The Rise Of Skywalker Delivers A Profoundly Dissappointing Finish To The Skywalker Saga

WARNING: Minor Spoilers revealed in this review. For those who haven't seen the movie yet, it would be wise to turn away. 

      The 2019 year of cinema draws to a close and with it comes the 9th and final episode in the Star Wars Skywalker Saga titled The Rise Of Skywalker. Beginning with a thunderous reboot of the franchise in 2015 with J.J. Abrams The Force Awakens, the Disney era of Star Wars moviemaking has experienced its share of ups and downs since then. While The Force Awakens proved to be a solid beginning of a sequel trilogy to the classic originals, it also suffered from relying too much on the past for comfort with the movie being criticized for largely resembling A New Hope with newer characters. With the announcement of Rian Johnson at the helm to direct the second installment of the sequel trilogy titled The Last Jedi, fans were excited and expecting the director of Looper to take the series out further while expanding on the characters and concepts introduced in The Force Awakens. Instead, the end result proved to be the most divisive Star Wars film ever made as it not only divided the fan base right down the middle, but subverted audiences expectations in ways that have since proven to be highly controversial among fans. Examples range from the character persona of Luke Skywalker feeling off compared to what audiences witnessed in the original trilogy, to the killing of Snoke, the questionable existence of Rose's character, the decreasing of the importance of Finn's character, the revealing of Rey's parents to be of little significance, and the killing of Luke Skywalker in the story. Regardless of the intentions behind these choices that Johnson took with the story, the film started a backlash among the fanbase which became so severe, it played a direct role in the underperformance of Solo: A Star Wars Story. With The Rise Of Skywalker, Disney opted for a safer route with the final installment of the sequel trilogy by bringing back J.J. Abrams in the director chair after the original director Colin Trevorrow left the project due to disagreements with Disney over the direction of the film. With Abrams back at the trilogies helm, he faced a near impossible task of having to not only course correct the direction Rian Johnson took the story while providing a strong finish to the Skywalker Saga, which spawns a total of nine films. No matter what direction J.J. Abrams took the story or tried to retcon Johnson's storymaking decisions, he was destined to take flak from a percentage of the fanbase whether its those who feel the damage has been done by the story decisions of The Last Jedi, or those who loved Rian Johnson's work and hated that Abrams walked back much of the key events of that film. Regardless of the end result, the new film was destined to receive criticism regardless of which direction it went. Having seen The Rise Of Skywalker, it is with both sadness and genuine disappointment to report that the final installment in the Skywalker Saga is a huge letdown. Whereas Abrams works hard to walk back on much of the decision making of The Last Jedi, doing so unintentionally creates more problems for the sequel trilogy as the latter two films feel like inconsistent pieces of storytelling, that have both directors essentially delivering the middle finger to the other persons work, creating one of the most unusual trilogy of films in recent memory with none of them matching up together very well.

      The plot for The Rise Of Skywalker picks up after the events The Last Jedi with Emperor Palpatine (Played once again by Ian McDiarmid) mysteriously surviving being killed at the end of Return Of The Jedi, with him working behind the curtain to construct an immense fleet of Star Destroyers while planning to threaten the universe once again. As Palpatine mounts his forces, Rey (Played once again by Daisy Ridley) completes her Jedi training while Kylo Ren (Played once again by Adam Driver), pursues his campaign of terrorizing the galaxy and killing his way to more power with the rest of the rebel forces regrouping for one final battle. Rather than completely erase The Last Jedi from canon, Abrams distances The Rise Of Skywalker's storyline from that film while acknowledging that those events did happen before he's shown to course correct much of Johnson's creative decisions regarding that film. It can best be said that The Rise Of Skywalker is both Disney's form (As well as Abrams) of doing damage control to the fan divide caused by The Last Jedi. While bringing back Abrams was a smart choice on the studios end, the problem is that the plot for the new film doesn't feel consistent with the sequel trilogy as a whole. Abrams attempts to rectify Johnson's decision to kill Snoke by replacing him with Palpatine in the film not only makes the story feel padded, but feels as if he's desperate for a way to fix a critical mistake that Johnson made in regards to killing off what should've been the new Palpatine of the sequel trilogy. Palpatine's role in the film feels not only awkward, but makes little to no sense as it's never explained how he survived the end of Return Of The Jedi as well as his connection to the main characters. Whereas Abrams is attempting to fix a critical error that The Last Jedi made, he also manages to lessen the impact of the moment in Return Of The Jedi by doing so with Vader siding with Luke when Palpatine was electrocuting him, and chooses to return to the light by killing (temporarily) Palpatine. The Palpatine subplot serves as being one of the major issues with the movie, as the story often feels like it's all over the place with an unfocused narrative. Abrams provides a great deal of fan service and nostalgia from the previous films in hopes of satisfying as many as those who were disappointed by the previous film as possible, while not being able to tell a new story with these characters nor bring more originality with the table. The film is often so preoccupied with correcting the mistakes of the previous film that it feels like it never takes a life of its own nor dares to go in a new direction with the story (Maybe one of the reasons the film is overstuffed with numerous callbacks to the original trilogy along with constant references and similar scenarios, is that both Disney and Abrams are hiding the fact that they never intended on delivering anything new, and are aiming to play it safe in hopes of satisfying audiences this time). The Rise Of Skywalker looks and feels like a film that's so focused on cleaning up the mess before it, that it never really has the chance to present it's own story. This can be attributed to the fact that Disney didn't have a soundproof plan on how to approach this trilogy of films, along with not deciding on maintaining the same filmmaker for each film, which would've certainly been a better (And more wiser) move if Abrams was allowed to conduct the entire sequel trilogy from start to finish. Perhaps if that was the case, the fanbase wouldn't be so divided and furious, with both Abrams and Disney not rushing to try and please those fans while abandoning storytelling in the process.

      Whereas the writing comes across as feeling messy and serving as a checklist for correcting every bad thing that The Last Jedi did, the film thrives in the acting department with the cast once again demonstrating strong chemistry, as well as working great together as an ensemble team. Daisy Ridley once again shines as Rey, automatically delivering her strongest performance of the sequel trilogy with this film. She conveys all the right emotions and makes her character likable, sympathetic, and appealing. The same is said about John Boyega as Finn, he does well as usual though his character once again feels underused and undervalued, much like how he was handled in The Last Jedi. Adam Driver proves to be one of the strongest aspects of the sequel trilogy with his performance of Kylo Ren/Ben being top notch once again. The dude continues to make the case that he's the Anakin Skywalker the prequel trilogy always desired but never received (Sorry Hayden Christensen). Driver is terrific here and makes the most of his character arc with fans unquestionably being happy at the fact that he dons the mask, and performs Rens voice much more in this movie compared to the previous film. Oscar Isaac shines once again as Poe with his character feeling much more in line with the way he was presented in The Force Awakens compared to The Last Jedi. It's a shame that Poe's character was written the way he was in the sequel trilogy as he could've been the Han Solo of the new trilogy. Despite his characters misgivings, Isaac makes the part work and ultimately creates a likable character in the end. As far as the side characters go, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose is completely sidelined in this film, most likely due to the strong criticism her character received in the previous film. While Tran plays the part well, her character serves no real purpose in either movie with her character separating Finn away from Rey in The Last Jedi as an uninteresting love interest, along with her being sidelined in this film with no real purpose other than to just be there to meet both the fans and haters of her character halfway, making her situation come across as feeling awkward in the story. Carrie Fisher is brought back through archive footage recorded from the previous two movies as General Leia, with her character having no real point in the story other than just be there to help conclude Abrams storyline in the most consistent and satisfying way possible. While it's nice to see Fisher return in her final role as Leia, one wonders why Rian Johnson didn't just simply have her character take Laura Dern's place on the bridge of the Rebel ship when it fled into The First Orders fleet. Surely that would've been a more fitting sound off for her character given Fisher's untimely passing as her characters resolution here doesn't completely work (Though it's cool seeing her character train Rey in becoming a Jedi, as well as a flashback of a young Leia being trained by Luke in the ways of the force as well). Billy Dee Williams reprises his role as Lando Calrissian from the original trilogy with his character being more than a welcomed addition to the newer trilogy, despite the fact that his character doesn't really serve much of a purpose in this film other than to fill the void of killing off Han Solo in The Force Awakens. Wouldn't it have been more convenient for Disney and Rian Johnson to place Lando in The Last Jedi in the place of Benicio Del Toro's character with him "helping" Finn and Rose. It would've been a terrific callback to his role in The Empire Strikes Back, and he would've had more time to be explored as a character in this film (The audience doesn't get to see him effectively mourn Han's death, though he acknowledges Leia). Anthony Daniels is great once again as C-3P0 with his character getting more sufficient screen time in this film compared to the last two Star Wars movies. Lupita Nyong'o impresses once again as Maz Kanata with her character getting more time in this film as well compared to a brief cameo in The Last Jedi. Domhnall Gleeson reprises his role as General Hux from the previous two films with an added subplot involving his character, that feel's both contrived and unrealistic given how his character acted in the previous two films. As for the films newer characters, Richard E. Grant and Keri Russell deliver strong and likable performances despite their characters feeling one-dimensional due to being rushed into the story. Although his character comes across as feeling pointless and an unnecessary add to the story, Ian McDiarmid steals the show once again as Palpatine with him bringing class and energy to his role. He takes what he's given and does the most he can with it. Mark Hamill's return as Luke Skywalker is both appreciated and welcomed with it feeling like another major course correction of what was done by the previous film. It's ironic that Abrams gets the character of Luke Skywalker right after Johnson kills him off in the previous movie. Hamill's role in this film runs parallel to that of Alec Guinness Obi Wan in Empire and Jedi, it's just a shame his role isn't significant enough for audiences to be fully satisfied with his return. Whereas the film struggles in terms of wrapping up the sequel trilogy as well as the Skywalker Saga, one thing that audiences can agree on is the cast. Whether audiences approve or disapprove of them, the entire ensemble succeeds in working together both as an excellent and charismatic group, that all deliver fantastic performances while demonstrating strong chemistry as a whole. Despite the multiple directions these actors and actresses received with their parts, they all appeared to enjoy playing their roles and attempted to leave their own mark on the legendary Saga.

     On the directing front, J.J. Abrams proves once again that he is a visionary filmmaker that can create visually stunning worlds, while making his films move at both a fast and efficient pace. As both his newer Star Trek films and The Force Awakens prove, Abrams is great with setting up characters and establishing a narrative, that's strong enough to rejuvenate old and dying franchises while leaving plenty of room for the stories and characters to be built on. On the directing side, Abrams brings his A game and shines through on both a technical and visual front. Unlike George Lucas handling of CGI in the prequels, Abrams is much more effective in terms of balancing out realistic sets with CGI, which not only brings realism to the story but gives the actors more room to breathe. On a technological front, this film feels very much like a Star Wars movie with the film re-establishing the desert scenery that was prevalent in The Force Awakens as well as A New Hope and  Return of The Jedi. The films art-set decoration, costume design, and cinematography are once again top notch with John Williams delivering another masterful score, that manages to combine some of the most iconic musical pieces from the saga and weave them all together in what generally feels like a celebration of the Skywalker Saga as a whole. The films visual and sound effects are immensely impressive with the sound being thunderous in terms of making both the action as well as the music appear larger than life. The films editing is relatively steady, keeping the film moving without it feeling slow. The pacing of the film marks a marginal improvement over The Last Jedi's, with the story choices of this film being as equally frustrating. One area where the film lets down is the make up effects regarding the character of Palpatine, as his look comes across as feeling rather underwhelming and doesn't appear to make much sense given that his character looks nothing like the Palpatine from Return Of The Jedi, but resembles the look of Palpatine from Revenge Of The Sith. In terms of the films directorial style, Abrams does just about what the fans were expecting him to do when it was announced he was returning to finish the story. He attempts to clean up Johnson's work by providing massive fan service such as throwing endless amounts of nostalgia at the screen and giving fans what they like and want to see, though he doesn't take the characters or story in any new directions. Given the massive scope and potential that the sequel trilogy had with the opportunity presented to Abrams and Disney, the end result is disappointing.

      The greatest assault towards the fans comes directly from the films story choices with the writing. The films screenplay that's also written by J.J. Abrams, as well as co-writing by Chris Terrio and story credits from Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow, feels like a huge culmination of ideas and concepts that could've been explored two films prior, but is all meshed together in what was hoped to be a grand finish to the Skywalker arc, that came with both non-stop action and clever (Not quite) twists and turns. The film attempts to throw everything at the audience with the intention of blowing them away as well as shocking with examples such as the actual reveal of Rey's parents with the end result feeling like a huge letdown with the reaction destined to split and divide fans. Right from the beginning, the film attempts to throw revelations at the audience that feel absurd rather than convincing, and expects them to accept the new twists as fact (Abrams and Terrio's attempt to explain the buildup and fall of Snoke's character in the films first five minutes, is insulting to those who became intrigued and invested in such a mysterious figure from the previous two films). Many of the films plot points should've been revealed in the previous film instead of it all being crammed together into this script. There's plot elements introduced that start off as being promising but go nowhere such as the Knights Of Ren being reintroduced in the story from The Force Awakens after being ignored in The Last Jedi, that end up going nowhere in the story then are just dropped without hesitation to revert back to the main narrative which is Rey and Ben facing Palpatine. Kylo Ren's character arc feels unbalanced in this one with the films opening sequence feeling like Abrams trying to restore (Without much exposition regarding the lead up to the films opening shots) Ren's reputation of being a fearful Sith lord, that was undone by Rian Johnson's work on The Last Jedi. The rebuilding of Ren's mask and the character donning it once again, feels like Abrams throwing a middle finger back at Johnson. With the new script, Abrams and Terrio attempt to throw new characters into the mix that feel promising, but never receive the proper development to make the audience truly care. Examples are Keri Russell's character and her connection to Poe with the subplot feeling vague and thrown at the audience with the expectation that they will give a damn, but actually don't because there's no backstory or lead up prior to make that relationship exciting or engaging. Another character subplot introduced, that feels like it came out of left field is Naomi Ackie's character Jannah, whose implied to have relations to Calrissian's character, making the whole situation feel both awkward and forced. These are just examples of the many issues that plague the film and ultimately bring it down with issues stemming from an unfocused narrative to unnecessary introducing of newer characters, and far-fetched plot twists which feel like they're meant to undo the works of Johnson, rather than take the characters or the story in any kind of new direction. It's not so much the fault of Abrams for why the film feels as disappointing as it comes across, but moreso Disney's because they didn't have a precise and thorough plan on how to do the sequel trilogy with the new films as a whole lacking a consistent vision, that would've made the trilogy work much stronger together than it ultimately does. The films end reveal with Rey should've been a fitting and emotionally powerful moment for fans, who've grown up with the series as a whole or been there from the start when the originals first arrived into theaters, but instead feels underwhelming as it lacks the emotional punch needed to drive the revelation home.

      In the end, the fanbase to Star Wars will remain divided over how Disney handled the newer trilogy of films. For those who really despised the direction that Rian Johnson went with The Last Jedi, they will probably end up enjoying The Rise Of Skywalker significantly more because of how desperately it attempts to clean up the mess left behind by the previous film despite creating more issues of its own regarding the untying of loose ends (Whatever happened to those Knight's Of Ren?), and being stuffed with ideas and subplots that should've been further explored from the beginning or episode 8, had Abrams remained on board as director. J.J. Abrams has been stated as saying that he's much better at starting a story than he is at ending it with the end result of The Rise Of Skywalker proving this notion to be correct. At least he was being honest with everyone. What could've been an even greater sequel trilogy and a grand finish to the Skywalker Saga, that could've stood as tall as other great finishes such as Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King or Avengers: Endgame, instead feels like a profoundly disappointing finish to a trilogy, that essentially feels like one big missed opportunity. When one looks back on these movies in the future, it won't be with complete disdain but rather frustration at what these films could've been had Disney planned everything out more carefully in terms of making them. The Rise Of Skywalker is not the worst Star Wars movie (That title still remains with The Phantom Menace and Attack Of The Clones), but it's one of the more disappointing ones when looking at the scope and potential it had to be a great finish to the story. A perfect comparison for this movie is DCEU's Justice League, a film that was so concerned with undoing the work of the previous film before it (Batman V. Superman) that it didn't have enough room to become it's own story with the end result being messy. The exact same situation applies to The Rise Of Skywalker, it means to make right what The Last Jedi did wrong but never really takes a life of it's own due to it being buried in course correction as well as endless nostalgia in hopes of making us leave the theater satisfied. For some fans, that will be enough as the film is well-intentioned, for others, they will find disappointment and reflect on the lost potential the new trilogy of Star Wars had. At least it doesn't end as horribly as the series finale of HBO's Game Of Thrones, but it's also not very far off.

Final Verdict: Despite the films many issues, fans of the series should still see it and judge for themselves how Abrams and Disney conclude the sequel trilogy. Be prepared to possibly be disappointed though.

Richard Jewell Honors Its Main Subject Despite Questionable Intentions

      When one hears of a film project that has legendary actor/director Clint Eastwood at the helm, curiosity, enthusiasm, and excitement generally accompany that revelation as audiences tend to look forward to any projects the Oscar winning director tackles with great admiration and anticipation. Whereas Eastwood's directing resume goes back to 1971 with his directorial debut Play Misty For Me, it wasn't until 2003 where his directing resume hit its peak with acclaimed hits such as Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags Of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, Changeling, Gran Tarino, Invictus, American Sniper, and Sully. One area of storytelling that Eastwood appears to have not only taken an interest in and generally succeeds at, is portraying true stories surrounding real life figures with the story of Richard Jewell being a prime example. Based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article titled "American tragedy: The Ballad Of Richard Jewell"by Marie Brenner as well as the 2019 book The Suspect by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen, Eastwood centers the film around the Centennial Olympic Park bombing and the aftermath during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia where security guard Richard Jewell (Played brilliantly by Paul Walter Hauser), discovers a backpack containing a bomb inside it and alerts the authorities to evacuate, only to later be wrongfully accused of being the bomber himself when the bomb goes off injuring over a hundred people and killing two. With the story of Richard Jewell, Eastwood tells the story of a simple yet flawed security guard, who performed a heroic act, but later was railroaded by both the authorities and media. With the film, Eastwood explores what the presumption of innocence entails as the audience witnesses the switch from hero to villain in the public limelight through the real-life story of hero turned suspect Richard Jewell. It is a story that Eastwood simplifies, while directing it with a steady hand, allowing his actors to do most of the work while exercising his craftsmanship as an experienced filmmaker. In doing so, he ends up delivering one of the strongest films of the winter movie season despite certain aspects of it's production being questionable.

      The story for Richard Jewell focus on the events surrounding the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia where a Centennial Olympic Park security guard (Played by Paul Walter Hauser) discovers a bag containing a bomb in it that explodes in a crowded square, injuring hundreds as well as killing a few. He later becomes vilified in the media as being a domestic terrorist when questions regarding his personality and past come into question. Despite a subsequent investigation later proving that he wasn't responsible for the explosion at Centennial Park with him just doing his job, Jewell's life (As well as his mothers) is shown to be turned upside down by the event. The story of Richard Jewell is a powerful and eye-opening one that's well-told, emotionally gripping, and carries with it relevance in regards to today's climate in which the debate over what news is real and what isn't comes into question. With the film, Eastwood right off the bat shows audiences that despite Richard Jewell's well-intentions at desiring to be a law figure, he's also a flawed and imperfect person. The film focuses on two key relationships that Jewell has in the film with the first the first being that of his lawyer (played by Sam Rockwell) with their friendship being established in the opening sequence, and the second being Jewell's relationship with his mother (played by Kathy Bates) with Eastwood showing her characters slow realization of what's happening to her son in regards to both the authorities, and the media painting him as the potential suspect in the bombing. Eastwood also shows through the character of journalist Kathy Scruggs (played by Olivia Wilde in a role that became a controversial aspect of the film upon it's release), how the story leaked to the press in which the FBI was looking at Jewell as a potential suspect. As a film, Richard Jewell is a story that's well-focused, well-directed, written, and acted by its main cast with the end result being one of Eastwood's strongest directorial efforts in years with the film carrying with it a close examination about how pre-judgment and automatic assumption of one's guilt can overshadow the facts surrounding a case as pivotal as Jewell's.

      One of the strongest elements of the film lies within its acting performances from the main cast, all of which prove to be top notch. In the films title role, Paul Walter Hauser is both compelling and effective in his role of Richard Jewell, a kind yet eagar and awkward young man who holds high ambitions, that often lean towards the realm of being desperate in wanting to become an official law enforcement officer. Hauser perfectly conveys these character traits, while showing how his characters off personality can make those around him suspect that he might've had something to do with the explosion as no other suspects were named prior. Sam Rockwell does a great job as Jewell's old colleague and lawyer, Watson Bryant. Rockwell brilliantly shows his characters concern for Jewell's well-being, and fights for his innocence upon realizing that he had nothing to do with the actual bombing. He also succeeds at conveying his characters frustration at what appears to be the lack of anger that Jewell has for the FBI trying to label him as the terrorist, as well as his failure to acknowledge some of the controversial aspects of his character such as him having so many guns at his home and being knowledgeable of handling explosives and police procedures. Rockwell proves to be a terrific counterpart to Hauser's character with their characters relationship being the heart of the film with both actors boasting strong chemistry. Kathy Bates steals the show in the role of Jewell's mother Barbara Jewell. She masterfully conveys her characters shock, vulnerability, frustration, and fear in seeing her son being slowly forced into assuming the role of being the terrorist. Jon Hamm does a fine job playing FBI agent Tom Shaw, who was present at the Olympics during the bombing and is shown to be convinced that Jewell is the suspect they're looking for, mostly based off of Jewell's offbeat personality rather than the facts surrounding the case. Olivia Wilde does well playing the character of Kathy Scruggs, though her character's depiction in the story has come under heavy fire from those associated with the real Scruggs, including her own newspaper, in regards to how her character is portrayed with obtaining stories in the film by trading sexual favors for information regarding the case. Despite the questionable motives that the filmmakers have for altering real-life characters associated with the institutions that attempted to crucify Jewell, the cast is strong and all deliver fantastic performances in regards to bringing the story to life with the realism they bring through portraying their characters. Everyone here does a great job adding something to both the film, as well as the characters they're playing.

      In terms of the films directing, Eastwood once again showcases his pure craftsmanship as a filmmaker. He keeps the story straight-forward and the camera steady, allowing both the actors as well as the scenery to do the work. His directing is taut, crisp, and effective in transporting audiences back to the time period of the story taking place during the 1996 Olympics, with news clippings and music from that era being sprinkled throughout the story to help bring realism to it. The films cinematography is impressive with the score being appropriately used when key moments call for it. The film moves at a slow pace with the film clocking in at 130 minutes. While the film could've been shorted by a good twenty minutes, it also allows enough time for all the key characters to receive their proper development with the story unfolding. With Richard Jewell, Eastwood keeps the story grounded in reality and gives it a gritty approach in terms of directing. He manages to get the most out of his actors while keeping the narrative of the story relatively straight-forward with the film occasionally shifting from Jewell to Hamm and Wilde's characters conspiring to get the truth behind the Centennial bombing. While his directing effort won't win him any Oscars this award season, it still remains a strong effort and further demonstrates that despite his old age (Eastwood is 89 years old), Eastwood remains one of the strongest American filmmakers working today, as well as one who carries a firm grip over his craftsmanship as a filmmaker.

      The films screenplay by Billy Ray is where the films troubles come into play, despite presenting Jewell's case to audiences in a reasonably decent fashion. Whereas Jewell's character is handled responsibly and treated with respect, the same can't be said for Wilde's character Kathy Scruggs, whose portrayal often feels misrepresented, a bit malicious, and lazily handled with no real desire to get the actual personality accurate. It is clear upon watching the film that Eastwood has an agenda he's trying to get across with Jewell's story as he paints both the FBI agent and Scruggs as being both cartoonish and stereotypical antagonists in the film. The message that Eastwood drives home with the story, is that too much power can turn a person into a monster. The screenplay is written in a way that makes the story tense, riveting, and engrossing to the viewer, making them keep their eyes glued to the screen regardless of the films slow pacing. Both Ray and Eastwood portray Jewell as being a well-intentioned yet flawed security guard, who acted in a moment serving as the definition of true heroism, while showing him slowly coming to terms with the realization that he's being railroaded by the authorities and the media with him remaining humble throughout the whole ordeal. It's not a coincidence that Eastwood chose this film as his next project as he clearly has a statement he wants to make, that's aimed at the distortion of the facts, and showing how "fake news" can ruin a person's life if allowed to run freely. The characters played by Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde give the distinct impression that their characters are specifically designed for the audience to despise them, given that they represent the authoritative forces in the story. Eastwood uses their characters as a way to chastise both systems of power with him making the point that both forces shouldn't be trusted and can trample over the rights of the common individual. While Eastwood's points are valid through his depiction of the crucifixion of Richard Jewell in the media, he appears to show less care towards the side characters who helped put Jewell in the situation he got forced into after the bombing. The poor depiction of Kathy Scruggs character in the story makes the film both ironic as well as feeling a bit hypocritical in itself as it demands justice for Jewell by telling his full story, but doesn't bother to get the facts right outside of Jewell's character with the film portraying both the media and the authorities as presenting a false narrative, though Eastwood does the same thing with his false presentation of Wilde's character.

      In the end, Richard Jewell serves as a flawed yet honorable biographical drama of a security guards life being turned upside down simply because he did the right thing. The heart of the story, which ultimately makes it work as an affecting drama is the relationship between Jewell and his attorney, with the film showing their relationship beginning with Jewell as a mail room clerk then showing their relationship grow over time as well as their bond. The film is as much about Jewell's friendship with his attorney as it is about his condemnation in the media. Eastwood does a very good job of generating reasonable sympathy for Jewell, while at the same time showing his imperfections. He keeps the audience engaged in his story, allowing Hauser's performance to drive the movie with Rockwell and Bates giving strong supporting roles. Despite questionable choices regarding liberties that Eastwood took with certain events and characters, he still manages to craft a powerful story about how the line between one being innocent until proven guilty becomes a blur one. The film is more about the condemnation of one man by the system with Eastwood making a point to show that both the law and the media aren't always reliable sources for seeking justice, as well as reporting news that's not always 100 percent accurate. With the film, he spares no institution with attacks directed at the FBI, the media, and a government presented in the story as being intrusive over the lives of everyday people. Given the current climate regarding the recent attacks on the media, the story feels timely in the message it's trying to get across to it's target audience. Whether it's a noble one is debatable given how Eastwood treats the side characters (He treats Jewell with the utmost compassion while showing distaste for Scruggs character), but the story itself is one that's well-told, well-acted, and masterfully directed. Whether you agree with Eastwoods motive or not, Richard Jewell still stands as being one of the strongest films to be released during the winter season with well-deserved Oscar nominations being recommended for Paul Walter Hauser and Kathy Bates. The film serves as being another low-key yet hard-hitting biographical drama centering around a person, who was unquestionably an American hero along with showing his triumph over the establishment. Eastwood thrives with these types of stories and here he proves no different, while still managing to deliver despite the films shortcomings.

Final Verdict: For fans of Clint Eastwoods directing as well as those looking for a gripping story based upon true events, Richard Jewell is worth seeing, even if some aspects of it require attention such as it's depiction of the female reporter, Kathy Scruggs.

Jumanji: The Next Level Proves To Be Just As Fun And Exciting As Its Predecessor

       The 2019 Christmas movie season has arrived and once again presents audiences with two unique choices of family-friendly oriented films doing battle at the box office. In a match up that closely mirrors that of December 2017, Disney puts Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker against the newest installment of the Jumanji franchise titled Jumanji: The Next Level. If one were to predict that Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle would be such a surprisingly fresh yet distant sequel to the 1995 cult classic, that not only works as being a perfect reboot for the franchise but became a box office juggernaut, that amazingly held its own against Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, most would think that person was crazy. Very few predicted that the Jumanji franchise would be rebooted in a way that feels fresh, exciting, and has essentially become a family-oriented event to see on the big screen during the holiday season. The second Jumanji film ended up being a tremendous success grossing $404 million domestically on a budget of $962 million, making the greenlighting of a sequel to Welcome To The Jungle inevitable. Now exactly two years after the release of that film, Sony delivers a follow-up to their smash hit, which carries exactly the same style and formula that made the reboot/sequel largely successful. Jumanji: The Next Level not only entertains but proves to be just as much over-the-top fun as its predecessor, with its main cast being given more free reign this time as the second movie got the re-establishing of the Jumanji world out of the way with the new characters while giving the concept a makeover. The Jumanji franchise is one of the rare instances of a series getting bigger and better as it goes.

      The plot for Jumanji: The Next Level picks up where Welcome To The Jungle left off with the crew finding themselves being brought back together when one of the members re-activates the game and goes back in, alone. The rest of the crew have no choice but to re-enter the game to save their friend, through new landscapes and challenges arrive, which reveal they may not have the necessary skills to survive this round. With The Next Level, the filmmakers stay very close to the previous film in terms of following its story and characters, giving audiences more with the main Avatars in the game, as they're the real stars of the show. What made Welcome To The Jungle work so well with audiences, was that it took the concept of the first film and reinvented it with a new slate of characters, upgrading from a board game to a video game system, making it fit right in line with today's generation. The filmmakers behind that film knew their best shot at making a successful reboot to the series, was to distance itself from the first movie but maintain its spirit while paying homage to the work created by original films director Joe Johnston and  Robin Williams. The New Level feels like a sequel that carefully takes notes in regards to what worked in the previous film, and expands on the new universe as well as its characters. The new film manages to deliver all the same ingredients that made audiences love Welcome To The Jungle, while still managing to be fresh, surprising, funny, and exciting. What both movies accomplish so well, is giving audiences the feeling that they're going on an adventure with characters they care about both in and outside of the Jumanji world. The New Level could've easily succumbed to sequel fatigue, but manages to successfully avoid falling into that category due to it managing to make both the franchises concept, as well as the story itself feel fresh.

      One of the key elements that makes both the previous and current film work is the strong charisma of the films main cast, all of whom give energetic performances that are both funny and creative. In the roles of the Avatar's in the Jumanji world, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black all shine and bring the same energy and charisma they showcased in the previous film onto the new one. Out of the four, the two who deliver the most impressive performances are Johnson and Hart, who end up playing their roles based on the personalities of Danny Devito and Danny Glover's characters in the film. The latter two prove to be a welcome addition to an already strong cast while doubling the fun. As far as the new additions to the cast goes, Danny Devito shines and delivers a strong performance as Eddie, Spencer's cranky and well-meaning grandfather with Danny Glover being a welcomed addition to the star-studded cast as Eddie's estranged friend Milo Walker. Awkwafina delivers a notable performance as Spencer's Avatar (And later Eddie's) Ming Fleetfoot. In addition to the returning cast members, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, and Ser'Darius Blain all reprise their roles from the previous film as the young misfit group of High School friends, that once again find themselves returning to the world of Jumanji to save their friend Spencer. Much like their Avatar counterparts, the young cast still possess strong chemistry, making the audience happy to see them reunite once again. With the returning Avatar cast, Dwayne Johnson gets his most challenging task yet with him both successfully and hilariously imitating Danny Devito's persona along with Kevin Hart portraying an older Danny Glover. Both actors get interesting twists involving their character switches and surprise audiences with their performances, while having a blast doing doing so. Jack Black steals the show once again playing the Avatar for both Fridge's character and later Bethany's, with the latter being completely hilarious. Nick Spencer delivers a notable performance as Seaplane. As a whole, the star-studded cast delivers and ends up becoming one of the films strongest assets in regards to it being as much fun as it ultimately turns out to be.

      In terms of directing, Jake Kasdan who helmed Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, returns to the directing chair once again and brings the world of Jumanji to life. With The Next Level, he gives audiences exactly what he promised with the first movie, which is solid fun and popcorn entertainment with a charming cast. Here, he succeeds in setting up the Jumanji world once again as the playground for the A-list class to dominate the screen with impressive cinematography and visual effects accompanying them. Kasdan as a director, succeeds in creating a world that serves as perfect escapism making it fun, exciting, thrilling, and unpredictable. With the films pacing, Kasdan keeps the film moving with enough action, that audiences will barely notice the film is close to carrying a running time of two hours. With the films art-set decoration, Kasdan continues the world building of the previous Jumanji film by showing audiences more locations inside the game, including ones that involve snow. One of the more commendable traits of Kasdan's directing with the new film, is the fact that despite dishing up all the elements that made the previous film work, he still found ways to make the sequel feel fresh and creative despite the film repeating the same scenario essentially. By adding newer characters and switching up the performances with the Avatar characters, Kasdan adds twists and turns to keep the audience invested in the story.

      The films scriptwriting by Jake Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg is strong, though feels at times like its going to extreme lengths to outdo its predecessor. For the most part, the writing team including director Kasdan create a wildly satisfying ride, which feels like an adventure paying homage to other classic films in the genre such as Indiana Jones, and even Jurassic Park. The writing team behind The Next Level do a solid job of keeping the audience invested in both the reality characters, as well as the ones in the game. The action set pieces are both well-staged and played out, with the sequel placing more emphasis on the world building of the Jumanji universe. In regards to the human aspect of the plot, the heart of the story lies within the relationship between Devito and Glover's characters as a pair of friends, who experienced a major falling out, but are brought together again and ultimately patch up their differences through the experience of playing Jumanji. Despite that subplot effectively weaving itself into the story, others feel a bit tacked on and forced as plot devices to get the group back into the game such as the subplot involving Spencer diving back into the game because of his split from Martha, with it being revealed that Spencer has kept remnants of the game after supposedly destroying it in the previous film. Whereas the breakup feels believable given that the main characters are teenagers brought together through their experiences from the previous film, it seems a bit contrived and unrealistic that Spencer would be so crushed by his split that he would willingly throw himself back into the game, especially after the previous films experience. The films humor still lands strong, particularly in the moments where the personalities swap with the Avatars with Johnson and Hart's characters playing their older counterparts. Despite moments where the writing can feel a tad shaky in terms of setting up the structural foundation of the story, the script manages to pull through and deliver a strong sequel which builds upon the established characters and universe introduced in the previous film.

     Whereas Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle largely thrived on the audience not knowing what to expect prior to its release as it dealt with being compared to the Robin Williams classic, it succeeded in meeting the expectations placed upon it in regards to being a faithful sequel/reboot that not only honored its previous films legacy, but moves the franchise forward in a different direction that's both effective and feels new. While Welcome To The Jungle wasn't a great film, it worked as being terrific fun for the whole family wishing to see a family-friendly adventure on the big screen during the 2017 holiday season. That film had an appealing cast of comedic talents, all of whom appeared to be having a blast playing their roles much like what's shown in The Next Level along with filmmakers, who felt passionate about continuing the franchise but giving the brand a new style of fun and thrills. Jumanji: The Next Level continues to build upon the world established with the previous film, as well as treating its characters with great care. The film feels like it has a little something for everyone in it with both the story and humor appealing to all demographics, even older audiences this round. Is the new film perfect? No, the writing has moments where it feels uninspired or cliched in regards to moving the story from point A to point B, but they still manage to be serviceable in terms of leading both the characters as well as the audience back into the world of Jumanji. If one is looking for a fun adventure film to watch this holiday season at the Cinema, then the world of Jumanji is worth venturing back into with The Next Level. It's a sequel that effectively works in further expanding its universe, while making audiences want to return in a few years for a third (And hopefully final) installment, that'll find a way to not just wrap up the rebooted franchise but also tie in with the 1995 Robin Williams classic. For the studio and fans of the series, Jumanji: The Next Level is a film that lives up to its promise to entertain and delivers everything that audiences love about the series, while leaving them wanting more.

Final Verdict: For Jumanji fans and those looking for a fun action-adventure, The Next Level will please and entertain audiences this holiday season.

Knives Out Reaffirms Rian Johnsons Status As Both A Stylish And Clever Filmmaker

   

    The 2019 fall season brings out it's first serious award contenders with one of the main frontrunners being Knives Out, a modern day reimagining of the classic whodunit mystery thriller style of films, which consist of classics such as Clue, and Murder On The Orient Express. Directed by acclaimed yet controversial filmmaker Rian Johnson, who helmed cult classics such as Brick, Looper, and the heavily divisive Sci-Fi blockbuster Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Johnson writes, produces, and directs this stylish mystery thriller which includes an all-star cast among the likes of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer. The end result of his modern day experiment on the classic murder mystery proved to be a noteworthy success at the box office, as well as being a relatively strong effort quality wise with the film taking full advantage of its talented ensemble cast, while setting up an effective murder mystery atmosphere, that feels like a modern version of Clue. Knives Out works as a story because of its insistence on paying homage to the classic murder mystery genre, while adding it's own flavor to it. For director Rian Johnson, the film feels like his own personal response to critics of his work on The Last Jedi as well as a personal detox for the skillful filmmaker.

      The plot for Knives Out focuses on a wealthy crime novelist (Played by Christopher Plummer), who gathers his large yet dysfunctional family to his Gothic mansion for his 85th birthday in hopes of having a peaceful evening. The twist that the story brings is the next day, he is found dead, prompting a suave private detective (Daniel Craig) to suspect foul play with him beginning an investigation with all the family members being potential suspects. Knives Out feels like a combination of Clue meets a Wes Anderson film in terms of it's filmmaking style, that mixes dark humor with a serious tone. The film draws strong comparisons to 2017's Murder On The Orient Express, with that film not only boasting a strong ensemble cast, but carried a slick atmosphere that allowed it's talented cast to bring the classic source material to life in a way that gave the film a fun yet suspenseful tone. With Knives Out, Rian Johnson achieves a similar feel to Kenneth Branagh's film with Johnson utilizing his strong ensemble cast, all of whom appear to be having a blast with their snarky characters, while adding old fashioned murder mystery tropes to the story. He succeeds in taking what's essentially a tired old genre, that's become somewhat cliched by today's standards and manages to make to bring a freshness to it, that makes it feel sharp as well as a extremely fun to watch. Knives Out is a smart, well-thought out, and strongly acted film which proudly stands as being not only one of the best movies of the year but also one of the most entertaining.

      One of the key elements that makes Knives Out work is the top notch acting performances from it's main cast with Daniel Craig delivering some of his best acting outside of the James Bond franchise. Craig is awesome as Detective Blanc, giving audiences a kick out of hearing his silly yet convincing Southern accent along with his characters theatrics. He does a brilliant job of bringing a comedic tone to the part along with tweaking his role of playing a clever detective with all the cliches that come with the part, giving it a unique and different approach while blatantly having a blast with playing his character. The audience will most definitely enjoy his performance, as well as find themselves cracking up at a number of his lines due to the way he delivers them. Ana De Armas both shines and impresses as Marta Cabrera, nurse and caretaker to Harlan. Her character is the heart of the film with Armas performance being one of its true standout moments. Chris Evans is effective in his supporting role of playing Harlan's spoiled playboy grandson, with him effectively nailing the role to a T. This is a different role for Evans outside of his Steve Rogers/Captain America persona, but a welcomed one regardless. Jamie Lee Curtis brings class to her role of playing Harlan's snarky yet eldest daughter Linda Drysdale. She effectively utilizes her characters moments to leave an impression with audiences when she's on the screen. Other noteworthy performances are Toni Collette in the role of Joni Thrombey, widow to Harlan's deceased son Neil, Man Of Steel's Michael Shannon as Harlan's youngest son Walt, whose both Donna's husband as well as the CEO of his dad's publishing company, and Don Johnson as Harlan's son-in-law Richard Drysdale, who helps run his wife's company, played by Curtis. As Harlan himself, Christopher Plummer proves to be the perfect casting choice for the films key role with his characters motives being both understandable as well as justifiable. Other noteworthy performances are Lakeith Stanfield as Detective Lieutenant Elliot, acting alongside Craig's character, Katherine Langford as Harlan's granddaughter Meg, also granddaughter to Joni and Neils character, and Jacob Thrombey as Harlan's grandson, who appears to always be on his phone. The acting was always going to play a major part in making the story work, and with Knives Out, Rian Johnson brings together a stellar cast, utilizing each actor and actresses to their full potential. There is not one bad performance in the film as the cast looks as if they're having a blast playing their respective roles.

      In terms of the films directing, Rian Johnson creates both a fun and goofy atmosphere that carries with it the perfect balance of comedy and suspense, largely due to his talented cast giving their all with their performances, thanks to the freedom that Rian gives the actors with breathing life into their characters. One truly feels that Johnson tried to make the best movie possible with the story he had. The films technical aspects are well-thought out and executed with the films art-set decoration and costume design fitting the mood and style of the film. The movies cinematography is precise and effective with the pacing making the film fly by with it's extended 130 minute running time. Johnson does exceptionally well in setting up the first half of the movie as a whodunnit style mystery flick with each member of the family being noted as a potential suspect before the film shifts in a different direction in it's second half, making it a nice departure from the flow of the story while subverting audiences expectations in a positive way. With Knives Out, Johnson crafts a mystery thriller that's richly entertaining and fun to watch, thanks to it's remarkable cast, the films masterful directing from Johnson, and the screenplay also written by Johnson. Knives Out is a film which knows precisely what it wants to be, and does so with confidence as well as a genuine desire to entertain and surprise audiences with how different the film is from a typical whodunnit mystery thriller.

      The films writing by Johnson is both well-written and clever, keeping the audience at the edge of their seat. He manages to keep the story feeling traditional while giving the genre a modern reimagining with updated dialogue, moments of today's political awareness with references to terms such as snowflakes, the alt-right, and a family argument over the current President (Whose name is never mentioned in the story). Given that the film is essentially a classic "whodunnit" story, Johnson wrote this story to be the best possible version of what it can be while honoring the past iconic mystery stories that came before it. One of the films best traits is its specific attention to detail, while further developing the main characters. It relies heavily on comedy to make the story richly entertaining to audiences with it being further elevated by the wonderful acting from the films main cast. While the first half of this film can come across as feeling predictable, the second half switches things up and manages to successfully do so while keeping the audience engaged. The script is full of twist and turns, though audiences can clearly figure out where the story is going if they pay close enough attention to what's happening on screen with the characters and plot. The writing is conducted in a way which the audience may discover what's happening or going to happen, but don't know how things are going to unfold which ultimately keeps them at the edge of their seat. With both his directing and writing skills, Johnson manages to create the perfect blend of humor and suspense to hold the audiences interest while managing to pull the rug from underneath audiences at certain points in the story to remain surprising. He creates characters that the audience can care about, while making them guess who had the strongest motive to take out Harlan.

      Overall Knives Out proves to be not only clever entertainment, but restores fans faith in Rian Johnson as a filmmaker, who might've been displeased with his direction with Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Here he crafts an extremely fun and whacky experience, that shows he can generate solid entertainment when he sets his mind on a specific genre. With Brick, he created a moody noir story set in a High School, with Looper he took the concept of time-travel and brought his own fun and clever spin to it. Whereas Kenneth Branagh is resurrecting the Murder On The Orient Express series along with placing a new spin on it that's both fun and modern, Johnson does the same with taking what's essentially an old school genre, and adding a new flavor to it's style which makes it feel fresh, funny, exciting, entertaining, and relevant with it's modern political commentary. The film also utilizes it's cast to their maximum potential much like Branagh's movie, giving each character and actor their moment to shine while cleverly creating suspicion around their character with constantly making the audience guess who the murderer is. Knives Out is hands down one of the years best films with a killer ensemble cast which doesn't revolve around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and reaffirms it's directors status as being a filmmaker with a firm grip on his craft. For those who loved his previous work on films such as Brick, and Looper but found themselves being profoundly disappointed by his work on The Last Jedi, they will be happy to discover that Knives Out carries with it the antidote to their disappointment and frustration with that film. What could've easily ended up being a generic and boring murder mystery, proves to be a pleasant and creative surprise that's more than welcomed in today's climate of filmmaking.

Final Verdict: Knives Out is a must see for murder mystery fans, cinema fans, and fans of Rian Johnson as a filmmaker.