It’s hard to predict how The Rise of Skywalker will age once the initial shock wears off, but if anything this is a reminder to support independent filmmakers and those willing to challenge the status quo.
The view on the 1990s Star Wars prequels is synonymous with hubris, failure, and shoddy filmmaking, that is until Disney came into the picture and changed the image completely with its latest additions to the franchise Rogue One and Solo.
With unflinching backlash and polarizing reviews between fans and critics, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has found little favor among the masses – but was this the fault of the storyteller or the company behind the film who always plays it safe.
We knew things would change once Disney got a hold of Star Wars, and as utterly delightful as The Force Awakens was, it was basically the equivalent of clearing the first hurdle in a long race. After all, Disney operates under the ‘keep doing it until everyone hates it’ business model, and the company has made it abundantly clear that fans will be getting new Star Wars movies until they stop turning a profit. The thing is, that’s never been what Star Wars is.
Walking out of the theater after my opening night showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I felt like I had received a warm hug for two hours. It was comforting to see a director perfectly capture the classic energy and hope of Star Wars for the first time in thirty years.
The cyclical nature of contemporary pop culture means that for every blockbuster released, a backlash is likely imminent over the course of its opening weekend, no matter how good the reviews. JJ Abrams knows better than anybody about the perils of falling victim to the hype train; despite critical and commercial success, mere weeks after its opening his Star Trek sequel Into Darkness was voted the worst Trek film of all time at a leading Trekkie convention. Taking fanboy rage on the chin, he has decided to follow this minor outrage by taking the directorial reigns of the new instalment of one of the most beloved franchises at all time, as audiences worldwide wait with bated breath to see whether or not he has (to use a common expression) “raped their childhood”.