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Review: Rise of Skywalker
Dec. 21st, 2019 12:43 pmLike most Star Wars flicks, Rise of Skywalker isn’t a good film. (1)
On the other hand, it is a decent conjuring, in modern form, of the charm of old serials. Appealing protagonists lurch from trouble to trouble, complication to complication, very occasionally pausing for a snatch of dialog or a vague gesture at character development. Then the run time is over, and things are resolved with the pleasure and grace of a Band-Aid being ripped off.
Interpolation of the story beats can reveal vestigial traces of theme. Something along the lines of “When fascists do bad things, people should come together to stop them.” One might object to this as overly simplistic; but current events have shown that even something this basic is beyond the moral capabilities of an unfortunate number of people. But fear not, even if you have the willful blindness and shriveled heart of an editor at the New York Times you can at least coo at the excellent costumes designed for the villains.
If you want a film that subtly uses character, plot and myth to explore oppression and solidarity, attraction and betrayal, go see Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which is easily one of the best films of the year.
But very few people are going to watch a French feminist historical drama, and tons will see Rise of Skywalker. Most of them will probably enjoy the uncomplicated pleasure of freebasing action scenes, even as critics deplore the absence of Last Jedi’s middlebrow affectations.
Rating: C+ execution of a B film
(1) By my reckoning, the original Star Wars, Empire, and about half of Last Jedi are “good”
On the other hand, it is a decent conjuring, in modern form, of the charm of old serials. Appealing protagonists lurch from trouble to trouble, complication to complication, very occasionally pausing for a snatch of dialog or a vague gesture at character development. Then the run time is over, and things are resolved with the pleasure and grace of a Band-Aid being ripped off.
Interpolation of the story beats can reveal vestigial traces of theme. Something along the lines of “When fascists do bad things, people should come together to stop them.” One might object to this as overly simplistic; but current events have shown that even something this basic is beyond the moral capabilities of an unfortunate number of people. But fear not, even if you have the willful blindness and shriveled heart of an editor at the New York Times you can at least coo at the excellent costumes designed for the villains.
If you want a film that subtly uses character, plot and myth to explore oppression and solidarity, attraction and betrayal, go see Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which is easily one of the best films of the year.
But very few people are going to watch a French feminist historical drama, and tons will see Rise of Skywalker. Most of them will probably enjoy the uncomplicated pleasure of freebasing action scenes, even as critics deplore the absence of Last Jedi’s middlebrow affectations.
Rating: C+ execution of a B film
(1) By my reckoning, the original Star Wars, Empire, and about half of Last Jedi are “good”
