Movie / TVReviews

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

PG-13, 2h 21min, release: Dec 18, 2019

Time-warp, turned into a toddler again, awake at 6h and soooo impatient until it was finally time to enter the movie theater…

This time I succeeded in avoiding trailers or previews just to enjoy all kinds of surprises. Well, maybe that was not such a big deal this time as Episode IX or the third movie around Rey (Daisy Ridley), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and BB8 provided plenty of twists and turns and surprises.

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more – and naturally this means certain losses and reasons to shed some tears. However, no character mass murder in Star Wars, unlike Game of Thrones.

The dedicated fan feels a certain swell of tears with the first notes of the trademark score. And at the latest when seeing Carrie Fisher (RIP) as General Leia Organa on screen for the very last time. And then again at the end – not only because the movie is over…

Several trailers might have revealed already that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker features a few very familiar characters from back then. The story as such has also some parallels to the 3rd part of the original saga – as a respectful bow, no shameless copy (which were the negative aspects of The Force Awakens). Rey finally finds out about her family, there is other quite comprehensible character development and naturally a conclusion of the Skywalker story, not without heartbreak. Plus of course epic scenes, action, space battles, amazing light sword fights and some comic relief – and sometimes an alternative solution to classic conflicts – FINALLY. My compliments to the writers Chris Terrio, Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow and J.J. Abrams, who is also (again) the director.

There is the pleasure of a new Star Wars movie but also the sad fact that you’ll never see several beloved characters, embodied by equally beloved actors/actresses, again on screen. Yet there are lots of new beloved characters – some appear in this movie for the first time – that offer opportunities to spin new sagas in the Star Wars universe. Or more Spin-Offs, like young Han Solo and Chewbacca. (When the name of Finnish Chewie-actor Joonas Soutamo appeared, the Helsinki audience applauded).

Well, there are a couple of scenes I find hard to swallow as an adult, even in a SF/Fantasy movie, but that’s all I could complain about. Probably those die-hard-fans will destroy this one, just like they did with the previous 2, and often for exactly those reasons why I liked those movies… Yet here I think many Finnish fans share my opinion, at least I overheard several people planning to do what I want to do: Watching the movie again, ASAP.

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Klaudia Weber

reckless and merciless dictator, so KNEEL! In other words, editor-in-chief, translator, website and ad admin, "Jane of all trades" - - - addicted to books (everything between Lord Of The Rings & quantum physics) and music, mainly Metal made in Finland. Furthermore, there's painting, drawing, movies, theater... so you can expect some variety on this website too. MA Master of Arts, English and American studies & Media communication = completed two full studies parallel within 5 years; very proud of my achievement - a bit later in life thanks to a scholarship - as a working class girl in a highlyconservative-romancatholic nation...