“Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker” Movie Review

    To call the supposedly last Star Wars film in the ‘Skywalker Saga’ one of my most anticipated films of 2019 is a bit of an understatement.  Star Wars have been an important part of my life since I was a kid.  I watched the original trilogy countless times growing up and enjoyed the expanded universe material with dreams of what that universe had to still explore.  When the prequels and later the Disney era films came out, “Star Wars” has continued to hold a special place in my heart.

    This review will continue no spoilers, only brief descriptions of events already shared through trailers or plot summaries before the film’s release.  The film follows our new generation of heroes Rey, Finn, and Poe as they seek to bring peace to the galaxy from the grips of Kylo Ren (formally Ben Solo).  A mysterious force from the past may prove a greater challenge, and danger, to both the Resistance and the First Order than anyone could have imagined.

    There was a lot for me to process upon finishing the movie but long story short, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit and I don’t feel the movie deserves the negative reviews it has been getting.  That being said, the movie is not without some flaws (some minor, a few major).  The film has many moments of jaw dropping visuals and moments fans will discuss for a long time to come but some of those moments will surely divide fans.

    The film is paced at a breakneck speed with little time to rest and makes the film feel a bit rushed at times.  Some of this was the fault of the last film, “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi”, for not building towards a climax in regards to the trilogy.  J.J. Abrams was forced to set up a conflict and resolve it in a satisfying way over the course of this single film.  For the most part I feel like Abrams has succeeded in his efforts.

    Another divisive element this film will face is the same complaint people had against Abrams’ first Star Wars film,  “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”, in that it feels like a copy of an original trilogy film.  Instead of borrowing story elements of ‘A New Hope’, this film borrows elements from ‘Return of the Jedi’.  Abrams has always seemed to struggle with originality, regardless if it’s Star Wars or Star Trek.

    One interesting note is that this film also seems to borrow quite a bit from the non-cannon expanded universe material from years ago.  Parts of this film feels lifted from the pages of “Star Wars: Dark Empire”.  Fans who have read that and have seen this film will know what I am referring to but if you haven’t, trust me, it does.

    The main complaint people will have about this film is the ending.  Of course I can’t really talk about what happens, but for a film that bills itself as ‘the end of the Skywalker saga’, it certainly leaves plenty of obvious doors open to continue.  I am not even saying that is necessarily a bad thing, but it will make some fans upset.  From Finn’s secret that never gets addressed (though hinted at) to mysteries that are left unsolved, there are plenty to explore in regards to more Star Wars films.

    I will say that I love the way this film manages to tie all the episodes together.  While most of the fan service is in regards to the original trilogy, this film doesn’t shy away from the prequel trilogy.  I also absolutely loved what this film did with the character of Chewbacca.

    The cast did an excellent job in this film with the highlights being Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Oscar Isaac, and Billy Dee Williams.  Carrie Fisher’s scenes were handled well and very carefully crafted into the movie in an organic way which was a huge concern of mine.

    “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker” isn’t a perfect film but it is still very fun and a step above ‘The Last Jedi’.  Like this film or hate it, this was a Star Wars film clearly made for the fans so we have no one to blame but ourselves if we don’t like it.  I had a good time personally and while I think most fans will need some time to digest the film, I think they will ultimately look at this film favorably.

Grade: B

“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” Movie Review

    I was first introduced to “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” (originally just titled “Star Wars” upon his release) around 1994 when the toy line was reintroduced.  The toys looked nothing like the characters in retrospect but they captured my imagination.  I wanted to see the movies which inspired the awesome looking action figures.  Unfortunately, this was back when you had to go to the video store to rent a movie so it took some time for me to watch “Star Wars” but when I did, wow, was I hooked.

    It’s no secret that as a kid, I loved everything Star Wars.  It seems so silly looking back but I remember asking my mom so many questions after watching the movie.  What happened to Darth Vader?  Will he be back?  Where was Yoda?  He had a figure and I just assumed he was in the saga from the beginning.  I remember my mom telling me to wait until I saw the next movie.  I remember rewatching the original trilogy so many times as a kid.  So much of my young life wasted on a movie series.

    That is the power of Star Wars though.  It boils down the hero’s journey into a fun science fiction fantasy.  By all intensive purposes, the movie shouldn’t have worked.  The movie was plagued with production issues.  Lucas would also be forced to create most of the film’s special effects in house (thus giving birth to Industrial Light and Magic).  It has an odd script with seemingly bizarre dialogue and most of the cast and crew were convinced the film would be a flop if it even saw the light of day.  There are numerous sites and videos that will say the film was saved in the editing, one could almost make that case about any film.

    The film is simple, a simple farm boy aspiring for a life less ordinary is thrust into a situation where he must rescue a Princess and finds out he might be the key to stopping the Death Star which is a weapon of mass destruction capable of destroying planets.

    The film starred Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and the voice of James Earl Jones.  All of these actors play such iconic characters that it is almost impossible to imagine anyone but them being capable of doing anywhere near as good of job as they did.  They just meshed so well together and had an incredible chemistry that you can’t fake.

    The film would go on to become one of the biggest blockbusters of all time and one of the most successfully merchandised movies in existence today.  Money doesn’t equal quality but it also doesn’t exclude quality either.

    The film had so much going for it.  It had an innovative style, making what was essentially a movie serial into a large budget movie.  It may be hard to imagine by today’s standards, but George Lucas also got in trouble for refusing to put opening credits in his movie, opting instead to tell a story with the now infamous opening crawl.  Up until then, most movies had some form of opening credits.

    The special effects were extremely innovative and still stand the test of time some forty years later.  Thankfully George Lucas wasn’t about to sacrifice his vision.  The movie also is famous for having the most iconic movie scores of all time by the great John Williams.  No other movie has featured so many iconic musical themes.

    Now, I think this should go without saying, but if you can’t sink your teeth into science fiction films, regardless of the quality, this isn’t a film for you.  If you are interested in that genre though, there is little you can find fault with in regards to this film.  It is about as perfect as a movie can get and I don’t say that lightly.

Grade: A+

“Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” Movie Review

    I could not wait to watch “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” as a kid.  I had just seen the original Star Wars film and could not wait to watch the sequel.  I was eager to see what adventures Luke Skywalker and the gang would get into next.  My anticipation was through the roof.
    Now, The Empire Strikes Back is famous now for being one of the few sequels to be considered superior over the original.  It often makes critics top ten lists and fans loved the film.  That wasn’t necessarily the case when the film first premiered though.  The Empire Strikes Back was first met with mixed reviews from critics who didn’t like the dark tone the series was heading into.
    The film sees a regrouped Imperial navy and army hammering the Rebellion until it has to flee it’s current base on Hoth.  The group separates as Luke goes to train on Dagobah with Yoda while Han, Leia and the rest of the gang hide in Cloud City with Lando Calrissian.  Things don’t end well for out heroes and the film ends on a huge cliffhanger.
    Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, David Prowse, and James Earl Jones all return from the previous film.  Billy Dee Williams joins the cast as the sly and charming Lando Calrissian.  Williams had auditioned for the role of Han Solo in the first film.  Frank Oz also joins the cast as the lovable and wise Jedi Master Yoda.
    George Lucas stepped aside and let Irvin Kershner direct Empire for him.  The film, like A New Hope, featured remarkable, state of the art, special effects that still hold up today.  The battle of Hoth remains breathtaking and exciting.  The score was also remarkably strong and on par with the first movie.
    The film is most famous for it’s grand revelation that remains one of the most famous and shocking twists of all time.  It’s often lampooned now and referenced but at the time, it was a literal jaw dropper no one saw coming.
    The film also introduced one of the greatest (and weirdest) love triangles ever put on film.  Everything about the film was daring though.  To end the film on such a moral low and showing that the good guys don’t always win was not something a popcorn film had done before.  The Empire Strikes Back changed cinema and changed the Star Wars saga in it’s second outing.

Grade: A+

“Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” Movie Review

    I don’t know if there will ever be a movie trilogy as fondly loved as the original Star Wars trilogy.  From the beginning to end, it felt like each movie could hold their own as individual films yet also were pieces in a bigger puzzle.  Return of the Jedi served as the final piece in that puzzle.
    After a successful rescue of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker sets off in a final attempt to seek out the good in his father while Solo and Leia lead an effort to destroy the Empire once and for all.  Along the way, revelations are made that will change the lives of our main characters forever.
    It’s no secret that Return of the Jedi is viewed by many as the weakest chapter in the original trilogy.  Many fans say that the inclusion of the Ewoks hurt the film for them.  Many claimed the Ewoks were only put into the movie to sell toys.  Well, I don’t disagree with this but I would argue that George Lucas planned every character with an eye on toys and merchandising.  What Star Wars character doesn’t have a toy in some form?  I personally liked the Ewoks and thought they enhanced the narrative.
    Return of the Jedi is my favorite chapter partly because it caps off the stellar saga so perfectly.  Nothing feels left out and every character has some sort of resolution.  It was also one of the most emotional chapters in the Star Wars saga.
    The film features the returning cast of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Alec Guinness, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, and Frank Oz.  The film introduces Ian McDiarmid as the puppeteer of Darth Vader and the Empire, the Sith Master Emperor Palpatine.  All the original stars are given their moments to shine and McDiarmid makes for a deliously evil manipulator.
    It should be noted that the movie was greatly enhanced with Harrison Ford’s involvement which was at one point in doubt (hence the ending of The Empire Strikes Back).  Luckily a solid script, some convincing, and a butt load of money led him to once again reprise the role of Han Solo.
    This film is the one perhaps hurt most by the special edition treatment.  George Lucas inserted a silly song into the Jabba’s Palace scene and a few other pointless additions that were more distracting than helpful.  Perhaps the most controversial change was replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker’s force ghost.  It feels out of place.
    Interestingly, there were a lot of changes to the original story of Return of the Jedi before filming began.  At one point, the film was to end with Luke placing the Darth Vader mask onto his own head and declaring that he was now Darth Vader.  Harrison Ford also continued his lobbying to have Han Solo die at the end.
    The film is one of my all time favorites and it boils down to the emotional battle between Luke and Darth Vader.  It’s a touching story of a son not only trying to save the soul of his dark and twisted father.  It’s the story of never giving up on someone no matter how bleak things seem.  Ultimately, it’s among the best stories of hope ever put to film.

Grade: A+

“Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” Movie Review

    After the release of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”, we Star Wars fans just accepted the fact that the franchise had officially ended.  We knew that there would always be cartoons, books, video games,  and comics but we accepted that live action Star Wars movies were now a thing of the past.  There would be no more chapters to add to the Skywalker saga and perhaps it was better that way.  No one wanted another prequel situation, where Lucas promised for more than a decade he would make more films but didn’t.  The Star Wars saga was now one with the force.

     Unbeknownst to almost everyone, George Lucas was working on a sequel trilogy and had even started to get his cast in line.  One key cast member was Mark Hamill who would once again play Luke Skywalker but would take on a more Obi-Wan Kenobi role training a young Jedi Padawan named Kira.  This obviously changed by the time the movie started filming for a number of reasons but Lucas supposedly even had a finished script.  Then Disney came along throwing around crazy money.  George Lucas had been considering retiring and when Disney got wind of this, the mouse house offered Lucas a little over four billion dollars for Lucasfilms.  George Lucas accepted the offer and the transition began with Lucas and Disney agreeing to apoint Kathleen Kennedy as the new head of Lucasfilms.  Disney also received George Lucas’ script for Episode VII in the deal which they wasted no time in throwing away.

    Disney didn’t trust George Lucas after the prequels received generally negative feedback.  They wanted to make a film for the fans.  They wanted to sell nostalgia.  In a nut shell, they wanted to remake “A New Hope” but wrap it up like a sequel and hope no one noticed.  Well, plenty of people did and it wasn’t exactly like it was a fact they were hiding.  They even hired lifetime Star Wars nerd J.J. Abrams to direct the movie.  No one really knew what a Disney Star Wars movie would be like.  We were all a little scared but also incredibly excited to see what Force Awakens had in store for us.

    The movie is set thirty years after “Return of the Jedi” and sees the galaxy has once again fell into turmoil.  The Empire was destroyed but in it’s ashes, the First Order arose.  The First Order is basically just the Empire with a different name, they even have the same stormtroopers and tie fighters and guns and so on (not much has changed).  They are led by Kylo Ren who is a Darth Vader fan boy with a secret of his own.  Kylo Ren is definitely one of the highlights of the film.  His unhinged emo and spoiled brat personality seems very different from Darth Vader’s calm and reserved demeanor.

    “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” largely ignores the legacy material which came before it.  So any event that happened in a book or comic became non-canon.  This was a wise decision in my book because so much has happened in the books that would be hard to go over in a single movie.  They did borrow fairly heavily from the legends though.

    The film stars Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and a non speaking cameo from Mark Hamill.  I like the new characters and Ridley, Boyega, and Driver are among the three best standouts.  Harrison Ford is a delight as Han Solo, one of his greatest characters.

    The film sets up a lot of interesting questions, or as Abrams describes them, mystery boxes.  The only problem with these mystery boxes is that it passes the buck onto the next filmmaker so the success of that movie is tied into the success of this movie.  John Williams once again scores this Star Wars film but it isn’t the best in the saga.

    The new characters act as stand ins for the original characters.  Rey is essentially the Luke for this trilogy.  Han is the new Obi-Wan,  Maz is the new Yoda, Poe is the new Han, Finn is the Leia of this franchise, BB-8 is the new C-3PO and R2-D2, and Ren is the new Vader.

    The film rehashes a lot of aspects from the original Star Wars but if you are going to steal and sell it as nostalgia, you can’t beat Star Wars.  The force really did awaken with this film.

Grade: A-

"Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi" Movie Review

    The Last Jedi had all the fixings to be the dark second chapter of the sequel trilogy.  The Empire Strikes Back to The Force Awaken’s A New Hope.  It was set to feature the return of fan favorite Luke Skywalker and fans were practically salivating with excitement.  So many questions were poised in The Force Awakens and while no one expected all of those questions to be answered, we were hungry for even hints.  Needless to say, when the movie finally hit and Rian Johnson decided to subvert expectations, the fan base was decidedly mixed and it has led to a huge ugly nerd war that still rages on to this day.

    Perhaps neither side is completely right or wrong.  The fans who applaud the movie have every right to do so.  The film is fun and a pleasing popcorn film.  The fans who dislike the film for not respecting the previous installments are correct as well.  I would argue that any sequel should respect the source material of previous films.  A Star Wars fan can not ignore the fact that Luke Skywalker’s character went from someone willing to risk everything to redeem his father to someone ready to murder his nephew over a vision of what may come to be.  Luke Skywalker wouldn’t do that.  Mark Hamill even expressed the same feeling during the development of this film.  The movie also took all the questions we had and basically said those answers don’t matter.
    The movie picks up almost directly after The Force Awakens and finds Rey trying to convince former Jedi Master Luke Skywalker to train her which he is very reluctant to do since he also trained Ben Solo who later became Kylo Ren.  The Resistance is on the run and things are looking dark for our heroes.
    Much of what makes the film so entertaining is it’s cast.  With Harrison Ford no longer in the new films, Mark Hamill takes up the role of the wise mentor.  Daisy Ridley once again delivers a strong performance as Rey, a young Force sensitive whose powers scare even herself.  This film is also noteable for being the  final film Carrie Fisher shot before passing way.
    While the cast is undeniably talented, the script leaves a lot to be desired.  I am not sure the reason for some of Johnson’s choices but I feel like he went for the easiest solutions to questions set up by J.J. Abrams.  Who is Snoke?  It’s too hard to explain how he is more powerful than Palpatine so let’s just not explain it and get rid of the character.  Rey was hinted at having parents of importance, well that would be hard to explain so let’s just say they were nobodies.  So many seemingly lazy script writing decisions beyond what he did with Luke.
    The Last Jedi is a good movie but just isn’t a great Star Wars film.  I feel like it’s the type of chapter that will be mainly glossed over in the future.  I just hope the next episode is a step in the right direction for a change.

Grade: C+

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” Movie Review

    “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” was the first Star Wars spin-off film to be announced from Disney films.  The film is essentially an adaptation of the opening crawl from the first movie way back in 1977.  I didn’t know what to expect from this movie but I was feeling positive after “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”.  This film ended up turning out to be rather divisive among fans of the Star Wars saga.  Some fans hail it as one of the best Star Wars films ever while others view it as a misstep from Disney.
    The film is set right before the events depicted in the original Star Wars film (A New Hope) and revolves around the mission to steal the Death Star plans.  This movie allows the Star Wars franchise to fill in some plot holes like why it took the first Death Star so long to be built while the second Death Star could be built relatively quickly.  It is an interesting idea and exploring a time without the Jedi order is a fresh concept.
    The film was directed by Gareth Edwards fresh off of Warner Bros. "Godzilla" reboot.  The film was plagued with production issues and much of the movie ended up being reshot.  Tony Gilroy reportedly took over directing duties from Edwards after Lucasfilms was said to be unhappy with some of his work (although Edwards remained the only credited director).  The trailer for the film features many alternative scenes later re-filmed by Gilroy.
    The cast is made up of Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Mads Mikkelsen, and Forest Whitaker.  They all do a fine job but the clear standout is actually Alan Tudyk as K-2SO.  How Tudyk hasn't become a bigger star is beyond me.  Cameos by Jimmy Smits and Anthony Daniels also helps it feel connected to the prequel and original trilogies.
    I couldn't talk about Rogue One without bringing up the computer animation they used to varying success.  Grand Moff Tarkin reappears in the film with Guy Henry taking over the role.  However, the late Peter Cushing's face was digitally inserted onto Henry's face to make it seem like Peter Cushing was still alive and reprising his role.  The Tarkin scenes worked well when played in the shadows but when he was in clearer view, it was distracting.  Same goes for the cameo by Princess Leia.  Ingvid Deila provided the physical stand in while Carrie Fisher's face was superimposed onto her body.  This scene in particular has a bit of an uncanny valley feel.  James Earl Jones also once again provides the voice of Darth Vader though his voice seems off in this film.  Darth Vader's scene at the end is definitely the highlight of the movie though.
    "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" feels like it was missing something.  It was a solid science fiction story but nothing really stood out besides the Vader scene.  As bad as they could be at times, even the prequels had some epic scenes.  This film just personally feels lacking and I can't help but side with those who feel like it was a misstep for Disney (although not a huge one either).

Grade: C+

“The Star Wars Holiday Special” Movie Review

    Growing up, I became obsessed with “Star Wars”.  I watched all the Star Wars content I could get my hands on and I loved every minute of it.  I was a super nerd.  I have since settled down a bit (although I am sure my girlfriend would disagree on that front), I still love me some Star Wars.  I watched all of the original trilogy at the time and thought I had watched all there was to offer on the Star Wars front.  Then I heard whispers of a Holiday Special.  Being a kid growing up in the 1990s, I didn’t have the internet to check.  There was no IMDb, no Wikipedia, all we had were whispers in the wind.  (I know we had books too, but even libraries are limited in their content.  So my search for “The Star Wars Holiday Special” began.

    The film is now easily accessible on sites like YouTube but for awhile, the only way to view it was bootleg VHS tapes and DVD.  I remember buying a bootleg VHS copy of the movie and being very excited only to discover the poor quality of the VHS tape.  Kids today will never understand how bad the VHS tape quality could be.

    “The Star Wars Holiday Special” has a reputation for being notoriously bad.  George Lucas hated the film and it has never been officially released.  You know it has to be on another level bad when George Lucas disowns it.  It should be noted that this special is noteworthy for being the first “sequel/spin-off” to the original “Star Wars” predating “The Empire Strikes Back”.  It also marked the debut of fan favorite character Boba Fett. He appeared in an animated short within the special.

    The film focuses on Chewbecca’s family.  Chewbecca has a wife (Malla), son (Lumpy), and father (Itchy) who still live on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk.  Life Day is fast approaching so Han Solo and Chewbecca rush Chewie back home to reunite with his family and celebrate the holiday.  The film is excessively abstract and presents itself in a variety show format.  Surprisingly, almost all of the original cast makes an appearance in this special.  Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, and James Earl Jones all reprise their roles.
    The film turned out to be as terrible as the whispers in the wind claimed it was.  First of all, most of the film focuses on Chewbecca’s family.  Who ever thought that a film with little dialogue and mainly howls was a good idea must have been a complete nut.  There is also a strange, borderline disgusting segment where Itchy gets very excited watching Diahann Carroll and it is every bit as unpleasant as it sounds.  New stars to the franchise include comedians Harvey Korman, Art Carney, and Bea Arthur all not fitting in well with their surroundings.  Did I mention Bea Arthur and Carrie Fisher sing in this film?  Yep, I guess the Life Day celebration consists of Carrie Fisher singing a word version of the iconic “Star Wars” theme.  It was that weird.

    The film is an interesting watch for a hardcore Star Wars fan but even they might not be able to stomach this film.  It’s just a good thing “The Empire Strikes Back” went in a very different direction.

Grade: F