die. This mental connection is so strong that he’s able to physically interact with her, thus learning where she is. The group are able to get the clue they were looking for, but there’s a complication, one that enters too deep into spoiler territory.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the firing of James Gunn Part Two. Let me explain. Disney fired James Gunn, because of outrage led by alt-right influences. I’m not saying everyone who wanted James Gunn fired were members of the alt-right; I’m saying the loudest voices were. Likewise, while The Last Jedi earned stellar reviews and an A-rating from CinemaScore, there was a small but vocal group who hated the sequel trilogy from the moment Finn first appeared in the first trailer. They were able to yell loud enough after The Last Jedi that they convinced Disney that the franchise needed a correction. Nearly every “correction” made to this movie made it inferior to The Last Jedi. Kelly Marie Tran was harassed off of social media and her character, Rose Tico, was barely in this movie. They didn’t like how Poe was disrespected in the previous film, so they gave him a promotion. They didn’t like that Rey’s parents were nobodies, so they... well, that’s too much of a spoiler, so get ready for a wall of white text.

Rey’s parents were, well, actually nobodies. Her grandfather, on the other hand, was Emperor Palpatine himself. This is such a terrible plot point, because it directly contradicts the main message of the previous film and the overall story arc since the prequels. In the world of Star Wars, the Jedi are seen as the good guys and the Sith are seen as the bad guys, but in the prequels, we learn that it is a little more complicated than that. While the Jedi try to do the right thing, their inflexibility and their belief that they are the only path to the Force creates the Sith. That’s why the prophecy was the chosen one would bring balance to the force. The Last Jedi emphasized this in several ways championing a democratization of the Force and how everyone can wield the Force, not just the Jedi. This plot point ruins that important message and turns the sequel trilogy into yet another chosen one story and frankly, those are boring.

That said, while I was deeply disappointed Disney listened to the wrong voices when it came to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the characters are still engaging enough to for the film to work as a popcorn flick. It is the worst live-action film in the Star Wars franchise, but it is on par with the first Transformers film, for example.

The Extras

There are no extras on the first disc, but there is a bonus disc with six featurettes, starting with The Skywalker Legacy, a two-hour long making of documentary that deals with the sequel trilogy, but also the Star Wars franchise as a whole. I was worried that this would be yet another Disney Blu-ray that fell short on the extras, but that is not the case. If this were it, it would still be enough to be worth picking up and there are five other featurettes. Granted, these rest of the featurettes run just under 40 minutes combined, but they add to the overall value. Pasaana Pursuit: Creating the Speeder Chase is the longest of these shorter featurettes running just over 14 minutes and it is about the big chase scene in the movie. Aliens in the Desert is about the desert planet in the movie. D-O: Key to the Past is about the latest marketable robot in the movie franchise. Warwick Davis returns to the franchise, this time with his son and Warwick & Son is about their roles. Cast of Creatures looks at the various aliens in the movie.

The Verdict

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a lesson to all studios. If there’s a loud mob complaining about your movie, do a little research to find out who they are, because they might not be arguing in good faith. For example, if the loudest voices are the same people who called BB-8 a little white cuck ball, you can safely ignore them and stay the course. That said, even with all of the missteps made trying to fix what wasn’t broken, The Rise of Skywalker is still good as a popcorn flick. Additionally, there are nearly three hours of extras on the Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD release and that’s enough to be worth picking up.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Video Review, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars, Transformers, Warwick Davis, Carrie Fisher, James Gunn, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Ian McDiarmid, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo