Star Wars is one of the most revolutionary and influential movie series of all time. George Lucas’ original vision of the Jedi and the Sith set forth one of the most important franchises in film history. From its experimental techniques to its groundbreaking practical effects and unique storytelling, Star Wars had it all. However, in recent years, the franchise hasn’t performed as well as it once did. In terms of viewership, Star Wars is as popular as ever, but its critical reception has hit an all-time low. This all began with the start of a new trilogy.
On Dec. 15, 2015, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was released in theaters. Fans across the globe flocked to theaters to see the latest installment of the franchise since 2005’s “Revenge of The Sith.” Nevertheless, the film left the community divided. Many loved the way “The Force Awakens” harkened back to the original themes and concepts of 1977’s “A New Hope,” while many others thought it tried too hard to recreate the magic of the original Star Wars film. With a 93% critic score and an 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, “The Force Awakens” was regarded as a decent, though not exceptional, addition to the franchise.
With “The Force Awakens” laying the foundation for the new sequel trilogy, the follow-up film, “The Last Jedi,” was released on Dec. 15, 2017. “The Last Jedi” set a new precedent for Star Wars films, but not a good one. Most fans agree that the film drones on with confusing subplots, unresolved cliffhangers, awkward choreography, et cetera. A lot of what was established in “The Force Awakens” was awkwardly handled or scrapped entirely. It was as if the studio regretted the choices they made in the previous installment and attempted to rectify them, and did so poorly. The only big upside to the film is that, for the most part, it follows in the footsteps of the rest of the franchise with some extraordinarily beautiful cinematography. This installment is the worst-rated Star Wars film of all time with a deceptively high critic score of 91% and an audience score of 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The final installment in the series, “The Rise of Skywalker,” was a lackluster ending to a series that once seemed incredibly promising. The film brings convoluted plotlines and carries over practically nothing the previous films established. The film’s numerous twists do more to confuse than to excite, and instead mostly just take away from the overall narrative. This is all exacerbated by the film’s ending, which is one of the most simple yet controversial scenes in “Star Wars.” The film ends with the main character, Rey Palpatine (unfortunately related), burying the lightsaber that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker in the sands of Tatooine. After doing so, an unnamed character walks up and asks her who she is, and with the approval of ghostly apparitions of Luke and Leia Skywalker, she says her name is “Rey Skywalker.” While this scene refuses to elaborate, and is open for interpretation, it is one of the most controversial and debated scenes in all of Star Wars. Overall, the film received a 52% critic score and a surprising 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite some overwhelming disappointments and oversights from Disney on the films, there is still a strong possibility that a TV series will revitalize the entire franchise. Just one month prior to the premiere of “The Rise of Skywalker,” “The Mandalorian” was released on Nov. 12, 2019. The series follows the Mandalorian bounty hunter, Din Djarin, as he takes on jobs across the galaxy with a Baby Yoda in tow. The First Season of “The Mandalorian” was a critical success for Disney, and it only gained more hype after the fact. The highly anticipated Season Two of “The Mandalorian” was released on Oct. 30, 2020. The season was full of various cameos and twists that brought together the entire Star Wars community for the first time in a while. In the middle of the season, we were given the first live-action interpretation of the fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano. She is originally from the animated TV show “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Her introduction to the show set a new precedent for the series, and the cameos only got wilder from there.
Toward the second half of the season, we got to see another fan-favorite character for the first time since his “death” in 1983’s “Return of The Jedi.” The esteemed bounty hunter Boba Fett made his long-awaited return to the franchise and was portrayed by Temuera Morrison. Morrison originally portrayed Jango Fett and the clones in 2002’s “Attack of The Clones.” Right as the season was ending they threw in another major character, Luke Skywalker. Luke was not played by Mark Hamill, who has recently portrayed an older Luke in the movies. The Luke in the episode was young, the editors used CGI to make him appear that way. This glimpse of young Luke is his first appearance since the ’80s, and the scene has been lauded as one of the best scenes in the franchise. The series brought in cameo after cameo and has nearly single-handedly revived interest in “Star Wars.”
The Third Season of “The Mandalorian” is available on Disney+.
