STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Release Date: Malaysia, 19 Dec 2019
Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure

Running Length: 2:21

Cast: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Joonas Suotamo, Anthony Daniels, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Billy Dee Williams, Ian McDiarmid

Director: J.J. Abrams

Screenplay: Chris Terrio & J.J. Abrams, based on characters created by George Lucas

The next paragraph is really not a spoiler if you've seen the trailer. But if you want to watch STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, the finale of the Skywalker saga, without knowing anything at all, then please turn away. 

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Still here? Ok, here's the iconic opening crawl of this movie that will set the audience up pretty nicely for the following 2 hours+: 

EPISODE IX THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

The dead speak! The galaxy has heard a mysterious broadcast, a threat of REVENGE in the sinister voice of the late EMPEROR PALPATINE.

GENERAL LEIA ORGANA dispatches secret agents to gather intelligence, while REY, the last hope of the Jedi, trains for battle against the diabolical FIRST ORDER.

Meanwhile, Supreme Leader KYLO REN rages in search of the phantom Emperor, determined to destroy any threat to his power…

(Actually for geeks out there, this "mysterious broadcast" was revealed much earlier in Fortnite (yes, the game!). And here's the message) 

I am aware that fans and professional reviewers worldwide are shredding this movie into pieces at this very moment.  As for me, I actually enjoyed it. It's not life-defining or anything of that sorts. I mean it's Star Wars after all.

Then it dawned upon me that I'm not a die-hard Star Wars fan after all. I mean I know the characters and the overall folklore lah but I could never really remember the storyline from any of the installment. (Perhaps, I'm just not into epic fantasy trilogies and series like The Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones etc)

However, what I do like about the Star Wars series were all present in The Rise of Skywalker. Stormtroopers? Checked. The Force on display? Checked. Weird creatures? Checked. X-wings and Tie Fighters dogfights? Checked. Epic lightsaber duels? Double triple checked.

I mean this movie is like watching my favourite band in concert playing all of the crowd-pleasing greatest hits as their tens of thousands of fans sing-along.

Abrams really displays a firm understanding on the power of nostalgia. He really knows what the fans want. "Forget about the plot. Just focus on creating sweeping and breathtaking epic scenes. And remember to pepper the scenes with familiar faces!" Greatest Hits indeed.  

To be fair, there is a story, of course. But as mentioned, it just consists of a bunch of events and, if you pause long enough to think through the plot, it falls apart very quickly. Probably that's why this movie is currently rated barely fresh at 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

I think the biggest mistake Disney made with this "new" trilogy (Episode VII, VIII, IX) was to have different directors to bring forth their unique vision for the episode they helm. I mean as terrible as the "first" trilogy (Episode I, II, III) was, at least it was consistent because it was written and directed by the same person. Just look at what Johnson did with The Last Jedi?? I think all he wanted was to disrupt the entire Skywalker saga. Thankfully J.J. Abrams of Episode VII The Force Awakens is back to helm the finale.  

Hence, that's why I think J.J. Abrams and his team really tried and did the best way they knew how with what was handed to them after the disastrous The Last Jedi and of course, the unexpected demise of Carrie Fisher. For better or worse, I'm glad the Skywalker saga is over. Disney, please move on and tell other Star Wars stories. 

RATING: 8/10 

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (Malaysia, 24 May 2018)

Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure 

Running Length: 2:15

Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Director: Ron Howard 

Screenplay: Jonathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan, based on characters created by George Lucas

What's this movie about?

A prequel to the original trilogy, SOLO chronicles the adventures of young Han Solo; how he met Chewbacca, got his hands on the Millennium Falcon and his involvement in a heist. 

Highlights!

• Han and Chewie moments. When they are together on screen, it just lights up. The bromance is strong with these two.
• The action scenes. Most of the action scenes are well choreographed. There is one standout scene involving stealing an important cargo from a moving "train". 
• Performances. Everything you heard about Donald Glover's performance as Lando Calrissian...is true; he is so on point. Harrelson and Bettany's performances are commendable too. They definitely have screen presence.   
• Gambling scenes. Han and Lando's poker scenes are so much fun to watch.
• L3-37 droid. The droids from the standalone films are definitely more memorable than the Star Wars family saga. L3 is such a memorable character its performance is much more believable than most of the human actors in this movie. 

Lowlights

• Bad pacing. Some critics said the movie flowed really well eventhough there were different directors involved in the production (original directors duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller left due to "creative differences"). But to me, I just felt that the overall movie pacing was off. As a result, it just couldn't generate sufficient energy to lift off. 
• No sense of danger, whatsoever. Eventhough we are familiar with the events of the original trilogy, prequel Rogue One still got me at the edge of my seat. Can't say the same for Solo as we know our protagonist and his furry sidekick would not die or get their faces smashed in from an oncoming mountain rock. 
• Poor casting. Throughout the movie I just wasn't convinced that Alden Ehrenreich was playing the same Han Solo character as Harrison Ford did. Although I have not watched a single episode of GOT (*gasp*), I am convinced Emilia Clarke really cannot act. She was terrible in Terminator Genisys and she is terrible-r here. 

In summary

A fun, breezy and light adventure. Predictably, it checks all the boxes of an origins story but doesn't add any depth to the Han Solo we know. 

RATING: 7.5/10