The Rise of Skywalker: Professional Reviews

special_cases wrote:I heard that even RedLetterMedia thinks that TLJ is better movie than TROS.

Cowgirlsamurai wrote:The Rise of Skywalker Lets Rey Down in the Most Unforgivable Way Possible

Andrew Todd wrote:
If movies’ final scenes and shots are their final statements (and they are), the final statement of The Rise of Skywalker drags Rey back to the lonely place she began. The visual language places her alone in yet another desert, surrounded only by dead people and sand. Yes, she has friends elsewhere, but that’s just it – they’re offscreen. In addition to being kinda hokey, Rey taking the name “Skywalker” suggests that the Skywalkers are the family she’s been looking for all along – only, they’re all dead, and the one closest to Rey doesn’t even get to live on in the Force. That’s incredibly significant symbolically, especially since Rey was looking to fill the emotional hole of missing parents all along. If Abrams wanted the ending to say that Rey had found a new family in her friends, he would have placed her alongside that family. This ending is like ending Return of the Jedi on Vader’s funeral pyre instead of the subsequent celebration.

For anyone who’s struggled with isolation or loneliness, this ending is absolutely crushing. It tells those people that no matter what they do, they’ll always be alone; that their closest companions will all die; and through Ben’s absence, that the person with whom they connected most intimately will be straight-up forgotten. It confirms deep, terrible fears. Final images mean a lot, and this final image is damaging and hurtful, made all the crueller because Rey’s passed over in favour of cramming in yet another bit of Star Wars iconography.

The Rise of Skywalker reverses much of that. By turning Rey from a nobody into the granddaughter of the most powerful Force-user in history, it shrinks the universe and contradicts The Last Jedi’s central message, telling Rey she’s only important and powerful because she was born into an important and powerful family. It turns all her positive, hard-won self-actualisation into ominous foreshadowing for the return of the wrinkly-face sparky-finger man. And by killing off Ben Solo, the film also robs her of the companionship she desired from her nascent dyad twin – her connection with whom is one of the few elements actually carried forward from The Last Jedi.

These movies are important to people. People identify with and invest in these characters. Maybe we have to “turn off our brains” to accept nonsensical plotting, but it’s a little harder to turn off our hearts.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced us to a girl with abandonment issues who put on a dusty old space helmet and looked to the stars, yearning to be somebody. Numerous audience members no doubt saw themselves in Rey. The Last Jedi sent those audience members a message unprecedented in Star Wars: that even “nobodies” can become somebodies – they need only muster the spark to do so. Over-optimistic? Maybe. But in The Rise of Skywalker, anyone who identified with that girl in the desert is outright denied that optimism, told that their importance is pre-defined by a lineage out of their control. And worst of all, in its ultimate cinematic statement, it tells you that you’ll just end up alone anyway.

In another desert.

Surrounded by ghosts.

I’m not sure that Adam Driver’s latest director and, by extension, the newest Star Wars saga, The Rise of Skywalker, know any of this. They are on the wrong side of history. This movie and this director do not know Adam Driver is hot.

Abrams’s lack of awareness of Driver’s hotness began with The Force Awakens, a fine movie he directed, in which we’re introduced to the villainous Kylo Ren. After he denounces his Jedi heritage, Kylo fashions himself a Darth Vader–esque helmet with silver inlay.

The mask, however, is not a good idea. Adam Driver is hot, and his hotness should not be obstructed by a Toys ’R’ Us (RIP, you’ll live forever in our hearts) nostalgia replica of Vader’s swag.

Rian Johnson, knowing Driver is hot and the helmet is ridiculous, scripted Snoke to say as much: “Take that ridiculous thing off!” Kylo smashes the helmet, freed to be shirtless, toweled, and oiledt! Up! as he coos warnings and threats into Rey’s ear. “Adam looks so damn good because he’d been training hard-core for the past six months for those fight scenes,” Johnson said upon the film’s release. “I’m like, ‘Eh. He looks so good. We should put him up there.’” He said it, and he was right to say it!

For some time now, I have been convinced that J.J. Abrams does not realize Adam Driver is hot, which is a shame. Driver’s weirdo-intense attractiveness — hotly debated, to be sure — has been deployed effectively by other (better) directors in other (better) movies.

In conclusion: Adam Driver is hot, and it will be a blight on the legacy of the J.J. Abrams Star Wars movies as their director is intent on not acknowledging this.

Lily Snape wrote:In case this hasn’t been posted yet.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/following-the-rise-of-skywalker-what-is-there-left-to-say-about-reylo

And this.

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-best-reylo-scenes-ranked/

Quote wrote:
But, no, Rey doesn't get to live where she would be logically happier, or where it makes sense; she goes where the fan service is stronger, and the twin suns of Tatooine were unparalleled -- until now. When an old woman asks Rey her family name, she answers "Skywalker," which doesn't hold up to close examination. Luke Skywalker refused to train her, Leia's name was Organa, Ben and Han were Solos, and she's standing on the Lars' buried homestead. And although it makes sense that she would lie about her true ancestry, denying the Palpatine name still reeks of burying her darker side, which worked really well for the Jedi Order.

Compare this ending of a lonely girl on a barren planet lying to strangers about her family name to the ending of The Return of the Jedi, where Luke, Han, and Leia are surrounded by life and celebration, and everyone is radiant with love and living family. Or compare it to the ending of The Last Jedi, where a Force-sensitive boy is looking up at shooting star. Or even the final scene of Revenge of the Sith, which takes place in the same spot after the fall of the Republic, the death of Padmé and the rise of Darth Vader -- but at least in that little spot there's love, family, life and hope.

Atenais wrote:

Cowgirlsamurai wrote:The Rise of Skywalker Lets Rey Down in the Most Unforgivable Way Possible

Andrew Todd wrote:
If movies’ final scenes and shots are their final statements (and they are), the final statement of The Rise of Skywalker drags Rey back to the lonely place she began. The visual language places her alone in yet another desert, surrounded only by dead people and sand. Yes, she has friends elsewhere, but that’s just it – they’re offscreen. In addition to being kinda hokey, Rey taking the name “Skywalker” suggests that the Skywalkers are the family she’s been looking for all along – only, they’re all dead, and the one closest to Rey doesn’t even get to live on in the Force. That’s incredibly significant symbolically, especially since Rey was looking to fill the emotional hole of missing parents all along. If Abrams wanted the ending to say that Rey had found a new family in her friends, he would have placed her alongside that family. This ending is like ending Return of the Jedi on Vader’s funeral pyre instead of the subsequent celebration.

For anyone who’s struggled with isolation or loneliness, this ending is absolutely crushing. It tells those people that no matter what they do, they’ll always be alone; that their closest companions will all die; and through Ben’s absence, that the person with whom they connected most intimately will be straight-up forgotten. It confirms deep, terrible fears. Final images mean a lot, and this final image is damaging and hurtful, made all the crueller because Rey’s passed over in favour of cramming in yet another bit of Star Wars iconography.

@Cowgirlsamurai

The Rise of Skywalker reverses much of that. By turning Rey from a nobody into the granddaughter of the most powerful Force-user in history, it shrinks the universe and contradicts The Last Jedi’s central message, telling Rey she’s only important and powerful because she was born into an important and powerful family. It turns all her positive, hard-won self-actualisation into ominous foreshadowing for the return of the wrinkly-face sparky-finger man. And by killing off Ben Solo, the film also robs her of the companionship she desired from her nascent dyad twin – her connection with whom is one of the few elements actually carried forward from The Last Jedi.

These movies are important to people. People identify with and invest in these characters. Maybe we have to “turn off our brains” to accept nonsensical plotting, but it’s a little harder to turn off our hearts.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced us to a girl with abandonment issues who put on a dusty old space helmet and looked to the stars, yearning to be somebody. Numerous audience members no doubt saw themselves in Rey. The Last Jedi sent those audience members a message unprecedented in Star Wars: that even “nobodies” can become somebodies – they need only muster the spark to do so. Over-optimistic? Maybe. But in The Rise of Skywalker, anyone who identified with that girl in the desert is outright denied that optimism, told that their importance is pre-defined by a lineage out of their control. And worst of all, in its ultimate cinematic statement, it tells you that you’ll just end up alone anyway.

In another desert.

Surrounded by ghosts.

What a sad article...

motherofpearl1 wrote:

Atenais wrote:

Cowgirlsamurai wrote:The Rise of Skywalker Lets Rey Down in the Most Unforgivable Way Possible

Andrew Todd wrote:
If movies’ final scenes and shots are their final statements (and they are), the final statement of The Rise of Skywalker drags Rey back to the lonely place she began. The visual language places her alone in yet another desert, surrounded only by dead people and sand. Yes, she has friends elsewhere, but that’s just it – they’re offscreen. In addition to being kinda hokey, Rey taking the name “Skywalker” suggests that the Skywalkers are the family she’s been looking for all along – only, they’re all dead, and the one closest to Rey doesn’t even get to live on in the Force. That’s incredibly significant symbolically, especially since Rey was looking to fill the emotional hole of missing parents all along. If Abrams wanted the ending to say that Rey had found a new family in her friends, he would have placed her alongside that family. This ending is like ending Return of the Jedi on Vader’s funeral pyre instead of the subsequent celebration.

For anyone who’s struggled with isolation or loneliness, this ending is absolutely crushing. It tells those people that no matter what they do, they’ll always be alone; that their closest companions will all die; and through Ben’s absence, that the person with whom they connected most intimately will be straight-up forgotten. It confirms deep, terrible fears. Final images mean a lot, and this final image is damaging and hurtful, made all the crueller because Rey’s passed over in favour of cramming in yet another bit of Star Wars iconography.

@Cowgirlsamurai

The Rise of Skywalker reverses much of that. By turning Rey from a nobody into the granddaughter of the most powerful Force-user in history, it shrinks the universe and contradicts The Last Jedi’s central message, telling Rey she’s only important and powerful because she was born into an important and powerful family. It turns all her positive, hard-won self-actualisation into ominous foreshadowing for the return of the wrinkly-face sparky-finger man. And by killing off Ben Solo, the film also robs her of the companionship she desired from her nascent dyad twin – her connection with whom is one of the few elements actually carried forward from The Last Jedi.

These movies are important to people. People identify with and invest in these characters. Maybe we have to “turn off our brains” to accept nonsensical plotting, but it’s a little harder to turn off our hearts.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced us to a girl with abandonment issues who put on a dusty old space helmet and looked to the stars, yearning to be somebody. Numerous audience members no doubt saw themselves in Rey. The Last Jedi sent those audience members a message unprecedented in Star Wars: that even “nobodies” can become somebodies – they need only muster the spark to do so. Over-optimistic? Maybe. But in The Rise of Skywalker, anyone who identified with that girl in the desert is outright denied that optimism, told that their importance is pre-defined by a lineage out of their control. And worst of all, in its ultimate cinematic statement, it tells you that you’ll just end up alone anyway.

In another desert.

Surrounded by ghosts.

What a sad article...

Sad, but it's nice to know the reviewers feel the same as we do.

I was looking at my copies of TFA and TLJ today and the thought occurred to me, that TROS has completed tainted the entire saga....it's essentially rendered the Skywalker/Solos as unimportant. They killed off Kylo because antis wanted him to pay for killing Han Solo.
The idiots chose to ignore that how Ben's dead, so is the Solo bloodline. Han died for nothing.
I don't think I'll ever be able to watch the entire saga again....our heroes never did get a happy ending.

If they thought giving Rey the Skywalker name would make it up to us, they're spectacularly wrong. Especially now they've decided she's the Emperor's granddaughter.

This film is currently enjoying some success at the box office but the repercussions are yet to hit. I saw TLJ eight times in the cinema. Once is enough for me with this one. They've killed off their best character.
I really hope I might want to see the other films again, but even if I do I keep thinking how unhappy the ending of the Skywalker/Solo saga is.

I wonder if they'll be able to sell the merchandise now? I think they've made a mistake delaying the art book. I still want to buy it, but a lot of people won't. And now I read that apparently the author is okay with the horrible ending, I've no intention of getting the novel now.

Lindsey Romain wrote:
Does Ben live in Rey now?
If you look at Force healing that way, it could explain the absence of Ben’s Force ghost at the end of the film. Though their Force dyad bond is drained by Palpatine, seemingly severing their powerful connection, Ben uses the last of his strength to resurrect a dead Rey. If the whole “putting your life into the thing you heal” bit is accurate, then maybe Ben’s soul now lives inside Rey. It’s why Leia was able to cross over—she’s happy knowing her son is at peace. Now, he can be a Force ghost when Rey dies, and their bond can continue into the next life. “Live together, die together” feels like a very Force dyad thing.

The idea of souls living within other bodies is set up elsewhere in the film. Palpatine mentions that he is “all of the Sith,” and tries to transfer that to his granddaughter Rey. She also channels the Jedi and mentions that she’s all of them. Obviously the Force healing bit would make this more literal in the case of Ben, but the idea that we carry people with us is presented multiple times in the film, so it feels like a theme.

Maybe that’s why Rey doesn’t grieve Ben at the end. Because she knows she carries him with her still, and that one day—when she dies—all of the Skywalkers will reunite once again. Including her. For a film that feels otherwise a little void of clarity and hope, it’s a read on the ending that feels peaceful. Kylo Ren really did finish what Vader started: He learned how to save the person he loved, and to be with her forever.

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.

Kyla Ren wrote:

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.

@Saracene

I agree.  And at this point I would say the only way they can fix things is to bring Ben back so he can be with Rey and have a normal life with her.  But I guess that would mean bringing him back from the dead or the world between worlds or getting his soul out of her if they do confirm that he lives within her.  And I guess that's unlikely, although I'm still hoping.

I really think they should have been clearer about Ben's fate.  But they probably wanted to keep their options open, just like they did in TFA which is probably what led to this mess of a trilogy in the first place.

Lily Snape wrote:

Kyla Ren wrote:

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.

@Saracene

I agree.  And at this point I would say the only way they can fix things is to bring Ben back so he can be with Rey and have a normal life with her.  But I guess that would mean bringing him back from the dead or the world between worlds or getting his soul out of her if they do confirm that he lives within her.  And I guess that's unlikely, although I'm still hoping.

I really think they should have been clearer about Ben's fate.  But they probably wanted to keep their options open, just like they did in TFA which is probably what led to this mess of a trilogy in the first place.

@Kyla Ren

They probably want to sell a series of novels or comics or something, but how about just a simple post-credits scene on the video release:  they didn’t have to explain how Maul or Ahsoka or Palpatine lived, so let’s let the same rule apply to Ben.  The binary sun sets.  Rey walks back toward the Falcon, BB8 rolling after her, and he tweets excitedly, and that’s when we see Ben, standing next to the ship.  She runs to him, kisses him, squeezes the stuffing out of him, he says ouch because he probably cracked a few ribs falling into the pit and because it’s pottery, it rhymes, she stands back with him at arm’s length and tears in her eyes and says something like “How?”  He gives his third smile of the entire series and that’s when we see the Force Ghosts of his family behind him like in the Resurrection stone scene in Harry Potter.  They smile at Rey and Ben together and fade as Rey and Ben stand there with their arms wrapped around each other.  The End.

Not that hard.  Not that expensive.  And it would fix so much.  Gahhhhhhh.....

Lily Snape wrote:

Kyla Ren wrote:

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.

@Saracene

I agree.  And at this point I would say the only way they can fix things is to bring Ben back so he can be with Rey and have a normal life with her.  But I guess that would mean bringing him back from the dead or the world between worlds or getting his soul out of her if they do confirm that he lives within her.  And I guess that's unlikely, although I'm still hoping.

I really think they should have been clearer about Ben's fate.  But they probably wanted to keep their options open, just like they did in TFA which is probably what led to this mess of a trilogy in the first place.

@Kyla Ren

They probably want to sell a series of novels or comics or something, but how about just a simple post-credits scene on the video release:  they didn’t have to explain how Maul or Ahsoka or Palpatine lived, so let’s let the same rule apply to Ben.  The binary sun sets.  Rey walks back toward the Falcon, BB8 rolling after her, and he tweets excitedly, and that’s when we see Ben, standing next to the ship.  She runs to him, kisses him, squeezes the stuffing out of him, he says ouch because he probably cracked a few ribs falling into the pit and because it’s pottery, it rhymes, she stands back with him at arm’s length and tears in her eyes and says something like “How?”  He gives his third smile of the entire series and that’s when we see the Force Ghosts of his family behind him like in the Resurrection stone scene in Harry Potter.  They smile at Rey and Ben together and fade as Rey and Ben stand there with their arms wrapped around each other.  The End.

Not that hard.  Not that expensive.  And it would fix so much.  Gahhhhhhh.....

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.

unicorn wrote:

Lily Snape wrote:

Kyla Ren wrote:

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.

@Saracene

I agree.  And at this point I would say the only way they can fix things is to bring Ben back so he can be with Rey and have a normal life with her.  But I guess that would mean bringing him back from the dead or the world between worlds or getting his soul out of her if they do confirm that he lives within her.  And I guess that's unlikely, although I'm still hoping.

I really think they should have been clearer about Ben's fate.  But they probably wanted to keep their options open, just like they did in TFA which is probably what led to this mess of a trilogy in the first place.

@Kyla Ren

They probably want to sell a series of novels or comics or something, but how about just a simple post-credits scene on the video release:  they didn’t have to explain how Maul or Ahsoka or Palpatine lived, so let’s let the same rule apply to Ben.  The binary sun sets.  Rey walks back toward the Falcon, BB8 rolling after her, and he tweets excitedly, and that’s when we see Ben, standing next to the ship.  She runs to him, kisses him, squeezes the stuffing out of him, he says ouch because he probably cracked a few ribs falling into the pit and because it’s pottery, it rhymes, she stands back with him at arm’s length and tears in her eyes and says something like “How?”  He gives his third smile of the entire series and that’s when we see the Force Ghosts of his family behind him like in the Resurrection stone scene in Harry Potter.  They smile at Rey and Ben together and fade as Rey and Ben stand there with their arms wrapped around each other.  The End.

Not that hard.  Not that expensive.  And it would fix so much.  Gahhhhhhh.....

@Lily Snape

Oh man, now I´m in tears again. THIS would have been an ending. Cheesy as hell, but damn, SW has always been cheesy at the right moment.

And this "Ben´s soul lives in Rey now": I find it weird and not a fitting end. Don´t give them ideas, they had just no clue and no plan.

And really, no time for a 30 seconds epilogue???
This thing had time for THE ABSOLUTELY  NECCESSARY flashback of Leia´s Jedi training and this Chewie medal nonsense. Besides other unneccessary sh*t, the list is sheer endless.

Saracene wrote:It’s probably highly individual but personally I don’t find the whole “Ben’s soul living inside Rey” scenario uplifting or satisfying in the least? Like, I think I’d prefer the love of my life not to carry me inside their body for 50 years or so, I’d rather they had a shot at normal human life. Kinda what Jack tells Rose in their last scene in Titanic.