Emperor Palpatine, who was the lord of the Sith, was believed to be dead for decades after Darth Vader threw him down a reactor shaft, but he managed to survive, barely. Kylo Ren finds Palpatine and his mission is to bring Rey to him. Rey’s power is growing and her Jedi skills are getting better everyday. Rey and her friends in the Resistance want to put an end to the First Order, so that good can rule over the galaxy once again.
Blaine: For each one of these new “Star Wars” movies I feel more is put into the next compared to the last. “The Rise of Skywalker” has so much feeling to it. Actors like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver put so much into their performances. They give these characters emotions and they do a spectacular job at expressing what they believe the character is feeling. They show strong facial expressions through the face and the eyes. Everyone who works on these movies, from the screenwriters, to the director, to the actors put so much into these movies. Everyone who is involved with these movies are fans like us and “Star Wars” means so much to them that they want the audience to feel something as they are watching the movie.
“The Rise of Skywalker” was originally supposed to be directed by Colin Trevorrow, the filmmaker behind the “Jurassic World” movies. He even developed the script for “Rise of Skywalker” with his pal Derek Connolly. They spent two years working on it, but by the time the script was turned in, Disney couldn’t accept it for what it was. They wanted changes to be made to it. Colin couldn’t accept that and because Disney wasn’t going to allow him to make the “Star Wars” movie he wanted to make he walked out of the project.
J.J. Abrams was asked if he could take Colin’s place as director. They loved what he did with “The Force Awakens” and trusted him to do a good job with “Rise of Skywalker”. J.J. was nervous about taking on “Star Wars” again. It was already a huge responsibility when he took on “The Force Awakens”. Now he was going to be in charge of ending this new “Star Wars” trilogy he helped start. Disney believed in J.J. and everyone supported J.J. on set because they love working with him.
Disney did keep Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly’s script, but a lot of pieces to it were changed by J.J. Abrams and “Argo” screenwriter Chris Terrio. The biggest change to the script was bringing back Emperor Palpatine. That was J.J. Abrams idea. Ian McDiarmid, the actor who has played Palpatine through the “Star Wars” saga, always believed the character was dead. At the end of the original “Star Wars” trilogy, Darth Vader grabbed Palpatine to save his son, Luke Skywalker, and threw him down a reactor shaft. George Lucas made it clear to Ian that Palpatine was dead after the “Star Wars” prequel was complete. But of course “Star Wars” doesn’t belong to George Lucas anymore after selling the rights to Disney. George is also letting other people who are fans of his creation bring their own ideas to the franchise.
I believe J.J. Abrams created the character, Rey. He knows Rey better than anyone, including the actress who plays the character, Daisy Ridley. One of the things J.J. did with Rey, when she was first introduced to the world, was have a mystery added to her background. Rey has been obsessed in knowing where her family is and why they haven’t come back. I don’t think J.J. knew what Rey’s background was actually going to be, so it was just as much of a mystery to him as the audience. I guess J.J. wanted to see what other filmmakers came up with for Rey and figure out who Rey’s family is. I mean Rian Johnson continued Rey’s journey when he wrote the next character after “The Force Awakens”, “The Last Jedi”. And “The Rise of Skywalker” was almost in Colin Trevorrow’s hands before he dropped out. When J.J. was asked to come back it was up to him to figure out who Rey’s family is.
J.J. told Daisy that Rey would be acting more like a grown up in “Rise of Skywalker” compared to how she was in the beginning. In the beginning, Rey thought of herself as no one and she kept holding herself back. But she has been through so much after Finn and BB-8 came into her life, which led to many adventures and she made good friends through it. Rey also was discovering things about herself she never knew, like the fact that she is one with the force. Rey met great leaders, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Leia and she has nothing but love for them. Rey was finding herself in places she never would have expected. Rey knew that the First Order was evil and she is against it, but she didn’t want to be involved in fighting it. Like I said she was holding herself back. But Rey saw what evil was truly like when Kylo Ren killed Han Solo and it wasn’t till then that Rey couldn’t stand for this. She wanted to become a fighter. Rey spent some time with Luke in order to learn the ways of the force. I think Rey saw a bit of herself in Luke. Luke wasn’t himself. He was acting like a man who has doubts and gave up on things. Luke was a little hard to read for Rey, but she did see that he was holding himself back and she could understand that feeling. Rey is growing more powerful with the force and she has Leia as her new teacher, now that Luke is gone. Rey is also the Resistance’s ultimate weapon. For example she uses the Jedi mid trick on two Stormtroopers while breaking into one of the enemy’s ships.
Rey was pissed at Kylo Ren for killing Han Solo. She couldn’t stand to look at him or feel his presence. Then Rey learned what it was that made Kylo Ren so twisted and evil inside and she thought she could reason with him in order to make him a good guy, but that didn’t work. And then Kylo was doing the same thing to Rey, by making her switch sides and Rey couldn’t stand Kylo again. Kylo Ren is really getting on Rey’s nerves in “The Rise of Skywalker”. Kylo Ren keeps telling Rey she is meant to be evil and that she should join the dark side. Rey is getting very annoyed because of that. It’s like Darth Vader trying to convince his son, Luke Skywalker, to join the dark side. Kylo Ren and Rey have that similar situation that Luke and Darth Vader went through.
Other than that, I want to talk about Finn too. Like Rey, Finn has come a long way since “The Force Awakens”. He was a cowered in the beginning, but he also had an inside voice telling him that he shouldn’t run away from friends. Finn didn’t like his place in life, which was working for the bad guys, but he managed to find his way in being on the good guys’ side and they’ve shown him kindness.
And working for the Resistance has made Finn a stronger person. He’s a fighter now.
In “The Rise of Skywalker”, Finn discovers he is not the only Stormtrooper who switched sides. On a planet called Kef Bir, the Resistance team meets more allies and Finn gets to know their leader, Jannah, played by Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth). Finn is completely amazed to discover that he is not alone. They all have so much in common. They were Stormtroopers, but that’s not what they wanted to be in life. It just didn’t feel right for them. They may have been taught to work for the bad guys, but their hearts belong somewhere else. Finn doesn’t know where he comes from because the First Order took control of his life, along with those other Stormtroopers who wanted to be good. Another thing about Finn is through each one of these movies he teams up with a female partner. Finn buddied up with Rey in “The Force Awakens”, then found a new partner, Rose Tico, in “The Last Jedi”, and she showed romantic feelings for him. Now there’s Jannah, but I would say their relationship is more like a brother sister thing. Finn and Jannah stick to each other like glue.
J.J. Abrams was the co-creator of a series called “Felicity” with Keri Russell as the star and Keri also had a small part in the third “Mission Impossible”, which J.J. directed. J.J. contacted Keri asking if she was interested in playing one of the new characters, Zorii Bliss, being introduced into “Star Wars”. Keri asked why anyone would say no to “Star Wars”. “Star Wars” was the first thing Keri remembers watching in her youth and she always loved the franchise growing up. Keri was going to have to cover her face the whole time through a helmet and she was cool with that. The helmet makes her character mysterious and serious. Zorii doesn’t have a lot of action scenes in “Rise of Skywalker”, but she feels like a strong presence because she is a positive and strong spirited woman. Stormtroopers are invading Zorii’s home planet like the Nazis did in order to find Jews. They are looking for Rey and the others and Zorro helps them hide.
Carrie Fisher died before “Rise of Skywalker” ever began production and J.J. wanted to bring her back. Digital effects can do anything these days, even bring back the dead, but J.J. didn’t want that. There was a lot footage of Carrie Fisher that was never used for “The Force Awakens” and J.J. felt it could come in handy for “Rise of Skywalker”. It’s amazing how that footage fits perfectly with every single scene that shows Leia in “The Rise of Skywalker”. Leia does pass away in “The Rise of Skywalker” and she is shown as a silhouette. Now all three of the legendary characters, Han, Luke and Leia, are gone.
At one point it is made to look like another beloved character gets killed off, Chewbacca. Stormtroopers take Chewbacca away in a ship and Rey tries to stop the ship by using the force and Kylo Ren is trying to ruin it for her by using the force as well. Then Rey accidentally zaps the ship with the static in her fingers and destroys it. Rey is so upset feeling responsible for Chewy’s death that it feels like she was the one who was blown up in that ship. I didn’t believe Chewbacca was dead for one second because Wookies shouldn’t be killed off. Imagine how hard that would be on children if their favorite fuzzy alien was destroyed. Chewbacca was on another ship, so Rey didn’t kill him and it relieves her to sense that he is still alive.
This new “Star Wars” trilogy is all about bringing back the iconic characters who were there in the beginning, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia, more than forty years later. Characters like Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO have been involved with the original, prequel and new trilogy. “Rise of Skywalker” brings back another familiar face, Lando Calrissian. There have been two sides to Lando. Lando is the type of character who smiles a lot and is fun. He was ashamed with himself for portraying Han Solo and selling him off to the Empire in “Empire Strikes Back”. But Lando made it all up by helping get Han back and leading the Rebel starfleet inside the second Death Star in order to destroy it. Now he comes back helping the good guys once again and he does it with a smile, like always. Lando is also the positive type. He knows good will always win against evil. Lando believed in Han to take down the shield, so that way the Rebels could go inside the second Death Star to destroy it. And Lando believes Poe can be as great of a leader as Leia was. At the end of “Rise of Skywalker”, Lando introduces himself to Jannah and he wants to help Jannah find out where she comes from. Jannah gets to meet all kinds of people she has a fondness for like Finn and Lando and something tells me she is going to see a father figure in Lando.
Rey’s family is finally revealed in “The Rise of Skywalker” and it’s something you would never expect. Rey is the granddaughter of Palpatine. You would never think someone who is as dark as Palpatine would have children. He looks like he wants two things in life and that is power and for evil to rule the galaxy. Palpatine is full of secrets. He was able to hide his true identity from the Jedi, while there was a war between good and evil going on. What they didn’t know was Palpatine was a Sith Lord and he was the reason there was a fight going on. Palpatine managed to hide one other thing, and that was Darth Vader wasn’t the only villain who was a father. Everyone wants to hide their children from Palpatine because they know he’ll just take advantage of them and turn them evil. Luke and Leia had to be separated shortly after they were born so that Palpatine couldn’t sense their whereabouts and know they existed. Palpatine’s own blood tried to keep Rey away from him by hiding her. Rey’s parents loved her and leaving her was the only thing they could do just so she would be safe. Rey has the same power Palpatine has. I always thought the helping people cheat death thing was something Palpatine made up when he seduced Darth Vader in joining the dark side, but I guess it wasn’t a lie after all. Rey has the power to heal others and there’s the proof.
Kylo Ren is stalking Rey and he keeps getting on her bad side. Rey goes at Kylo Ren and is using all of her anger on him. The problem with Kylo Ren is he has too much hate in his system. Kylo Ren has been trying to be like his grandfather, Darth Vader, but Kylo Ren doesn’t realize that he is like Vader in every way. I think Vader would tell Kylo Ren that himself if he showed up as a spirit. Being seduced by the dark side, having anger issues, wearing black, but I don’t think Kylo Ren knows all the details on Vader. Palpatine knew what Vader’s weakness was and that was losing the ones he loved most in life. Palpatine seduced Vader by saying he has a solution, which was the power to help cheat death. But in return Vader had to do a lot of dark deeds. Vader wasn’t himself after that. Kylo Ren has been pushing his loved ones away when all they want to do is help him because they really care for him. Using the force, Leia uses all her strength to help get all the hot air out of Kylo Ren’s head. Leia wouldn’t have given her own life if she didn’t love her son and Kylo Ren is feeling different.
While Kylo Ren is distracted in feeling his mom, Rey puts a lightsaber through his chest and nearly kills him. Rey suddenly feels Leia too and realizes she has passed on. Rey notices what a horrible thing she has just done. Rey is afraid she is becoming a monster worse than what she thought Kylo Ren was. Rey doesn’t want to be evil. Instead of letting Kylo Ren die, she uses her powers to heal him. Rey goes off and it’s just Kylo Ren by himself. Harrison Ford makes a cameo as the late Han Solo returning as a spirit to show Kylo Ren that he loves him. Kylo Ren feels evil no more and he wants to make things right.
Another spirit who shows up is the late Luke Skywalker. The Force can make you see the dead and Luke lives on in spirit just like Obi-Wan and Yoda. Rey doesn’t know what to think of herself, knowing that a Sith lord is her grandfather and fearing that’ll cause her to become evil, but Luke knows Rey could never be something she doesn’t want to be because she has heart. Leia knew the truth about Rey’s family and she didn’t care because she saw a person with a soul. Rey goes to confront her grandfather and put an end to evil.
Kylo Ren meets up with Rey because they make a great team. They worked with each other to take down the last bad guy, Snoke, and then they had their differences again. But now they’re working as a team again to go up against Palpatine, only this time they are both on the exact same side. Rey hears the voices of the Jedi who are deceased, and they believe in Rey because she’s their last hope. Rey has also shown how strong in spirit she is. She is strong enough to resist the dark side and do everything she could to help the good guys. With the support of the Jedi, Rey believes in herself in destroying Palpatine and putting an end to the Sith……once and for all.
Rey used every bit of strength she had to defeat Palpatine, which took out the life in her. Kylo Ren won’t allow that. Rey may have transferred some of her powers to Kylo Ren when she healed him. And he uses that same power to resurrect Rey. Another unexpected surprise comes after that. Rey and Kylo Ren kiss each other. Kylo Ren looked like he was jealous of Rey for being stronger than him, but what he really must have been feeling was something else, something romantic. But I don’t think he knew the feelings he had deep inside him. It’s like when you’re at a very young age and you’re asking yourself what love feels like or you’re just a young kid admitting you don’t have a crush believing you shouldn’t like girls. It can also make you shy. Rey is unlike any other person Kylo Ren has ever met and both him and Rey realize they like each other a lot. Sadly the romantic relationship ends too soon, for Kylo Ren is no more. Kylo gave his own life to restore Rey’s.
The First Order outnumbers the Resistance as they fight each other in the sky, but help will always come to the good side and just when all hope is lost, a number of ships, led by the Millennium Falcon comes to the rescue.
Rey goes to the home Luke grew up in on the planet Tatooine and burries both Luke and Leia’s lightsabers. Rey feels it is time to put them to rest. After that, Rey pulls out her own lightsaber, which is yellow. It’s time to put the past behind and start a new chapter. Rey is not only the last Jedi, but the most powerful one alive. Rey feels like a powerful figure at the end. I believe her goal is to do the same thing Luke was planning, which was create a new race of Jedi. She’ll be a great leader. A stranger shows up and asks Rey who she is. When this new “Star Wars” trilogy started, my guess was Rey might be Luke Skywalker’s blood, but those thoughts changed while watching “The Last Jedi”. However, what I predicted did come true, but in a different way.
Rey will never think of herself as Palpatine. She has too much good in her unlike her grandfather. Rey thinks of herself more as a Skywalker because Leia and Luke were like parents to her. Rey got so much love and hugs from Leia. And Luke would be serious with Rey at times, but he also messed around with her like a father would. The both of them even accepted Rey for who she is, even though she is the granddaughter of an evil man who wants to rule the galaxy. Family is what you make of it.
My rating on “The Rise of Skywalker” is five out of five stars
