Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (ninth-pass)
Cert: 12A / 142 mins / Dir. J.J. Abrams / Trailer Previous reviews:
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Okay, just a quick jaunt this late in The Rise Of Skywalker's cinematic run to lay some appreciation out for the magnificent Anthony Daniels, the man behind (inside) the golden droid that is See-Threepio.
The character (indeed, the actor) had little more than an incidental role in The Force Awakens and The Rise Of Skywalker, lighting up each of his scenes but coming off as feeling a little shortchanged given the character's previous importance. Daniels has been in this from the very start, of course, braving the heat of the Tunisian sun for Tatooine back in '75. The movies may be labelled The Skywalker Saga, but C-3PO essentially is Star Wars. Certainly a core part of what makes it special.
His was the first line of dialogue in the (release order) story, and Threepio reprises those four words as his last in Episode IX. Okay, this isn't as cool as the circularity of Revenge Of The Sith's Tantive IV callback, but given that LFL later decided the Episode III blockade runner was in fact The Sundered Heart instead, that particular Easter egg has already been retconned into insignificance*1.
But C-3PO turns out to be the most pivotal droid in The Rise Of Skywalker, even upstaging BB-8 in his usefulness (quite the achievement in this trilogy). What's more, he gets many of the film's funniest lines and corny as they may be, the droid's humour is always on-brand*2. He has an endearing lack of self-awareness for one with so much external knowledge, which speaks to anyone who's ever tried to fit in despite being a smartarse.
Threepio's screen-time is still relatively short in Episode IX of course, but the droid that shines twice as bright translates half as long. There'll be more adventures with goldenrod in one form or another, as hinted at by Daniels himself recently. Part of Star Wars' specific charm is its non-linear approach to storytelling across different media, and there's only one guy who can do the voice, the movement, the essence.
So.
Where the hell is my 3¾" red-eyed C-3PO, Hasbro?
The Star Wars.
Obvs.
Obvs.
That one's up for debate, but probably not.
Try me.
Not that I can tell.
Level 0: It is Star Wars.
...but if you wanted to go around the houses with it, The Rise Of Skywalker stars Anthony Daniels, who was in the 'Best Years Of Your Death' episode of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) with Tom Baker, one of the many Doctors in 2013's 'Day Of The Doctor' special of Doctor Who next to David Tennant, who appears in Good Omens alongside Daniel Mays, who was in The Infiltrator which also featured Jason Isaacs from A Cure For Wellness, a film that had Celia Imrie in it from out of 1990's The World Of Eddie Weary which also starred... Anthony Daniels.
*2 Hey, I'm a massive fan of Attack Of The Clones and even I can't forgive the "this is such a drag" line. Not least because the "I'm quite beside myself" is superb. [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Ah, that's better. As is usual, the second viewing of a new Star Wars movie allows for a step back, looking at the bigger picture without fixating on the plot as it unfolds. And I'm very happy to say that The Rise Of Skywalker flows far more smoothly when you know where the river is headed. You can put down the map and enjoy the scenery, so to speak. Too many metaphors for a single paragraph. Not sorry.
REVELATIONS Make no mistake, there is still a lot of story-admin going on here, and yet somehow not enough. That's coupled with a smattering of unnecessary explanations as a sort of scriptwriter's garnish. Huge revelations are dropped into the dialogue with the same dramatic inference as a Rebel technician pointing out that the toner cartridge needs changing, and they're usually accepted in the same straightforward fashion.
We (by which I mean Fandom™) have spent the last four years asking questions, be it where do things come from or where did they disappear to. Star Wars movies have never been about massive ungainly bouts of backstory*1, but we hadn't stopped to think that when our answers did arrive, they'd do so with no further explanation or qualification. More fodder for the novels and comics, and that's fine.
JOB But ultimately there are two films here. There's the Abrams-esque rollicking adventure, in which our planet-hopping heroes solve puzzles, locate artefacts and blast their way out of tight corners. Then there's the more Johnson-esque ponderous study of duty, destiny and the resurgence of the Sith. And while these are both definitely Star Wars™, they don't meet in the middle because even 142 minutes isn't enough time to properly do both ideas justice.
Think of how unbalanced Return Of The Jedi is. All of the interesting stuff happens aboard the second Death Star, with the space and ground battles providing breathing-room for the heavyweight force of wills. But as much fun as the Jabba's palace adventure is*2, when you've seen RotJ a few times it starts to get in the way, knowing there's more important business to be taken care of. One of the hills The Rise Of Skywalker has to climb is that this mismatch is apparent from the beginning, so the viewer quickly has to decide which of the two films they're in the mood for. Most of us want both, but that won't come until later viewings, when it's all bedded in.
BAG We want instant gratification from Star Wars, but that's rarely how the series operates. The first 1977 flick did it, and to a certain degree The Force Awakens was probably closest to replicating that feel-good blast, but even that later work was subject to a quick reappraisal when it became apparent how structurally similar it is to A New Hope and The Phantom Menace.
You want the same movie experience from each new release? Fast & Furious is right there. You want to love Star Wars? I'm afraid it might be a little more work than just sitting down in front of it.
I have spoken.
The Star Wars.
Obvs.
Obvs.
For some it will be high on the CV, yes.
Yup.
Okay, I think there's one when REDACTED falls into the REDACTED at REDACTED.
Need to investigate this, though.
Level 0: It is Star Wars.
...but if you wanted to go around the houses with it, The Rise Of Skywalker stars Carrie Fisher of course, who was in 2009's Fanboys along with Ray Park, who performed voicework for the motion-comic of Spartacus: Blood And Sand next to Jaime King, who rocked up in last year's Ocean's Eight alongside Richard Armitage from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a movie which also featured Kiran Shah, who was in 2011's Your Highness with Justin Theroux, who also had a role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle next to the one and only Carrie Fisher...
*1 Although many would argue that Episodes I-III fit squarely into this bracket; naturally, I'd disagree. [ BACK ]
*2 And as much as even I have grumbled about Snoke buying the farm halfway through the trilogy, let's not forget that the iconic Jabba The Hutt wasn't originally introduced until 13 minutes into the third Star Wars movie, and 25 minutes later he's a smouldering mess of barbecued blubber. That's it. That's Jabba. [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Hell's Kitchen, New York, 1978*1. The put-upon wives of three mobsters (Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss) find themselves struggling when their husbands are jailed following a failed store robbery. At first they decide to take up the reins of the business themselves, then the idea occurs that the ladies could be players in their own right. As their operation grows, they find themselves rubbing up other underworld figures the wrong way, and eventually decisions have to be made about how far each is prepared to go to assure their success...
POINT Now. I've heard a few folks comment that the premise of this movie is a blatant rip-off of 2018's Widows, and I feel the need to point out that this is definitely not the case. The Kitchen is in fact based on the 2015 comic from DC/Vertigo, and that was a rip-off of 1983's Widows. Come on people, really. Flippancy aside though, this is closer in tone and structure to a sort of Grand Theft Auto '78, since they're not pulling off One Big Job but building a sprawling criminal empire.
And although the levels of intensity feel right, the setup for the central premise itself feels a little linear. "Hey, y'know we could do The Crime, right?" - "Shall we do The Crime?" - "Yeah, let's do The Crime!!". Structurally this isn't a million miles away from Hustlers, except here it's a fight for identity and survival, rather than entitlement (obviously there is a bit of entitlement). Also, the vintage soundtrack is better in this movie, even if the best tunes have appeared in numerous other soundtracks over the years).
PRISON The central cast all do well with roles which don't tonally overlap too much, joined by Margo Martindale in full, glorious gangster-pantomime mode. Each of trio are individually flawed outside of their base criminal aspirations, with their own hurdles to clear before the credits roll. Two of our gang take to the life of crime like ducks to water, while the third still gives it one hell of a crack before becoming uncomfortable with the consequences of her new responsibilities. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Melissa McCarthy is far better at drama than she is comedy, even if she plays both almost identically*2. And it turns out that the same appears to be true of Tiffany Haddish. Elisabeth Moss is great as always.
As well as the strong - borderline caricature - 1978 production design*3, we're treated to some fantastic establishing scenery shots courtesy of cinematographer Maryse Alberti and the effects team who brought them to digitally enhanced life. At times this feels a bit like an early Guy Ritchie flick (no bad thing) in that the police are mentioned, but fire a handgun a few times in broad daylight and they're nowhere to be seen. This isn't their manor, and the players in this tale don't take them seriously anyway.
BIG The film drags a bit in its third act, and the whole thing ends up feeling like it could easily lose around twenty minutes. When the final plot tie-up arrives, it feels like something which has been dropped in because it's expected for the format, rather than the thing which has been driving the story all along. As escalating crime-sprees go, The Kitchen is a relatively nuts-and-bolts rendition, but one made with conviction and no small amount of style...
Buy it, but maybe wait for the price to come down first.
Not particularly, but there are strong and surprisingly nuanced performances all round.
Unlikely, since while The Kitchen won't be for everyone, it'll be a difficult to movie to actively take against.
No.
Level 1: General Hux is in this (and whose deadpan comic timing is superb, by the way)
*1 While obviously I'm aware that the title is location-specific, I can't help but feel that putting three women in a movie called "The Kitchen" in 2019 is playing into the wrong hands, somewhat. [ BACK ]
*2 I'll be honest, a small part of me was hoping Melissa McCarthy would be dreadful in this so that I could say "If you can't stand The Heat... stay out of The Kitchen!!1!". Alas, that cheap pun doesn't apply because her turn here is absolutely solid. We can only play the cards we're dealt, right? [ BACK ]
*3 Mate, it's 1978 and no one mentions Star Wars? At all? It'd only been out for six months and was still massive. You have a scene in a street full of movie theatres and the most recognisable name you've got splashed on the hoardings is Grease? ...what do you mean 'this isn't a documentary'? [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
The Jedi themselves said it from the start, 'don't get too attached to shit'. But did you listen? The lightsaber which Rey uses to help cut down the Praetorian Guards? That's the same one Anakin used to murder a room full of children. It's not good or evil, it's just an object, a tool to be used as the wielder sees fit. Obi-Wan stressed its importance to Anakin, and now Anakin's son throws it away like a fork arriving with the soup-course. He was mistaken in this action of course, and that's one of the things you didn't like; having to re-evaluate your heroes. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is about re-evaluation. And change. I heard you don't like change. Good.
Really though, you shouldn't get too attached to shit. The idea that the old-school, one-thousand-generation order are the arbiters of truth and static wisdom in a changing galaxy? Well, we know how that turned out around fifty years before the time of TLJ. The idea that you knew where a Star Wars movie was headed before seeing the BBFC/MPAA card? Well, like I said; I heard you don't like The Last Jedi. The past of the monastic order order may be a done-deal, but the future isn't. And although The Force Awakens took a safe path in bringing audiences back to the Galaxy Far, Far Away, TLJ takes the steps its forebear probably should have in not only shuffling the deck, but playing with new cards altogether. I get that you were always going to be upset by this.
And although I certainly don't want to pull rank on any section of fandom, good. While certain restrained words posted on social media hold fast and true in principal, at the same time… no. If you're going out of your way to incoherently badmouth the film on social media*1 and sign petulant petitions, you're not a fan of Star Wars. You may well be a fan of Some Of The Star Wars Films, but you're not a fan of Star Wars. The day I walk out of a cinema and 'hate' the Star Wars movie I've just watched is the day I hang up the lightsaber*2. I still won't be signing a petition.
The Last Jedi is a film about change. About passing on the baton. Kenny Baker is no longer with us as Artoo, Chewbacca is played entirely by Joonas Suotamo this time round, and Anthony Daniels' Threepio has a distinctly supporting role*3. Two of our main, central heroes have bought the farm in-universe, and the third won't be around to film the next episode. This is a story about letting go of all you've been taught, and yet trusting The Force all the same. The path is uncertain, our heroes are fallible (more on that next time). We can trust that good will prevail, but it's going to have to really try this time round...
If The Last Jedi isn't what you expected, that's fine. It's an amazing film, deep into its own entrenched franchise, which makes the audience re-evaluate why they're sitting there. Yet at the same time, this is quintessentially The Hero's Journey. It's just not the hero's journey some were expecting. Or wanting. But if you don't get goosebumps watching a kid grasping a broom-handle and gazing into a night sky full of possibility, like millions of us did when we were eight years old, then you've missed the point of Star Wars and I can't change your mind.
I heard you don't like The Last Jedi. Good.
That means I'll have less trouble booking my seat for the Solo movie in May…
+ + + + +
Oh, and the D-Box was great as always, but I was a little surprised the film was playing to fewer than 20 people. Even on the last shopping-Saturday before Christmas, in a location which isn't exactly a 'pass-through' (the O2 arena), and in the earliest screening of the day. Still, no matter.
The Star Wars.
Yes.
Yes.
It's strong.
It's very strong.
That all depends on how wrong you are.
There is.
Level 0: It is Star Wars.
*1 Start a blog, write a review. Write several reviews. Of the same film if needs be, or of different films. Share your reviews on social media, by all means. You want to hate what you've watched? Fantastic, just think about exactly why you hated it. That makes you examine your opinions on movies a lot more closely, trust me. No matter how concentrated your rage, I assure you that 140 characters isn't enough to adequately express it, and a signature on a petition (for which you will be widely and justifiably mocked) certainly isn't. [ BACK ]
*2 I seem to come out of everyfirst-pass of a Star Wars film unsure, whether I've indulged in spoilers or not. That's not that I don't love what I've just witnessed, just that I can't process everything in one sitting. It's only my ridiculous, self imposed blog-rules that dictate I type up a review for every separate showing I see. [ BACK ]
*3 And start bracing yourselves now because there's a distinct probability that next May's Solo movie may well be the first branded*4 Star Wars movie without an appearance by R2-D2 and C-3PO. I mean, Rogue One was pushing it, frankly. How small do they want us to think the galaxy is..? [ BACK ]
*4 The two Ewoks movies are a curiosity of course, as they were Lucasfilm-made (and clearly set on the same Endor as Return of the Jedi) but didn't feature the actual Star Wars branding until the 2005 DVD release, despite characters appearing in official encyclopaedia-type references until the 2012 'Legends' reboot. [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
There are two moments across the Star Wars films which make me involuntarily stop breathing. Every time. The first is the part of Revenge of the Sith where Vader has his helmet fitted, the cut-out silence of Palpatine's makeshift operating theatre is filled with an electronic 'charging' whine and we finally hear the infamous respirator. The second is the visual exchange at the end of The Force Awakens, with Rey and Luke on a clifftop, wordlessly communicating over a proffered lightsaber. In those moments, I forget to breathe. Until I'm roused by the sound of the breathing apparatus or the 'directed by' credit. Every time.
Quite often, people will ask me "yeah but what do you get out of watching Star Wars over and over again?". Which is a fair question, even I have to admit*1. One one (quite literal) level, it's like the childhood bedtime story that you never got tired of hearing. But as the years wear on and I become more nitpicky in my enjoyment of films, Star Wars is the gift which keeps on giving. Every time I watch one of the movies, I'll notice a facial twitch, inflection of a line of dialogue or a detail on a set or costume which I haven't seen before*2.
It's only been two years since the release of The Force Awakens, and already the film has that air of established familiarity*3 - that feeling of being at home in the Star Wars universe*4. And having had a whole year to digest and reflect upon Rogue One, this (short) distance highlights the stylistic differences between the two*5. Although well received, The Force Awakens has a classical structure which is all but absent in the Death Star heist-movie (even though that was also very well received).
It makes absolute sense of course that the 'anthology' movies should have a different cinematic style from the saga-entries, but the first of tonight's double-bill raises two questions:
1) Will The Last Jedi be going firmly back to this more sweeping style of storytelling? And,
2) What will the more casual-end of the critical sphere make of the gear-change if it does?
Anyway, I enjoyed The Force Awakens again.
As you would expect.
The Star Wars.
You've pretty much missed your chance with this now, but yes.
It does.
It's at the top-end of the list, yes.
I shall sigh heavily and ask you to explain yourself.
There is.
Level 0: This is Star Wars.
(I'm not doing the long-link for a short review like this. Sorry kids, they just take too long, and I've got to do one for the first-screening of The Last Jedi)
*1 The general answer is here, although it doesn't quite cover the Star Wars phenomenon. [ BACK ]
*2 I try to do this with all movies of course, hence me writing a review for each subsequent cinema viewing. but in all honesty who wants to sit through (to pull an example completely out of the air) Transformers: The Last Knight more than once, to see if it's magically any more charming or coherent on repeat? [ BACK ]
*3 Although bear in mind that I *did* watch it eleven times during its initial run, so you'd expect me to know it by now anyway.
[ BACK ]
*4 And remember that I'm someone who says (and has always said) the same thing about about the prequel trilogy, so adjust your reliance on my enthusiasm accordingly... [ BACK ]
*5 Not that Rogue One isn't Star Wars in any way, just that it's very different Star Wars. Plus Lucasfilm need all the differentiators they can get, now they've essentially abandoned the episode-numbers, outside of the opening crawls. [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Okay, just a quick jaunt this late in The Rise Of Skywalker's cinematic run to lay some appreciation out for the magnificent Anthony Daniels, the man behind (inside) the golden droid that is See-Threepio.
