When George Lucas released the original Star Wars film back in 1977, he had no idea the impact that the film would have. He was hoping that some people would go and see it, but he didn’t realize that his film would change everything. Star Wars has become so much more than just a movie. For 42 years, Star Wars has become a major fixture in many people’s lives as well as the film industry. The way the special effects were used and how the cameras moved not only flipped the entire industry on its head, but it made people all around the world pay attention. The story of Luke and his quest to become a Jedi has become one of the modern-day myths. After 40 years, not only does the original film starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher still hold up, it’s still influencing film-makers today. If it wasn’t for George Lucas’ film, we probably wouldn’t have directors like James Cameron, Peter Jackson, or Guillermo del Toro. For 40 years, Star Wars has been a house-hold name, even for those that haven’t seen it. That is the reach that the space opera has on pop culture. The franchise has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, both in film and in other media, but the enduring strength of Star Wars simply can’t be contained.
The story of the Skywalker bloodline, which includes Luke, Leia, Anakin/Darth Vader, and Kylo Ren, is set to conclude this December with Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. As for what the story of the new film entails, we don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see this December to see how it all plays out, but what we do know is that it’s going to be epic. Obviously, we are going to see the return of characters like Poe, Finn, Rey, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and BB8, but we also get to see the return of a beloved character from the Original Trilogy, Lando Calrissian as played by none other than Billy Dee Williams. The big question was how Carrie Fisher’s character was going to be in the new film, considering that the actress tragically passed away in 2016. The answer is simple: They implemented unused footage from The Force Awakens. That was probably the best option. Now, I watched the Episode IX panel live on YouTube this morning in anticipation of the new teaser trailer and title drop for Episode IX. The Rise of Skywalker is an interesting choice. Every episodic film in the franchise had a name that played on the themes of that particular entry. The title, at least to me, suggests that there will be a member of the Skywalker family left standing at the end of the film. Again, we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m genuinely interested to see how all this comes together.
Star Wars has seen it’s fair share of bumps over the years. I’ll be straight with you: The Last Jedi had some serious problems. I loved the movie when I first saw it. I enjoyed its unpredictability, but having had some time to think about it, Episode VIII spent too much time trying to pull the rug out from underneath the audience. This is the issue that I have with Rian Johnson as a director. He spends so much time trying to be unpredictable that he failed to make a compelling narrative. The entire film was essentially one long chase sequence with The First Order on the heels of the Resistance. While I loved what they did with the Force and the relationship between Kylo and Rey, the film felt both bloated and shallow at the same time. Again, I don’t hate the film, it’s a fantastic action film, but as a Star Wars sequel, it’s not very good. Episode IX seems to be a bit of a course correction, but hopefully it will still maintain its own identity. Everything Star Wars, right now, is riding on the success of The Rise of Skywalker. Considering the audience’s split reception to The Last Jedi and the tepid response to Solo, J.J. Abrams and company can’t afford to make another mistake. From what I understand, the Star Wars films will be taking a bit of a hiatus after Skywalker’s release, rolling back plans to release a film every year.
So, what are my expectations for The Rise of Skywalker? I think it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun and I think it has the potential to be better than The Last Jedi. The issue is if they can get it right. Aside from Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars is going to be the biggest event of the year. It’s hard to say if people will forgive Disney for Solo or The Last Jedi, so that may factor into the film’s overall performance. I’m hoping the Skywalker saga goes out with a bang, not a whimper. Come on, Disney, you can do it.