"Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker" Review: A Celebration of the Power of Cinema
I never have to park a quarter mile from the entrance of my local AMC, but this time was different. As I arrived at 7:03pm for my 7:00pm showing of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker I was not alone in my tardiness. As others ran through the lot to get to the screening, I took my time. The concession stand had double the normal number of regular staff. They worked quickly to fulfill orders, dancing around one another with an understanding of what time it was. After 42 years, the Skywalker saga has come to a close, and that’s a magical thing. The electricity in the air, the feeling of wanting to see how it all ends, the collective vibe that these movies mean something to all of these strangers in a dark theater is the essence of why cinema is so powerful. So while this latest installation may not be the greatest (it’s certainly not the worst), it’s a fitting ending to a franchise we all love.
The film opens with Rey (Daisy Ridley) training with General Organa (Carrie Fisher), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on a rampage to secure his spot of power in the galaxy, and The Resistance trying to take down the First Order for good. As not to give any more spoilers than trailers have already given, an old enemy has resurfaced, which gives both Rey and Kylo Ren a new challenge, missions are handed out, all hope seems lost- you know, the usual Hero’s Journey stuff. All that to say, questions are answered and old and new friends get a proper goodbye.
The first act of the film is a bit muddled in its direction. The real life death of Carrie Fisher can be felt in the film in the palpable way that writers Chris Terrio and J.J. Abrams tried to work around it without being too overt. It’s a difficult job, but they were able to give her character respect. Feeling more like a sequel to Abrams’ The Force Awakens, the movie really takes off in the second act and beyond as Rey’s past becomes less of a mystery and her future is in question.
This outing is infused with the original wonder of Star Wars in giving us vast landscapes, creatures we’ve never seen, worlds that are beautiful and threatening at the same time, and bonds amongst friends that we all hope to have in this life. With a nod to its beginning, the end leaves you with a sense of hope and wonder as to where the character may go. Ultimately, The Rise of Skywalker is not a pulse-pounding, deeply moving film with emotional resonance that you’ll remember where you were when you saw it for years to come. It’s a difficult job to bring something that means so much to so many people to a close. For that, the film has my respect.
Rating: C+
"Batman: The Killing Joke" Review
I won’t lie, I came to Batman: The Killing Joke late. I didn’t read it until this year when I heard buzz about the feature film. That doesn’t, however, lessen the power of the comic book’s impact on me. In fact, I’m pretty sure that it had the same impact on me that it had for folks in 1988. It’s raw, smart, and compelling. Unfortunately, the new feature film doesn’t compare to the force of nature that is the graphic novel.
The film starts out with a voice over from Barbara Gordon (Tara Strong), Commissioner Gordon’s (Ray Wise) daughter, telling us that she’s sure “this isn’t how you thought the story would start”. It isn’t, but we’ll go with it. For the next thirty minutes we see the relationship between Batgirl and Batman (Kevin Conroy) as they try to capture Paris Franz (Maury Sterling), a pompous sociopath. Perhaps this deviation from the source material was to establish Batman’s motivations for going after The Joker (Mark Hamil). Perhaps it was to set up future animated features. Whatever it was, it detracted from the overall story.
The prologue gives us a soap opera love triangle amongst Bruce (Wayne), Barbara and Paris. It paints a misogynistic image of an older man being pined after by a young love lorn coed. (Bruce and Barbara are closer in age than the film made it look like.) It’s a forbidden love story of a teacher and student that feels forced. Especially when Batgirl rips off her top (costume) and makes love with Batman high above the city.
Once the story we know takes off, it’s an entertaining film. Your mind goes between what you know from the comic book and what’s been added to fill in blanks. Hearing Mark Hamil’s voice as the Joker once again is great. It reminded me of all those days of grabbing a snack and watching “Batman: The Animated Series” after school as a kid. Hamil has fun playing the unpredictable equal of Batman, as evidenced in his delivery. Kevin Conroy lends his controlled, powerful voice to the role once more and sells Batman.
If you haven’t read the comic book, do it! It’s awesome! Ultimately, this feature film, like many movies adapted from books, can’t compete with your imagination. The mind is a powerful thing, filling in thoughts and feelings where the page’s frames doesn’t. It paints an incomparable cinematic experience! While the feature lifts some of the iconic panels found in Batman: The Killing Joke and puts them into motion, it can’t beat the original.
Rating: C