The Final Chapter in the Star Wars Saga

Kaleidoscope's newest is on Disney's & LucasFilm Ltd.'s production of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker".  Directed by J. J. Abrams, the movie stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, & Mark Hamill.  Rated 'PG-13', it has a running time of 2 hr., 22 min.

The film opens with a broadcast by the late Emperor Palpatine.  After getting a Sith locator device, Kylo Ren (Driver) goes to an uncharted planet where he finds Emperor Palpatine alive.  Believed by all to be dead, Palpatine explains that he created Snoke as a puppet so that Palpatine could control the First Order & bring Kylo to the Dark Side.  Palpatine shows Kylo that he has created a secret legion of Star Destroyers & convinces Kylo to find & kill Rey (Ridley).  It is learned that Rey is continuing her Jedi training under the tutelage of Princess Leia (Fisher).  Meanwhile Finn (Boyega) & Poe Dameron (Isaac) obtain information on the location of Palpatine; from this, they, Rey, Chewbacca, BB-8, & C-3PO leave in the Millennium Falcon to find Palpatine.   This group soon encounters Lando Calrissian (Williams) who directs them to Palpatine's last possible location.   On their way there, the members of the group discover the remains of an assassin & a dagger that is inscribed with Sith text; the problem, tho, is that although C-3PO is able to translate it, his programming forbids it.   From there, the labyrinthine plot continues to expand.

This is the 9th and final chapter of the "Star Wars" saga.  After Rian Johnson's mediocre work on "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" LucasFilm & Disney wisely brought back director & co-writer J.J. Abrams to helm the saga's conclusion.  While not as thrilling, propulsive, & coherent as Abrams's "The Force Awakens", this is a satisfying conclusion to the epic series that began in 1977.  Abrams directs with his usual elan & vigor.  He spends enough time with each major character so that he can explore what has allowed their personas to be seared into the collective consciousness of 3 generations' minds.  The problem lies in the screenplay by Abrams & Chris Terrio.  There is so much plot &, at times, contrivances, that the audience struggles to keep in stride.  No sooner is one set piece over than another quickly takes its place.  For the die hard fans/'nerds' who are completely immersed in "Star Wars" mythology & minutiae, they may be able to easily keep pace; for the rest of us mere mortals, it can be confusing, at times.  The script's dialogue, however, never disappoints.  The humor, characterizations, 'winks' at the audience, & bon mots are as plentiful & thorough, as ever.  Ridley's Rey is a model of empowerment while maintaining a gentle side that smooths out her rough edges.  She has a great career ahead of her.  Isaac has demonstrated through many diverse characters in various films that he is an acting powerhouse with great depth.  Boyega is fine as the courageous Finn; hopefully, he will be offered more challenging roles in the future.  Driver is superb as the conflicted & complex Kylo; he, too, has shown his diversity through numerous films in which he has been involved since 2015.  It is comforting to see old pro Williams slip comfortably into the role of Lando that he has embodied since "The Empire Strikes Back"; although his appearance was rumored to be just a cameo here, it is definitely much more.  Anthony Daniels makes one's eyes tear knowing that this is his final appearance as 3PO.  Through scenes filmed before her death in 2016 & some CGI, Fisher makes her final appearance as the beautiful & stolid Leia.  Dan Mindel's cinematography, although a bit murky, at times, provides thrilling support for Abrams's vision.  Maryann Brandon's & Stefan Grube's editing could definitely have been sharper & more acute.  Both of their resumes are somewhat meager compared to the other major technicians, & that could have been part of the continuity problems.  John Williams's score--what can one further say about the master of film music?  It provides new themes that easily coexist with the themes & leitmotifs that he has previously written for the other films in the canon.

I give "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" 8 out of 10 nuggets.  This is a satisfying conclusion to the 42-year old franchise.  While it has a few continuity & editing problems, it is definitely worth seeing by all "Star Wars" fans & even those who are not.  Get into your land speeders & head to your local multiplex, preferably one that has Imax or XL screens, to see the Rebellion at its finest.