Star Wars, Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

It’s been a long time coming - 42 years in fact - but after nine films, the Skywalker saga is finally coming to an end, an epic conclusion to the incredibly detailed, intertwined story that began back in 1977 with A New Hope.

Of course, with a closely guarded plot filled with potential spoilers, I won’t be discussing the plot of this film in great detail, for the benefit of those of you who are still hoping to see it.

In fact, I will restrict my plot description to events that are for the most part covered in the opening crawl - devotees of the Star Wars films will be all too familiar with this standard opening sequence - so as to not give too much away.

There are rumours that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has been broadcasting a message throughout the galaxy, summoning all those loyal to the Sith to himself, laying the groundwork for an epic battle between the forces of good and evil or, as they are known in the Star Wars universe, the Jedi and the Sith.

Rey (Daisy Ridley).

General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) has sent a message of her own, summoning all those loyal to the Jedi to a rebel settlement. She has been completing Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) training, following the death of her brother Luke (Mark Hamill) in the previous instalment.

Along with allies Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), as well as droids C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2, Rey must draw on all she has learnt to track down not only Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) - who is still trying to bring her across to the Dark Side - but possibly the Emperor himself.

The screenplay, by Chris Terrio & director J. J. Abrams, is beautifully reminiscent of all that has gone before. The characters are all extremely well-defined with plenty of conflicts - even down to the seemingly minor characters. The film sits well in the context of the wider universe, and previous instalments, with plenty of what fans have grown accustomed to over the years.

The writers have also worked well to make the most of a difficult predicament: Carrie Fisher had unfortunately passed away following the release of Episode 8. However, there had been several scenes/shots filmed for that episode that had not been used. Using these moments, they have been able to work the character of Leia into the film incredibly well, while also paying the utmost respect to her memory.

General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher).

John Williams once again returns as composer of the score. Utilising leitmotifs from the previous eight films, he draws themes and motifs and melodies together in an amazing tapestry, creating an absolutely breathtaking score for this final instalment. In fact, familiarity with his previous leitmotifs does occasionally reveal spoilers of later plot developments if you pay close attention.

George Lucas has often referred to the saga as a sort of space opera, at least in terms of giving the film a genre description. Williams has taken this term wholly on board in his compositional decisions, giving the score - and indeed the film - an almost Wagnerian feel to it.

I don’t know if it’s worth discussing the cinematography, as I’m sure that most of the film was shot in front of a green screen, but cinematographer Dan Mindel certainly does have a good eye for framing and angles. Once again, the film feels like it belongs within the existing canon, as it still has that distinctive look.

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley).

The performances of the cast are once again fantastic. The clear standouts are most definitely Ridley and Driver in what I would probably call the lead roles. Once again, they have brought their all to their performances, and the film has clearly benefited from this. There are plenty of welcome surprises in the casting - returning characters from many of the other episodes - to delight fans of the series.

Director J. J. Abrams has made what is quite possibly - in my opinion - the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back. The film draws on - and expands to their logical conclusion - many existing themes already explored throughout the series, thereby making this one of the most authentic additions to the saga.

If you are planning to see this film, I recommend seeing it on the big screen, as it is visually spectacular, and the perfect example of a blockbuster worthy of the true cinema experience.

I give this a resounding 10 out of 10.