The Rise of Skywalker showed that love of Star Wars has its limits

The last decade of star wars It was… a lot: interesting, exciting, exhausting, disappointing. You choose a descriptor, and it will likely apply at any time after that The force awakens After revitalizing the franchise, the two spin-off films did what they could, and The last jedi I tried taking new twists. What one word describes The Rise of Skywalker In the cleanest and most charitable way? What about “settlement”?

The Rise of Skywalker It was released in theaters on December 20, 2019, and at that time, all eyes were on it. This film was in an unenviable position: aside from the task of packaging the Disney-branded “Skywalker Saga,” it had to deal with handling the film. Carrie Fisher is gone between films, as well as discussions about how director JJ Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio will return Based on the road It was appointed by wakes up and last. By striking out during the Christmas season, he made himself the final “last” in a year marked by equal importance Avengers: Endgame and game of thrones the end.

So, yeah, there was a lot of pressure on him It rises To deliver the goods and finish to everyone’s satisfaction. And after all that buildup, he really didn’t. Like, absolutely. There’s no doubt that people love the movie or find it entertaining, but there’s no denying that it feels like something happened during production, and the end result is a movie that leaves a strange taste in your mouth. After leaving the theater and hopping online, there was an overwhelming collective feeling of “what the hell was that?” Which“And that made it even more so.” Burning to talk about from The last jedi. This part may have been unavoidable, but the rest can be owed to the film as it is, starting with its weird moments. Fan service To pull punches and unlock the knowledge that was born after them Original director Colin Trevorrow Leave the project. Whatever highlights the film is said to have, they’re there in a film that seems to have gotten so hot, the entire catalyst for its events had to be… Put in fortnite Pre-release, but not the film itself.

if The last jedi The shadow has fallen star wars For seven years and counting, The Rise of Skywalker He is a monster who has pulled the entire franchise into his mouth and has yet to digest it or give in and spit it out. Although it made money, it didn’t take long to suspect that Disney might be embarrassed by the reactions to it. (Example: movie Comic adaptation He is finally It will be released in February after being announced back in 2020.) Any popularity gained initially Awakens the power Basically eroded in real time once It rises It is revealed that Palpatine returns somehow, or at a later time when Chewbacca is “killed”. If not, the “Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter” reveal could be the first kiss of death for the movie, and the last for the Skywalker Saga. The film ultimately assumes that Rey being Palpatine doesn’t matter because she chose her name and family. But by adopting the Skywalker moniker, she’s swapping one old name for another in what could be hilariously read as the story of a woman executing the most elaborate identity theft scheme in the universe.

Is Disney bad at this, own it star wars? This question has been hovering around us for years, and then it has been raised again in the aftermath assistant Cancellation. The results are inconclusive: on the one hand, Andor It’s some really good TV channels, and other media like High Republic and various video games It has been consistently good. At the same time, Disney didn’t seem to have any kind of tight control on the film and TV front: there wasn’t New theatrical film since It rises Came out, and every new ad for one (or three) Movies that very What’s happening seems like an ongoing joke. Likewise, it’s a rubbish depiction as to how the show will look, what characters it will inevitably feature, and what kind of future it will have. Audiences seem to be loving the current broadcast star wars: skeleton crew, But the jury is still out on whether it will go as far as the creators hope, or if its wings will be cut from under it and it won’t be able to deliver on its promise, an issue that goes far beyond this franchise.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel; Namely, Dave Filoni The Mandalorian and Grogu Movie in 2026 and a Season two of Ahsoka, In addition to the second (and unfortunately final) season of Andor In April. Will the audience be willing to stick their neck out again and see where it all goes? It’s easy to say “yes” and point to Marvel, which many felt had its strongest year since Avengers: Endgame. But the MCU has yet to have a movie that completely overtly breaks with the establishment The Rise of Skywalker She did, and she’s about to pull some Interesting new tricks outside her sleeve. if star wars He’ll get back to the same level… Well, it’s going to take some work and, most importantly, consistency and conviction.

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