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.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Based on a comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, this film is at once hilarious, touching, confronting and incredibly violent.

Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin (Taron Egerton) is recruited by a colleague of his late father named Harry Hart (Colin Firth) to join an incredibly elite, top-secret, independent intelligence agency known as Kingsman.

The organisation is headed by a man who goes by the name Arthur (Michael Caine), and in fact all the members have codenames taken from the legend of King Arthur. Harry (who goes by Galahad) hand-picks Eggsy when the agent known as Lancelot (Jack Davenport) is killed in the line of duty.

Eggsy is among several recruits vying for the new position. He feels the closest affinity with a girl named Roxy (Sophie Cookson), and doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the group at all, who are mostly upper-class boys who have had everything handed to them and haven’t had to work for anything.

You see, Eggsy has grown up on a housing estate, with single mother Michelle (Samantha Womack) and her latest live-in boyfriend Dean (Geoff Bell), ever since his father died when Eggsy was quite young.

Add to the mix a megalomaniacal, self-appointed philanthropist named Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) and his sidekick, a vicious killing machine skilled in martial arts known as Gazelle (Sofia Boutella), and you have the makings of a really great showdown for the fate of the entire world.

Now, the Kingsmen, with the help of Merlin (Mark Strong), must overthrow Valentine’s evil plot, before the planet is thrown into chaos.

The adapted screenplay (by director Matthew Vaughn with Jane Goldman) is incredibly well written, with all the characters very well developed, and the balance of the dramatic scenes with the expository scenes and the action sequences handled with precision. The script is funny, heartfelt at times and, in the case of the fight sequences, incredibly violent.

George Richmond’s cinematography is stunning, to say the least. The film takes the viewer around the world (and even into outer space at one point), and the visuals of the various locations are absolutely gorgeous, with breathtaking panoramic shots of amazing scenery and nature.

The framing of shots too, in particular during the fight sequences, is very well done (as selected by the director and the cinematographer). These scenes look like they could have come straight out of a comic book panel. This is also due to the fight choreography, I suppose, that at many times, feels like it could have been directed by Quentin Tarantino. Every single moment has been worked out with such precision, it feels incredibly real.

The score by Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson is incredibly grandiose in parts, and beautifully subdued in others. It is hard to describe exactly what it is about the music, but it just works.

The cast are all well-suited to their roles, which they perform to the absolute peak of their ability. In particular, Colin Firth and Mark Strong are wonderful in their respective roles. Firth’s role is unlike anything we have seen him in before, but still, it just feels right. Egerton is also fantastic as the young new recruit Eggsy, bringing a new element to the agency that hitherto has consisted entirely of ‘gentlemen’ spies.

Keep your eyes open for a great cameo by Mark Hamill as a university professor. The first time I saw this film (in the cinema), I didn’t recognise him to begin with; his role is also different to anything else he has done before, but it seems like he has relished the opportunity to take it on.

This film is incredibly enjoyable, and one I feel like I could watch again and again without getting tired of it.

8 out of 10.

Star Wars, Episode 4: A New Hope (1977)

Where do I even begin in reviewing a film that has entered into the zeitgeist to such an extent as the original Star Wars, now over 40 years old? And is it possible to review a film to which almost everyone knows not only how it ends, but how the series that came after it ended? That question seems a little strange now that I read it back, but I guess what I am trying to say is now that nearly everyone knows that perhaps the link between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker is stronger than Luke may have first thought. And no, this is not my attempt to avoid spoilers on a film from nearly four decades ago, but anyway...Let's begin.

The plot of this film is relatively straightforward. And in fact, I'm not even going to go into it in this review. Like I said, I think the story is pretty well known by now. But I do have a couple of things I want to say about the film.

Firstly, considering the film came out in 1977 (not that I saw it back then, but I saw the same version, before it was re-released over and over and over again with an ever-increasing percentage of added digital effects), it stands the test of time incredibly well. I was always (in every viewing for some time) engrossed in the world of Tattooine with its two suns and its Jabba the Hutt and its whatever. I loved the lightsaber duels, the far-reaching story and characters, the entire galaxy in which it all took place, just everything about the film.

For a while.

Well, at least until its sequel came out. But, that's not the film I'm reviewing here.

Having now seen the rest of the story that has followed since this first instalment, I don't find that I enjoy this one quite as much. Let me clarify: This first film sets the scene excellently, establishes most of the characters we are going to be following throughout at least the original trilogy of films, and so on. But I still don't personally enjoy this film as much as I enjoy most of the others.

I'm not deliberately trying to be obtuse, and I don't want to suggest that I don't enjoy this film, but it's certainly not my favourite. It does still hold up as a masterpiece of filmmaking and storytelling, even if you watch the original release with what would now be regarded as sub-par effects. You see, the point is, it shows the ingenuity of George Lucas in the early days: a storyteller so focused on having his story told, he wasn't about to be held back by the fact that technology wasn't where it needed to be yet. As a child watching this film, it never occurred to me to criticise the simplicity of the effects, because I was so swept up in the story. That is a mark of a true genius in filmmaking.

And speaking of story, that brings up my next point. You may have heard of something called the Hero's Journey, given its name by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. It's basically a template that he discovered through his research pops up time and time again in the oral traditions of cultures around the world, that all lasting stories that get passed down over and over again can be understood using this same template. Campbell's book came out about the same time that Lucas was starting to write, and the correlation between the two is so obvious, Joseph Campbell should almost be credited as a co-writer of the screenplay.

Later instalments of the Star Wars story don't necessarily follow the Hero's Journey quite so closely, and I think that is to their benefit. But watching this film is like reading the Hero's Journey, but with character names instead of archetypal descriptions of character.

Again, I'm not trying to be obtuse, or offend anyone. Let me make something quite clear. I do love this film, as I love all the Star Wars films. And yes, I did say all.

But looking back on it now, as I write this review, I cannot ignore these two points in reaching my conclusion. I will always enjoy watching it again and again until I have completely disintegrated the disc from over-playing it, but I must give it a rating that takes all these factors into account.

Please don't hate me for this. I'm only giving this film 6 out of 10.