Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Review

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

Release Date: 19th December 2019 - Australia

Production Companies

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Bad Robot Productions

British Film Commission (produced with the support of)

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 141 minutes

Budget: $300,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,074,149,279 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

The evil Emperor Palpatine is assumed to have been killed in the second Death Star when somehow he survived. It is up to the remaining members of the Resistance to find a trace of his whereabouts, and Finn and Poe lead them in defeating the First Order and stopping their plans for a new Empire. Meanwhile, Rey has to confront Kylo Ren and face him.

Cast

Daisy Ridley - Rey

Adam Driver - Kylo Ren

John Boyega - Finn

Oscar Isaac - Poe Dameron

Kelly Marie Tran - Rose

Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker/Boolio (Voice)

Carrie Fisher - General Leia Organa (Archive Footage)

Billy Dee Williams - Lando Calrissian

Lupita Nyong'o - Maz Kanata

Anthony Daniels - C-3PO

Jimmy Vee - R2-D2

Brian Herring - BB-8 Performer

Dave Chapman - BB-8 Performer

Joonas Suotamo - Chewbacca

Keri Russell - Zorii Bliss

Naomi Ackie - Jannah

Domhnall Gleeson - General Hux

Richard E. Grant - Allegiant General Pryde

Ian McDiarmid - Emperor

Palpatine/Darth Sidious

Greg Grunberg - Snap Wexley
Shirley Henderson - Babu Frink

Dominic Monaghan - Beaumont Kin

Billie Lourd - Lieutenant Connix

Nick Kellington - Klaud

Mandeep Dhillon - Lieutenant Garam

Alison Rose - Lieutenant Draper

Amanda Lawrence - Commander D'Acy

Tanya Moodie - General Parnadee

Simon Paisley Day - General Quinn

Geff Francis - Admiral Griss

Amanda Hale - Officer Kandia

Amir El-Masry - Commander

Trach

Aidan Cook - Boolie

J.J. Abrams - D-O (Voice)
Tom Wilton - Colonel Aftab Ackbar
Chris Terrio - Colonel Aftab Ackbar (Voice)
Kiran Shah - Nambi Ghima
Debra Wilson - Nambi Ghima (Voice)
Josef Atlin - Pilot Vanik
Vinette Robinson - Pilot Tyce

Paul Kasey - C'ai Threnalli
Mike Quinn - Nien Numb
Kipsang Rotich - Nien Numb (Voice)
Ann Firbank - Tatooine Elder
Philicia Saunders - Tabala Zo
Nigel Godrich - FN-2802 (Cameo)
Dhani Harrison - FN-0878 (Cameo)
J.D. Dillard - FN-1226 (Cameo)
Dave Hearn - FN-0606 (Cameo)
Josefine Irrera Jackson - Young Rey

Cailey Fleming - Young Rey (Archive Footage)
Jodie Comer - Rey's Mother (Cameo)
Billy Howle - Rey's Father
Carolyn Hennesy - Demine Lithe
John Williams - Oma Tres (Cameo)

Denis Lawson - Wedge Antilles (Cameo)

Warwick Davis - Wicket W. Warrick (Cameo)

Harrison Davis - Pommet Warrick

Andy Serkis - Supreme Leader Snoke

(Voice) (Cameo)

James Earl Jones - Darth Vader (Voice) (Cameo)

Hayden Christensen - Anakin Skywalker

(Voice) (Cameo)

Ewan McGregor - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Voice)

(Cameo)

Frank Oz - Yoda (Voice) (Cameo)

Liam Neeson - Qui Gon Jinn (Voice) (Cameo)

Samuel L. Jackson - Mace Windu (Voice) (Cameo)

Ashley Eckstein - Ahsoka Tano (Voice) (Cameo)

Freddie Prinze Jr. - Kanan Jarrus (Voice) (Cameo)

Olivia d'Abo - Luminara Unduli (Voice) (Cameo)

Jennifer Hale - Aayla Secura (Voice) (Cameo)

Angelique Perrin - Adi Gallia (Voice) (Cameo)

Harrison Ford - Han Solo (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Ed Sheeran - Stormtrooper (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Karl Urban - Stormtrooper (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Story/Screenplay/Producer/Director - J.J. Abrams

Based on Characters - George Lucas

Story/Screenplay - Chris Terrio

Story - Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow

Executive Producer/First Assistant Director -
Tommy Gormley
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Callum Greene

Executive Producer - Jason D. McGatlin

Producers - Kathleen Kennedy and

Michelle Rejwan

Co-Producers - Pippa Anderson,

Candice Campos and Chris Furia

Casting Directors - Nina Gold, April Webster and

Alyssa Weisberg

Dialect Coach - Jill McCullough

Production Designers - Rick Carter
and Kevin Jenkins

VP & Head of Design: Lucasfilm Art Department -

Doug Chiang

Design Supervisor: Lucasfilm - James Clyne

Concept Artists - Adam Brockbank,

Bob Cheshire, Jon McCoy, Stephen Tappin,

Christian Alzmann, Ryan Church,

Rodolfo Damgio, Yanick Dusseault,

Sean Hargreaves, Phil Saunders,

Erik Tiemens, Adam Baines and André Wallin

Additional Conceptual Designs - Darren Gilford

Supervising Art Director - Paul Inglis

Senior Art Director - Phil Sims

Art Directors - Jim Barr, Claire Fleming,

Liam Georgensen, Patrick Harris,

Ashley Lamont, Mike Stallion and

Matt Wynne

Art Directors: Props - Oliver Roberts, Lydia Fry

and Daniel Nussbaumer

Standby Art Director - Peter James

Assistant Art Directors - Roxana Alexandru,

Petra Balogh, Jake Hall, Charlotte Leatherland,

Hugh McClelland, Kristen Maloney and

Laura Miller

Assistant Art Director: Props - Clara Gomez del Moral

Draughtsperson/Asset and Environment

Supervisor: ILM - Andrew Proctor

Storyboard Artist - David Allcock

Set Decorator - Rosemary Brandenburg

Property & Weapons Master - Jamie Wilkinson

Supervising Standby Props - Sonny Merchant

Workshop Supervisor - Martyn Doust

Costume Designer - Michael Kaplan

Costume Supervisor - David Crossman

HOD Costume Modeller - Pierre Bohanna

Special Creature Effects - Neal Scanlan

Makeup Designer - Amanda Knight

Hair Designer - Lisa Tomblin

Director of Photography - Dan Mindel

Director of Photography: Second Unit -

Andrew Rowlands

Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell

Production Supervisor: Jordan - Diala Al Raie

Production Manager: Foreign Locations/

Supervising Location Manager (Uncredited) - Martin Joy

Production Coordinators: Jordan - Erin Duffy

and Nada Atieh

Unit Production Managers - D.J. Carson and

Kate Hazell

First Assistant Director: Second Unit -

Stewart Hamilton

First Assistant Director: Jordan - Tamir Naber

Supervising Location Manager - Mally Chung

Location Manager: Jordan - Duncan Broadfoot

Second Unit Director - Victoria Mahoney

Stunt Coordinator - Eunice Hathart

Assistant Stunt Coordinator - Marc Mailley

Fight Coordinator - Mike Lambert

Aerial Coordinator & Pilot - Frédéric North

Creature Movement Choreographer/

Creature & Droid Puppeteer - Paul Kasey

Special Effects Supervisor - Dominic Tuohy

Special Effects Production Buyers/

Coordinators - Sophie Hutton and Alicia Davies

CFX Electronic Design and Development

Supervisor/Creature & Droid Puppeteer -

Matthew Denton

CFX Supervising Animatronic Designers -

Vanessa Bastyan, Maria Cork and Gustav Hoegen

CFX Paint Finish Design Supervisor - Henrik Svensson

Visual Effects Supervisor - Roger Guyett

Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM - Patrick Tubach,

Daniele Bigi, Jeff Capogreco, Dan Snape

and Nigel Sumner

Visual Effects Supervisor: Second Unit - Richard Bain

Visual Effects Producers - Janet Lewis,

Stacey Bissell, TJ Falls and Kevin Elam

Visual Effects Art Directors: ILM - Stephen Tappin

and Chris Voy

Animation Supervisors: ILM - Paul Kavanagh,

Stephen Aplin, Eric Leong and Lee McNair

Virtual Production Supervisor - Kaya Jabar

CG Supervisors: ILM - Karin Cooper,

Nihal Friedel, Steve Hardy, Malcolm Humphreys,

Daniel Lobl, Victor Schulz IV and

Anthony Zwartouw

Computer Graphics Supervisor: BLIND LTD -

Andrew Booth

Compositing Supervisors: ILM - Michael J. Allen,

Sam Bassett, John J. Galloway, Charles Lai,

Jan Maroske and Jeff Sutherland

Asset and Environment Supervisors: ILM -

Waldemar Bartkowiak, Jeffrey De Guzman,

Clement Gerard, Bruce Holcomb, Ben Neall,

John Seru, Dan Wheaton and Elvin Siew Xiangyou

Visual Effects Concept Artists: ILM -

Amy Beth Christensen, Adam Ely,

Brett Northcutt, Bianca Scurtu, Shivani Jhaveri

and Jeen Yee

Art Department: ILM - Ashley Bradford,

Jennifer Coronado, Alexander Gustaveson

and David Nakabayashi

Editors - Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube

Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor -

David Acord

ADR Mixer: Skywalker Sound/Supervising Sound

Editor - Matthew Wood

Additional Sound Design - Robert Stambler

Jedi Vocal Design - Ben Burtt

Foley Supervisor - Frank Rinella

Foley Artists - Ronni Brown and

Margie O'Malley

Dialogue Supervisor - Cheryl Nardi

Production Sound Mixer - Stuart Wilson

Sound Effects Editors - Justin Doyle

and Addison Teague

Re-Recording Mixers - Andy Nelson

and Christopher Scarabosio

Music - John Williams

Scoring Engineer - Shawn Murphy

Review

For over 42 years, the Star Wars movie franchise has reached its culmination of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. Fans are either worried, excited or indifferent to this new instalment. Some find it hard to forgive everything in The Last Jedi that caused them discomfort. I had high expectations for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER as it was the beginning of an end to a galaxy far, far away, conceived by George Lucas. Unfortunately, it was not the grand finale I hoped it would be. Disney had broken our promises in concluding this saga with a contrived ending.

Director J.J. Abrams is back to restore the light that seems to have vanished in The Last Jedi. However, there's a downside in all things possible as J.J. starts to lose his creative touch when the changes he put in prove unnecessary and contradictory in the series' culmination. It includes the insertion of pure fanservice and retconning the fan-divisive plot points already addressed in the predecessor, such as the truth about Rey's lineage. While there are fans who hated Rian Johnson's unorthodox approach to The Last Jedi, they can thank J.J. for fixing a few of those issues. The plot is a little derivative of Return of the Jedi and is even convoluted. The sluggish pacing, which also hurts the film, doesn't help.

Nothing else got added to THE RISE OF SKYWALKER that's new, like character-driven scenes and plot twists. What I find most disconcerting about the movie is that Emperor Palpatine's return lessens the impact of his supposed defeat in Return of the Jedi. This film didn't explain how he survived. It would have been better if the Emperor returned as a Force ghost or a clone, just like in the Legends series.

The visuals are still spectacular, and the film has some great moments. The acting continues with original players added to return for this movie, like Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. Ian McDiarmid hams it up in his reprisal as the evil Sith Lord. This instalment was an emotional send-off for Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. It would have been better if she was still alive to complete her character's journey.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER could have concluded on an emotional note with high intensity. It would have gone differently as Rian Johnson did to The Last Jedi. Some fans may not like THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, but that doesn't mean they are nothing short of their devotion to the Star Wars series. This franchise will live on in all our hearts, as it always has. What we got instead was a movie that was neither good nor bad.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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