Beat Blogs: Star Wars

Because of my passion for Star Wars, I decided to critique some blogs which addressed the most recent of the Star Wars films, The Rise Of Skywalker. I found all of the blogs I read to be well written and captivating. The first blog I encountered, Onscreen Review: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” by Ken Jones, criticized the film for its rushed tone, desperate attempts at pandering to casual fans and blatant disregard for previously established story elements. I very much agreed with this sentiment, and, despite enjoying the movie, could not help but notice these shortcomings. The second blog I read, The Rise of Skywalker: Stronger Than Blood by Stephen Danley, touched on director JJ Abram’s nervous energy being made evident in the final product of the film, and once again I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with the blog post. Due to mounting pressure from the previous two films of the saga, Abrams found himself sacrificing creativity and artistic integrity, as well as respect for previously established story hooks and plot points, in exchange for a lackluster, play-it-safe style affair. While the film was by no means awful, it’s potential to be something better is extremely obvious. My final article, Rey Deserved Better: The Failures of The Rise of Skywalker, Part 1 by BJ Priester, examines the way in which Rey, one of the main characters of the trilogy, found her character arc diminished by the film’s lack of narrative risk taking. In turn, the quality of her character suffered, harming the film overall. While I believe Rey is at her most interesting in this film, I can’t help but imagine how much better she could have been had JJ Abrams taken bigger risks. Overall, I think the film could have very much benefitted from greater creative risks on Abrams’ part.