Related
Star Wars : The Rise of SkywalkerwastedThe Force Awakens’setup more thanThe Last Jedi . In classicStar Warsfashion , there was not a singular , comprehensive plan that totally mapped out the entire sequel trilogy when Lucasfilm started employment on it . On one hand , this was a approving since it gave J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson creative freedom when craft their instalment , allowing them to take the level in whatever instruction they want . That kind of leeway is refreshful on a major studio tentpole . However , the downside to this approach was a series of films that seemed at odds with each other instead of evidence a cohesive narrative .
The Last Jediwas peculiarly polarizing , with many feel it discardedForce Awakenssetup to subvert expectation and blow audience with surprising turn of events . The film ’s critics believe Johnson retconned the story , even though Abrams said on recordnothing inThe Last JedicontradictsThe Force Awakens . Ironically , Abrams arguably did a worse job of espouse his own setup when he retrovert to theStar Warsgalaxy to helmThe Rise of Skywalker .
touch on : How climb of Skywalker Copied Endgame ’s Final Battle ( But MUCH Worse )
Much has already been said about howThe Rise of Skywalkerseemingly retcons some of the more controversial prospect ofThe Last Jedi , but the film also fell short when it came to meet some of the teases that were present inThe Force Awakens . It ’s true the film had a lot on its plate as it looked to conclude the Skywalker saga on a resonant note , though there are still some defect that are difficult to ignore .
The Rise of Skywalker Introduced (& Wasted) The Knights of Ren
The Force Awakensmade a point to mentionKylo Ren was master of the Knights of Ren , a chemical group of warrior in brief seen in Rey ’s Force sight on Takodana . Even though this idea had a caboodle of potential difference , it was never flesh out . The Knights were missing fromThe Last Jedi , as there was n’t much of a place for them in a story that took situation on the heel ofThe Force Awakens . When Abrams boardedThe Rise of Skywalker , he brought the Knights back , yield them their right onscreen introduction . Sadly , the Knights joined the maturate leaning of nerveless - lookingStar Warsvillains that are more marketing gimmick than characters .
The Knights of Ren simply do not have much to do inThe Rise of Skywalker . Their screen time is minimum and they hardly leave an impact on viewer . The most notable chronological sequence they ’re a part of come up towards the end of the movie , when a redeemed Ben Solo comes to Exegol to economize Rey . Ben make believe quick oeuvre of his former allies , so the Knights did n’t even get a standout action go under patch a la the praetorian guards inThe Last Jedi . It was disappointing because the Knights of Ren seemed like a very interesting construct when viewers first hear of them , but Abrams did n’t know how to integrate them inThe Rise of Skywalker . It would have been decent to see the Knights have unique personalities or traits , rather than being faceless , nameless suits of armour .
Related : Rise of Skywalker ’s Stormtrooper Rebellion Deserved to Be Its Own Movie
The Rise of Skywalker Once Again Wasted Finn’s Force Story
A running screw thread inThe Rise of SkywalkerisFinn ’s fail attempts to tell Rey he ’s Force tender . It ’s a major development for the character , but the subplot is half - baked at best and it is n’t given a right resolution . audience were so confused by it , Boyega needed to descend out and say Finn was n’t going to say,“I have intercourse you"to Rey . The ascent of Skywalkerfrustratingly maintain Finn ’s Force powers a secret ( there is n’t even a setting where he discovers his abilities ) , only vaguely hinting at the truth when Finn has"a feeling"about something at key moments . Finn encounter more of an bow inThe Last Jedi , when his concerns evolved from just finding Rey to want to unblock the wandflower from the First Order . The Finn / Rose plot line was converge with criticism ( even from Boyega himself ) , but it was at least a full story that allowed Finn to change as a grapheme . InThe Rise of Skywalker , he ’s basically an afterthought . If Finn was given a chance to display his Force tycoon in full force , it would have been an excellent way of making up for theForce Awakensbait - and - switch .
Related : Star state of war : Why Palpatine Had So Many Snoke Clones In raise of Skywalker
The Rise of Skywalker Answered Two Big Force Awakens Mysteries (Badly)
After seeingThe Force Awakens , many audiences were depart with a couple of burn questions . They need to screw who Rey ’s parents were and Supreme Leader Snoke ’s backstory . The Last Jedinot only revealed Rey ’s parents were two nobodies who sell her for drinking money , but also kill Snoke off before spelling out his history . These were controversial , but compelling , answers that bet to pushStar Warsin novel directions . The Rey wrench was the most difficult thing she could have heard at the prison term , and taking Snoke out of the picture ( telling audience he did n’t really count ) was a way to put Kylo Ren in the spotlight as the new Supreme Leader . Kylo was always the more entrancing resister in theStar Warssequel trilogy .
Abrams undid all of this by bring Emperor Palpatine back to the plica . Rey being Palpatine ’s granddaughter is perhapsThe wage hike of Skywalker’smost divisive moment , provide conventional explanations for both her inheritance and Force magnate . What ’s more is thatThe Force Awakensdownplayed the importance of Rey ’s syndicate move forrard , as Maz Kanata told her that her parents were never coming back . Instead , Rey ended up being a descendant of the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy , so her father ( a failed Palpatine clon ) was somebody just from that connection . As for Snoke , his origin was he was an stilted founding to do Palpatine ’s biddingwhile the Emperor grind in his ringer soundbox . This came off as a lustreless attempt to tie Palpatine back to the events of the premature two films and lift more questions , particularly since Palpatine was n’t hinted at in the other movies . It was aRise of Skywalkertwist that left some feeling unfulfilled .
More : The Rise of Skywalker Explains Why Palpatine want Luke to pour down Him