Amid the chaos and anxiety of a global pandemic, sometimes a galaxy far, far away is just the thing to keep you from checking the news for a bit. Here’s what’s new on DVD for the week of March 31.
• “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”: Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) has made his way to Exegol, once the world of the Sith, and encounters the evil Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Issac) follow, in hopes of obtaining the pathfinder that will lead them to the desert planet and stop the First Order. In the meantime, Rey grapples with her connection with Kylo Ren, wondering if the dark side is where she truly belongs.
There’s so much to wrap up in this ninth installment of the franchise, and boy does J.J. Abrams’ and Chris Terrio’s script try to pack it all in. (Abrams also directed the film.) Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) only gets in a few lines, but we meet a new droid, D-O, among a cast of new characters, including Keri Russell as Zorii. Cameos from the series abound, as does an almost frustrating number of plot twists that give the film an odd pulse through its final acts. The story tends to negate the complexities of Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi.”
“It’s adequate at best, a space-themed kiddie adventure with a few lessons about justice and hope and perseverance, which is how the ‘Star Wars’ movies started,” wrote Tribune News Service critic Katie Walsh in her review. “‘Rise of Skywalker’ is the ultimate nostalgic throwback of them all, as a film that seems more appropriate for rewatching on VHS than anything else.”
