Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 18, 2020

A few 'Star Wars' universe spoilers appear throughout this review.

The Rise of Skywalker, the ninth and final film in what has become known as "The Skywalker Saga," returns the franchise from an off-course outing in fairly spectacular fashion. Beyond simply ending the nine-film, four-plus decade journey into and through a galaxy far, far away, the film is in many ways about reconnecting with core Star Wars audiences by correcting some of the structural and narrative wrongs from The Last Jedi. More on those later, but suffice it say that Writer/Director J.J. Abrams, who also performed those same duties on the highly regarded The Force Awakens, takes the material seriously, giving fans a more grounded, recognizably structured, cadenced, and characterized film that is strong with the force.

Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), long thought dead following the battle of Endor, lives. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), supreme leader of the First Order, seeks to destroy him, hoping to consolidate the powers of the Dark Side firmly within him. But when the young Ren arrives to kill the aged Emperor, he is promised control of a new Empire, more powerful than anything the galaxy has ever seen, as well as the title of Emperor. That is if he can kill Rey (Daisy Ridley) and finish off the Jedi once and for all. Meanwhile, a First Order spy has given vital information to the Resistance confirming Palpatine’s return and the construction of the Final Order fleet, an uncountable number of Star Destroyers each outfitted with planet-destroying weaponry. Intel places the Emperor on a mythological world called Exegol, “The Hidden World of the Sith.” Unfortunately, it doers not appear on any star charts but Rey believes she can find it using Luke’s (Mark Hamill) own search notes, picking up where his search ended. She sets out with Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), and several other friends in search of the Emperor’s whereabouts with plans on putting an end to the war once and for all.

The Rise of Skywalker doesn't challenge the franchise's best films for supremacy, but there's no mistaking the movie's reach to truly put an end to this saga, even if some might feel Palaptine's return to be a reach in and of itself. But with Rian Johnson painting Abrams into a corner by unceremoniously undoing the Snoke storyline in Episode VIII without assigning any rhyme or reason to the villain, not to mention dismissing a number of questions and plot lines raised by Abrams' own The Force Awakens, it was imperative that some larger force be at play in the movie. Here, the Emperor is essentially the puppet master as he has been throughout the saga, beginning with grooming a young Anakin Skywalker to the dark side in the prequel trilogy, commanding Vader in the original trilogy, and now here revealed to be watching events unfold from afar and putting a plan in place to ensure iron-fisted Sith rule over the galaxy, finding use for both Rey and Ren as pawns in a high stakes scheme of command, control, manipulation, and domination. The movie broadly encompasses elements from the entire franchise, directly and indirectly, and even with rumors floating around the Internet (spoilers for this movie at link) of a radically different storyline originally conceived for the film, it feels perfectly reasonable to bring the franchise back full circle to the true power at the Imperial throne from the start. Besides, if Darth Maul can survive being cut in half and falling down a shaft, it's reasonable that the Emperor could withstand his fate, too.

Central to this movie and central to The Force Awakens but dismissed out of hand (though not poorly, for what it's worth) in The Last Jedi is the plot point of Rey's origins. Johnson ascribed to her no significant origin story in Episode VIII, with Ren proclaiming her to be a nobody from nowhere, born of parents with no special powers or reason to stand apart from anyone else in the galaxy. Her rise to power as a Jedi, then, was essentially a bridge to that movie's overarching theme which posited that the force exists in everyone, that it is not some pick-and-choose power that inhabits a select few, stronger, obviously, in some more than in others. Here, her origins and her fate tie directly into the story. With this, and by doing several other things, from relegating Rose to but a handful of lines and returning Luke Skywalker to a place of prominence more in-line within character parameters and audience expectations, Abrams essentially renders the entirety of The Last Jedi moot. Is there anything in that movie, beyond the growth of Rey's powers as a Jedi, that ultimately means anything now that the whole picture has been painted? Not really. It's odd to call the last film in a nine-film saga a "course correction" but that is essentially what this is. The Last Jedi won't be remembered as Halloween III in terms of truly "in name only" franchise entries, but it certainly feels like the least "necessary" film in the canon, a title previously bestowed upon The Phantom Menace.

This film also marks the high point for the franchise in terms of technical construction. Now that the saga is complete, it's interesting to watch its evolution from analog to digital to the seamless merger of the two. The original trilogy, of course, relied heavily on miniatures and practical set pieces and props to build the illusion of galactic conflict. The prequels bet heavily on what is now comparatively crude digital animations and antics, with The Phantom Menace in particular a playground for what was in 1999 groundbreaking technology. These latest films blur the line between real and digital to the point that there's essentially nothing in the movie that stands out as obviously fake or manipulated. It's a stunning achievement of seamlessness in great complexity. The Rise of Skywalker also features one of the most riveting lightsaber duels in the franchise. The best still arguably remains within The Phantom Menace -- it's almost impossible to top Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon versus Darth Maul -- but audiences are in for a treat when Ren and Rey duel above a familiar world's ferocious waves and atop the wreckage of an iconic Star Wars locale. The space battle at film's end can't match that from A New Hope for dramatic intensity, but it sure does look pretty, as gray as it may be.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Rise of Skywalker was shot on film and the material shines on Blu-ray. This is a solid, fundamentally sound picture, boasting a light, accurate, and accentuating grain structure that builds up core details and helps display a natural filmic image on HD televisions. The biggest downfall occurs right off the bat, with the black star field behind the yellow crawl, and in the shot to follow, looking a bit flat and light. Black levels are not quite perfect throughout, but the rest of the image borders on perfection. Textures are impressively sharp and in command for the duration, whether Ren's repurposed mask, well worn attire, general wear and tear on Resistance craft and materials, or slick and clean First Order uniforms and interior locations. Facial features are impressively deep and finely detailed as well. Digital effects blend seamlessly with practical counterparts. Colors are rewarding, whether intense blue or red lightsaber output, BB-8's orange accents (the droid plays a much smaller role in this film), or illumined ship engines. There's a bleakness to much of the movie, with a good bit of it taking place in and around gray-dominant locations, including much of the third act. Still, tones are balanced and flattering, perfectly saturated with contrast just right. Skin tones are fine, too. There are no serious source or encode issues of note. The native 4K/HDR UHD certainly bests this Blu-ray, but 1080p-only audiences will not find this one severely lacking.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Rise of Skywalker's Blu-ray includes a volume-challenged DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack (the companion UHD features a Dolby Atmos presentation). As the film opens and the familiar yellow Star Wars title and opening crawl appears, the track's low volume is immediately apparent. Music in the scenes to follow is not particularly loud or intense at reference volume, sounding stymied and lacking depth. Turning it up at least brings a feel for a fuller, more stabilized and enjoyable, listen. Indeed, cranked up quite a bit above calibrated reference norms, the track proves quite substantial, with various action scenes and effects presenting with more than adequate low end engagement and fullness throughout the range. There is some quality rumble to be heard, such as when a Star Destroyer appears in the atmosphere in chapter 21. Ren's and Palpatine's voices bellow once or twice, and listeners will enjoy intensely deep raging waters splashing about in chapter 28 during a key lightsaber showdown between Rey and Ren. A major space battle beginning in chapter 33 explodes with full surround integration. Laser blasts and fighters zip and blast all over, transforming the soundstage into a maelstrom of dogfight chaos. There is some nice vocal reverb as the situation and location allow, and a symphony of voices dot the entire sonic landscape at a critical moment towards film's end in chapter 39. General atmospherics are pleasantly immersive. Music needs that volume push to appreciate, but once there it's satisfyingly robust and always well spaced, dominant along the front but never lacking supportive surround integration. Dialogue, as expected, is clear and detailed from a natural front-center location, again presenting with a more authoritative stage entrance at increased volume.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc one of Disney's The Rise of Skywalker two Blu-ray set contains no extras, but disc two includes plenty, including a feature-length documentary. There is also a digital exclusive extra entitled The Maestro's Finale. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• The Skywalker Legacy (1080p, 2:06:11): The supplementary package highlight. This feature-length documentary not only explores the making of The Rise of Skywalker in great detail but also dives deeply into franchise history and lore, intermixing making-of takes from throughout the saga that complement Episode IX's creative story, with emphasis on the original trilogy and the latest trilogy. While the program is divided into 16 chapters, there are no titled "chapter selects," so to speak.
• Pasaana Pursuit: Creating the Speeder Chase (1080p, 14:16): An in-depth look at the making of one of the film's biggest action sequences.
• Aliens in the Desert (1080p, 5:59): Returning to another desert location for parts of The Rise of Skywalker, shooting in Jordan, building a small community to support the production, and exploring the part the location plays in the movie.
• D-O: Key to the Past (1080p, 5:33): Exploring a key ship new to the latest trilogy.
• Warwick & Son (1080p, 5:37): Warwick Davis, who played Wicket in Return of the Jedi, returns to play the character in The Rise of Skywalker alongside his son, Harrison.
• Cast of Creatures (1080p, 7:46): A fun look at the the role creatures play in the saga as well as applauding those who build and perform them.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Duel of the Fates might have been a better title for Episode IX, but would it have been a better movie than The Rise of Skywalker? Who knows, but Abrams has salvaged the final trilogy from a disappointing Episode VIII by essentially ignoring and negating it, much as Johnson did Abrams' The Force Awakens. It's sort of like its own lightsaber duel between movies, with the better films winning out. Maybe Colin Trevorrow's never-materialized version would have worked better with a superior middle movie, but with so much wreckage to salvage Abrams has done a masterful job of resurrecting the trilogy for its final bow. Disney's Blu-ray is strong with the force. The audio definitely needs a volume boost but works nicely at well above calibrated reference. The video is great and the supplements are world-class. Highly recommended.