By Susan JAMES

After 42 years, nine films and multiple iterations for television, the “Star Wars” saga is fairly familiar to a great number of people. “The Rise of Skywalker,” which presumably brings the Skywalker saga full circle, is like a Christmas tree. You know it’s dead but there are so many shiny objects, colored lights and glittering decorations on it that you’re distracted despite yourself. All that’s necessary is for that opening crawl to pop onto the screen, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” and for John Williams’ expansive and iconic score to blast its first notes into a screaming audience and the journey begins. But this may not be the journey you were hoping for.

“The Rise of Skywalker” takes up where “The Last Jedi” left off. Under the leadership of Princess Leia, aka General Leia Organa, a visually reconstituted Carrie Fisher, the Resistance is still fighting the forces of darkness. As a matter of fact, the Resistance has been fighting the forces of darkness for so long that it’s difficult to remember exactly who is fighting and for what. There was that evil Empire under the evil Emperor Palpatine and his evil henchman Darth Vadar. Then there were a lot of nasty Siths under the command of the Dark Lord of the Sith, and now there is the evil First Order under their turncoat leader Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo (Adam Driver), who killed his father and is pursuing the scavenger child turned Jedi, Rey (Daisy Ridley).  To up the ante of evilness, the First Order is planning a quantum attack on the Resistance and a whole bunch of other planets. I know, I know – so what else is new?

Rey’s powers have grown exponentially and her mission is to bring down the First Order aided by her companions, former storm trooper turned Resistance fighter Finn (John Boyega) and Han Solo wannabe Poe (Oscar Isaac). Chewbacca is along for the ride together with a growing assortment of droids – so many in fact it can become confusing. There are light saber fights galore, exploding planets, exploding star fighters and exploding people. Like his grandfather Anakin, Ben Solo, who was named for the Merlin of the “Star Wars” mythology, Obi-Wan Kenobi, still has good in him. Did you doubt it?  And his yearning to somehow bond with Rey has complicated connotations.

The only palpable emotion that rings true in the creaking storyline is the relationship between these two. Fighting both the good and bad aspects of their genetic inheritance Rey and Ben each proves in his or her own way that free will can conquer blood urges. There is little development in anyone else. Finn, a weak imitation of Luke Skywalker, is trying to be the white knight to a woman who has no need of a savior. Poe is not Han Solo although he is obviously intended to fill that role. Everyone fans wanted to show up does in this, the final Skywalker episode, together with a lot of characters fans have probably forgotten. So many Easter eggs and cameos have been included that you might almost forget the lack of original storytelling that connects them. The final shot of Rey silhouetted against the double suns of Tatooine is a reminder of just how great the first movie was and how moneymakers have tried to keep this franchise fresh well past its sell-by date. 

See you at the movies!

  susan james