Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Movie Review - A satisfying conclusion or a rushed obligation?

This film is a 12A, was released on December 19th 2019, and this review will contain LOADS OF SPOILERS BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS FILM WITHOUT GOING INTO GREAT DETAIL, BUT MY CONCLUSION WILL HAVE NO SPOILERS SO SKIP TO THERE IF YOU JUST WANT TO HEAR MY FINAL STATEMENT. SO, SPOILER ALERT.

Introduction

Nowadays, we always have the idea of a certain type of film known as a blockbuster. These are crowd-pleasing movies that are usually a ton of fun and really popular. The 1970s was a time when this began to emerge, and one of the earliest examples of a blockbuster that became a phenomenon was Star Wars. This 1977 science fiction / fantasy film perfectly encapsulated everything audiences wanted from a movie - likeable heroes, menacing villains, an infectious sense of fun, grand action, and so on. I adore this film. From a young age I'd been a massive fan of it and even to this day, I never have a problem revisiting it. It puts a big grin on my face and has me excited and entertained to enormous extents. George Lucas, the man behind the film, did an excellent job with this, and it was just the beginning of something bigger.

In 1980, the sequel, Empire Strikes Back, was released. I always found this movie boring as a child as nothing really happens and there isn't enough of the exciting action that the predecessor offered. However, revisiting it earlier this year, my opinion has flipped completely. The pitch-perfect dialogue, the terrific character growth, and a more demanding storyline make it a great watch, but it doesn't top the original for me. After this, Return of the Jedi, the third entry, came out. Not everyone is a huge fan of this one, but I love it just as much as the two before it. The ending really makes me teary-eyed, the characters are as good as ever, and the action continues to make me smile. As you can probably deduct, these three movies are very important to me. A massive tent-pole of my childhood as well as films that still work for me many years later - and the rest of the world seemed to have the same response. 

Towards the 2000s, Lucas came back to the franchise with another trilogy planned out, serving as prequels to the original three. These films were The Phantom Menace in 1999, Attack of the Clones in 2002, and Revenge of the Sith in 2005. These were hated. Many complained they were hugely inferior to the originals and had many issues with the characters, acting and production. In my opinion, they're fine. Phantom Menace is a bit too long and boring as well as annoying at times, Attack of the Clones has some good set pieces but has some poor acting, and Revenge if the Sith is actually a great movie to me as it is exciting and intense. The main issue I have with these three is that they feel very pretentious. They take themselves too seriously and so the cheesy dialogue and over-the-top action set pieces feel out of place, as opposed to the originals which seemed to understand to not be too dramatic unless necessary. But, I personally don't have a problem with them. 

After the negative reaction, Lucas believed he was done with Star Wars and sold it to Disney for a sum of around $4 billion. Now, a new creative team had their hands on this material and were ready to continue where it was left off. When I heard that Star Wars: Episode VII was on the way, I lost my mind. I was so hyped to see a return to one of my favourite franchises. The first teaser only amplified this, and I eagerly awaited December 2015, when it was due to be released. And then it arrived, Boxing Day 2015, when I went into the cinema and was ready to be blown away... and I wasn't. 

After my initial viewing, I wasn't crazy about The Force Awakens. I tried to convince myself I liked it but I had to accept I didn't. I was just a baby back then and was annoyed they killed off Han Solo as well as made the main character a girl. However, with time, I actually really like this movie. The characters of Rey and Finn are really engaging to me, the latter of which having some hilarious lines, BB-8 is a ton of fun too, it's great to see some of the veterans such as Han, Leia and C-3PO, and it is easily one of the most gorgeous-looking and well shot films in the saga, any frame could make an amazing screen-saver. So, my initial reservations are essentially irrelevant now, it's great but still not in the same league as the originals. 

The saga only continued with Episode VIII, The Last Jedi, in 2017. I wasn't super excited for this film, but of course I was keen to see it. It ended up spawning the most devisive response to a blockbuster in recent years. Many were conflicted about the direction the story went in as well as the bold, new ideas that were being inroduced. I personally like this movie, I've only seen it twice but I enjoyed it one both viewings. The characters are good and the action is remarkable, but it does suffer from feeling a bit too long and over-stuffed at certain points. The writer / director, Rian Johnson, did a good job here and despite some of the hate he received, he has proven he can still make great movies after he released Knives Out this year, which is fabulous. 

One thing I should elaborate on one thing I mentioned, that being the fact that I wasn't super excited for The Last Jedi. Well, as mentioned, I didn't initally love The Force Awakens, a film from 2015. But, do you know what film I did love from 2015? Avengers: Age of Ultron. Between Episodes VII and VIII, I became a massive fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with releases such as Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok, as well as viewing the previous entries. So, the main franchise I was attached to became the MCU, and I kind of lost my die-hard love for Star Wars. It didn't help that shortly after The Last Jedi came Infinity War, a movie you know I adore. Well, after Endgame came out earlier this year, and once the dust had settled regarding what happens in it, I was sort of without something big to look forward to, especially because the next films in the MCU seem to be smaller, solo films. 

Thoughts Going In

It was at this point that I remembered something, The Rise of Skywalker was yet to come out. To get in the mood, I rewatched the original triology and fell in love with them all over again, I then purchased a Lego Star Wars advent calender, booked tickets for the Empire in Leicester Square on opening weekend over a month in advance, me and my brother binged every single film in the main saga on the run up to the day we were due to see it, and I had completely rediscovered my love for Star Wars. Directed by JJ Abrams of The Force Awakens, this film had to task to bring together the set-ups of the first two in this new trilogy which were going in quite different directions. It seemed like a hard task, but I was hopeful to see what could be done to 'conclude' this enormous and personally important series. 

The Story 

Following on from the events of The Last Jedi............ this movie happens.

What I Liked 

Ok, if you're nervous about spoilers and want some vague thoughts - I'll just say that I enjoyed this movie, but have some issues. So, spoilers ahead, if you forgot what I said before.

The way the movie progresses the story set up by the previous two and concludes it is quite well done. While it does certainly feel like Abrams and Johnson have two different visions, the way it culminates does feel like a successful marriage of the two. Rey's arc in particular felt the most powerful. I like the way that while she is a similar character to Luke in the originals, her story plays out differently. She starts out as a nobody wanting more out of life, grows to become powerful in ways she never would've known, learns the truth about herself and her heritage, but doesn't let it get the better of her as she progresses her journey and becomes the hero the galaxy needs her to be. Kylo was another character with a very powerful arc. As much as I like Star Wars remaining as good, old-fashioned heroes vs villains, I like the fact that Kylo is humanised as he realises the error of his ways when confronted with his father, whom he killed, and goes on to fight evil alongside Rey because, once again, it's who the galaxy needs him to be. The other characters were fine, Finn and BB-8 are as good as ever as are the rest of the cast.

Being a Star Wars movie, the production is on another level. The score by John Williams is beyond perfection, bringing so much power to many scenes and calling back to previous films. The cinematography was really inventive, the final battle in particular had some really inspired shots that didn't cut at a rapid rate and kept the film feeling energetic and full of life. The visuals are also gorgeous. The sequel trilogy is definitely the best-looking of all the Star Wars films - I'll always remember the wondrous mix of reds, blues and more in the climax of The Force Awakens or the mesmerising red trails in the battle of Crait in The Last Jedi. Here, there are many beautiful sights such as the army of Star Destroyers only lit by occassional strikes of lightning, the eerie glow of the Emporer's cave lair, and much more. If there is one thing I can guarantee from any Star Wars movie, it's two hours of pleasure for my eyes and ears. 

Finally, the film as a whole felt very satisfying. It was neat to see how not only this trilogy but this entire saga finishes. The ending in particular was very cohesive with Rey referring to herself as 'Rey Skywalker' as she abandons the lightsabers for a future generation to find and sees her two greatest influences, Luke and Leia. That was very nice, as it ties all three trilogies together neatly, and it has enough ambiguity for the story to be picked up in around thirty / forty years time. So, watching this film is definitely easy to do as it wraps up a significant aspect of my life in satisfying fashion.   

What I Didn't Like 

The greatest issue with Rise of Skywalker that held me back from loving it was the lack of emotional involvement, and this can also be applied to the other sequel trilogy films. I admire the direction the story went and I was, overall, pleased with it - but the film itself didn't reach me as much as it could've done. This might not be a problem to some, but we live in a world where Endgame exists. I didn't want to make this argument, but I feel it is a perfectly fair comparison. Both are giant conclusions to large franchises that I'm a huge fan of, so they had the same job to do and also had equal amounts of pressure. Endgame was also a satisfying conclusion, but it was so satisfying that it made me smile and had me sat in awe at how perfect it was. Also, throughout the film were tons of moments that really impacted me. I laughed at the jokes and little callbacks, I cheered and clapped during the climax, I gasped at shocking moments, and I was tearing up towards the end, and consistently smiling and grinning everywhere else. So, when I walked out of that film, I felt like I'd not only watched a throughouly satisfying finale, but I'd experienced it. Here, there are tons of moments that feel like they're specifically designed to make audiences clap, cheer, cry, gasp, etc., including one laughably poor attempt to copy the portals scene from Endgame without any of the build-up, tension, majesty, beauty, music, pay-off, memorability or general awesomeness that made that scene great as it was, but I never felt the urge to do such because, unlike Avengers, this trilogy hasn't earned it. As much as I enjoy all these sequel films and as great as they may be, I'm not emotionally involved in them in the same way I am with the original trilogy or the Avengers films. I think the key reasons why this is apparent is because there is just no sense of urgency. These films had no reason to exist and don't justify why they exist nor do they add anything to what has come before. They can exist by themselves in the same way that I see Toy Story 4 existing aside from the first three, but the lack of reason makes it difficult to feel invested, and as a result, this finale cannot be as good as it could've and should've been.

Conclusion 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a great and solid conclusion to one of cinema's biggest franchises. It has a really well organised story with meaningful arcs, excellent production, and a satisfying note to finish on. If I was more invested in these characters and this story then maybe this would've been one of the best Star Wars films ever, but as it stands, it's solid. I think, going forward, I'll view the series like this: the originals will forever be the best and defining films of the franchise, the prequels exist as good expansions to some characters' stories but ultimately aren't required, and the sequels will be there if I'm just after a bit more from the series. So, I'm pleased, and it gives me enough joy to say that alone. 

I'm going to give Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker an 8.0/10      

Jumanji: The Next Level - Movie Review - Just as fun as before?

This film is a 12A, was released on December 11th 2019, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS 

After having a rough time in the real world, Spencer heads back into the world of Jumanji to relive the time as Doctor Bravestone. His friends come in after him along with two old men, one of which is Spencer's grandfather. Now, they all have to get out of the game again and get through new challenges. I'm not huge on the original Jumanji, it's fine but nothing great. I really enjoyed Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in 2017, I thought it was a really funny and thoroughly enjoyable adventure with some of my favourite actors. So, I was excited for another round of hopefully the same fun. 

Unsurprisingly, this film was really funny. The best part of the original was seeing all these big-name actors like Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black act in ways that are different to how we usually see them. Here, it's cranked up to another level. With the old men, Dwayne Johnson is now impersonating Danny Devito, and Kevin Hart is Danny Glover. Neither have a clue what a video game is nor what is happening, and it's great to see these two actors be such different characters, with Johnson once again discovering the joys of being a big, tough guy and Hart speaking slowly and calmly as opposed to his usual, fast-paced blabbering. The other actors such as Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Awkwafina were really good as well, but those two landed the most laughs for me. The movie also delivers on enjoyable and engaging action, with set pieces such as dune buggies being chased by a stampede of ostriches, twisting bridges being swarmed by baboons, and a final battle that's a lot of fun too. The score also helped to make these scenes more exciting, being more than just a typical action movie score. The film also has some thought put into the story. It's not groundbreaking, but it does show that there is more competency to this film than one may have expected. 

The main issue with the film is that it is far too predictable. It follows a very similar layout to Welcome to the Jungle, hitting many similar story beats almost to the same level as something like Back to the Future 2. This caused the film to suffer as there isn't much tension while you're watching, you can mostly guess the outcomes. It also recycles a lot of its jokes from before, with many punchlines also being easy to guess. Luckily, the new jokes keep these from having to great of an effect. Additionally, it's not the most amazing film in the world, it's very much just solid and entertaining stuff as opposed to something that leaves you thinking or reaches you emotionally. Still, that's not a huge dealbreaker for me.

Well, I'm glad to say that I enjoyed this just as much as before. Some really fun, new jokes that alter the images of many great actors along with some well executed action elements make this a jolly good time at the cinema. As a holiday movie, there's plenty for the whole family so I'd highly recommend if you're up for some easy, solid entertainment. I may even revisit this again in the future. 

I'm going to give Jumanji: The Next Level a 7.5/10 

Ok, this isn't the only movie I'm seeing this weekend - as a little movie called Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is awaiting me at the Empire in Leicester Square on Sunday! With all the mixed responses, I cannot wait! Along with my review, I'll also be giving my in-depth thoughts on the rest of Star Wars as a whole, as I am a big fan and haven't discussed it greatly. Moving forward, there's much I look forward to such as Jojo Rabbit and 1917.   

Knives Out - Movie Review - A redemption for Rian Johnson?

This film is a 12A, was released on November 27th 2019, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS 

I meant to publish this review a while ago but forgot to because of stuff. Sorry!

Introduction

I. LOVE. WHODUNNITS. Not only are they usually really entertaining, but I like how they have you, the audience, actively guessing and theorising throughout the course of the runtime. Entertainment that I get more out of than just a good time is really engaging, even though I'm perfectly content with the latter. However, the genre has sort of gone dormant in recent years. We had Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express in 2017, as well as his Death on the Nile on the way, but there's not been a good old-fashioned whodunnit in some time. 

Thoughts Going In 

Just looking at the poster for Knives Out made me want to see it, and this desire was only made stronger by the excellent reviews as well as Daniel Craig's silly accent in the trailers. So, I was keen for something that'd be fun, engaging, and just a great movie all-round. 

The Story

On the morning after his 85th birthday, Harlan Thrombrey is mysteriously found dead. With many family members who attended, all with different motives linked to Harlan, ace-detective Benoit Blanc is brought in to deduce who did what. 

What I Liked 

I'm just going to make it clear that I absolutely loved this film, and here's why:

The writing here is just phenomenal. This is easily one of the best, most meticulously written mysteries I've ever seen in a film. There are so many aspects to this mystery and seeing it all get pieced together is just a joy. As I said, I love 'playing along' with these types of films, and trying to solve the puzzles alongside the people in the film. This was a ton of fun. All the known pieces of information are delivered in fragments, and at a steady rate. By the time the film explains exactly what happened, it feels like a satisfying and oddly funny culmination of everything that was set up from the very beginning. You sit there smiling and laughing as it all comes together. Also, the pieces of the puzzle aren't just the things that the characters say when being questioned or things the detectives discuss, so many minor things that you barely think twice about act as vital to the end result. If you do see this, try to remember every line that is said, even the seemingly insignificant ones - it may just be the key to everything! I wasn't actively doing this, but it was funny at the end when certain things I could recall but didn't really care about became extremely important. So, the writing kept me engaged and entertained. 

The characters help to enhance the film's great story, and the performances were a big part of that. Of course, my favourite was Daniel Craig. Not only was he simultaneously doing the best and worst Southern USA accent, but he was also effortlessly charming and charismatic in his delivery. I could honestly watch this performance alone for two hours and be satisfied. The other stand-out was Ana de Armas. Her role in the film was larger than I expected which made me happy, as she is very talented and I hadn't seen her in much up until this point, the only thing coming to mind being Blade Runner 2049, where she didn't have an awful lot to do, even though she was in my favourite scene. Everyone else such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer were as brilliant as you'd expect, but I'd also like to mention how nice it was to see Chris Evans doing something excellent that wasn't a Marvel movie. I should address the fact that this film is hilarious, despite not being an alleged comedy. These actors sure know how to deliver this dialogue in the funniest ways possible.

To keep it brief, essentially everything else in this film was top notch. The cinematography was great, rarely was there a shot that ever felt uninteresting or lifeless. The set design was terrific, setting the scene and atmosphere appropriately. The score was wonderful and incorporated many traditional mystery-Esque sounds such as high-pitched violins which kept the film exciting. The colour palette was always interesting with each scene feeling distinct from each other and having their own moods. I just don't think there is a single creative aspect that was lacking in the slightest, everything was just marvellous. 

What I Didn't Like 

The only teeny-tiny problem I have with this movie is, you guessed it, some pacing issues. I know, it's typical for me to point at this as a flaw in a movie, but it is certainly more to do with me having quite a short attention span. Basically, there's roughly a 10-20 minute chunk of this film that was slightly less interesting than the rest. It wasn't bad, okay or even just good in the slightest, it was still great but it began to deal with aspects of the mystery that I didn't find as engaging nor as coherent. Luckily, it gets back on its feet smoothly, but that's just a tiny nitpick from me. 

Conclusion 

What more is there to be said about Knives Out? It's just fabulous. This film just gets everything right and manages to be a prime whodunnit as well as wildly funny, effortlessly charming and extremely engaging. Aside from a slightly less interesting section, this is one of the best films of the year, and something I doubt I will ever get bored of even after 100 viewings. It's masterful filmmaking, just go and see it for yourself. And remember, when you know what happens, keep it quiet!

I'm going to give Knives Out a 9.5/10