Disney, which had been releasing trailers throughout late 2019, released Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to theaters on December 20th, 2019. Fans made assumptions on certain storylines of the saga, like protagonist and young Jedi Rey’s lineage, based on the hints given in the trailers, making the build up to the release highly anticipated. In addition, the inclusion of the iconic villain Palpatine’s voice in the Oct. 21st trailer led viewers to believe he was making a return after his fall to certain death in Return of the Jedi. 

The movie itself is claimed to be based around building friendships, rather than tearing them apart like they have been in previous movies. The story focuses in on Rey’s history, and her growth with the Force. In addition, we begin to see different sides of characters like we’ve never seen before. The movie always tries to relive some of the iconic moments from the past by incorporating old characters and storylines, and they continue this trend in Rise of Skywalker.

When the movie came to theaters, fans had mixed feelings, as it performed better than its predecessor, The Last Jedi. The Rise of Skywalker, received an audience rating of 86%, as opposed to the previous movie The Last Jedi which received a 43%.

ISP senior Aidan Oberman grew up watching the Star Wars movies around the time when the late prequels were released. He mentioned that Star Wars remains a very beloved saga to him, as he never over-analyzed the movies as a child.

“This movie, in my opinion, feels just as exciting to watch as all the others. That said… the reason I have liked every Star Wars movie is due to the amount of effort and heart that goes into them,” Oberman commented.

Alumni Zach Petersen grew up when the prequels were initially released, and felt similarly to how Oberman felt about the movies. He mentioned that while the special effects and imagery was exciting, the story was lackluster. 

“When I would watch the older movies I felt entrapped in the cinematography and visual effects. With the new series it is to be expected with the technology in present time, so that is why I was expecting more from the story,” Petersen noted.

Social studies teacher Mr. Andy Ward has been avid Star Wars fan since the release of the first trilogy, mentioned that while he enjoyed it because he experienced it with his young daughters, he understood why others did not. 

“I think that’s part of the reason why some people my age don’t like them, is that when they were a kid they saw it one way, and now as an adult, they’re comparing them to other movies they’re seeing as adults.”

Although fans seem to rejoice over the improvement from The Last Jedi, there seems to be too much of a disconnection from the original beloved trilogy to the modern extension of the saga for all fans to enjoy. It seems people simply don’t experience the movies the same as they did when they were younger, making the Force seem a little less magical from adult eyes.