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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (4K Blu-ray) (2019)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (4K Blu-ray) (2019)

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Released 1-Apr-2020
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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Sci-Fi Action	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2019
Running Time	141:53
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (3)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	J.J. Abrams
Studio Distributor	Walt Disney Studios Home Ent.	Starring	Daisy Ridley John Boyega Oscar Isaac Adam Driver Carrie Fisher Mark Hamill Anthony Daniels Naomi Ackie Domhnall Gleeson Richard E. Grant Ian McDiarmid Keri Russell Joonas Suotamo
Case	Standard Blu-ray	Starring
RPI	$39.95	Music	John Williams

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Atmos English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 French Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 English for the Hearing Impaired Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	2160p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.40:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired French Spanish Danish Finnish Norwegian Swedish	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

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Plot Synopsis

    Arriving 42-and-a-half years after George Lucas' Star Wars changed the face of cinema back in 1977, 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker concludes the nine-film Skywalker Saga, with J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) returning as co-writer and director. Added to the burden of concluding this culturally significant saga, The Rise of Skywalker also endures the weight of following the most polarising Star Wars film to date: Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. With the recent increase and popularisation of Star Wars hatred in the shadow of The Last Jedi, objectivity is now borderline impossible. Nevertheless, for my money, The Rise of Skywalker is a spectacular, crowd-pleasing finale which complements the previous two films and successfully ties into the original trilogy. Although messy from a story perspective, Abrams' spirited direction compensates for many of the picture's shortcomings, as the filmmaker packs The Rise of Skywalker with battles, lightsabers, fan service and emotion, sending off the saga on a satisfying high. In spite of its flaws, it works.

    Picking up an unspecified amount of time after the events of The Last Jedi, Rey (Daisy Ridley) is close to completing her Jedi training under General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), though she is unable to connect with previous generations of Jedi. Meanwhile, Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) receive intel that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is still alive on the uncharted planet of Exegol, a.k.a. the Sith homeworld. Following a mysterious communication from Palpatine, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) travels to Exegol where the powerful Sith Lord has secretly amassed an immense fleet of Star Destroyers with planet-destroying canons, which constitute the Final Order. With Palpatine's plan threatening the entire galaxy, and with Kylo closing in on the waning Resistance, Rey sets out with Finn, Poe, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) to find the Sith Wayfinder device, an ancient navigational tool which will lead them to Exegol.

    Before the release of The Force Awakens in 2015, Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) was given the reigns of Episode IX, which he began to co-write with Derek Connolly. However, creative differences between Trevorrow and Lucasfilm ended their collaboration, and Abrams was hired a week later to devise this concluding chapter. Abrams is a sublime visual stylist but not a great screenwriter, and The Rise of Skywalker further demonstrates this. Whereas The Force Awakens distinctly benefitted from Lawrence Kasdan's contributions, Abrams co-wrote this saga closer with Chris Terrio, late of the critically mauled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. (Terrio's Oscar-winning Argo screenplay seems like a fluke at this point.) Therefore, The Rise of Skywalker is undeniably messy, giving Snoke a vague backstory, never adequately clarifying Palpatine's return, leaving unanswered questions about the Knights of Ren, and never revealing the logistics behind the creation of Palpatine's immense fleet. Then again, this is a fantasy franchise which does not necessarily need to perfectly clarify everything. Plus, any unanswered questions or indistinct plot points will surely receive further attention in novelisations, TV shows and comic books within the next five years.

    Eschewing a rehash of any previous Star Wars adventure, The Rise of Skywalker's plot involves a MacGuffin hunt across the galaxy, which represents a refreshing change of pace for the long-running series. Additionally, under Abrams' direction, this escapade really moves, evoking the pronounced breathlessness of The Force Awakens as the characters travel from one location to the next, experiencing conflicts at every turn. Narratively, this is the busiest Star Wars movie to date, working through what should have been two film's worth of plot. Consequently, this is the least confident and considered instalment in the new trilogy, and there is not enough narrative breathing room, resulting in glorified cameos for actors like Dominic Monaghan and even Billy Dee Williams, who returns as Lando. Furthermore, The Rise of Skywalker is the only Star Wars film so far to not begin with a proper scene; instead, a battle montage opens the picture, and Abrams scarcely stops to take a breath as he works through the intimidatingly large narrative while preserving a manageable runtime. As a result, Episode IX feels choppy during its opening act in particular, and it takes around half an hour to get in tune with the movie properly. With editors Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube minimising downtime between the set-pieces, one must wonder how much material did not make the final cut. An extended edition with an Avengers: Endgame-sized runtime is an enticing prospect, though one may never materialise.

    The most effective narrative constituent of Episode IX is Rey and Kylo's relationship. Their minds remain bridged due to a dyad in the Force, and they both believe that they can turn the other to their respective side. Compelling, emotionally charged conflicts between the pair pepper the film, including the much-publicised battle atop the Death Star wreckage, while the ultimate dénouement is satisfying and, to an extent, unexpected. Kylo/Ben Solo is the most interesting character in this new trilogy, essentially embodying whiney Star Wars fanboys who yearn for a bygone era, and violently lash out when things do not go their own way. Also, since Kylo could never live up to the unfiltered badassery of Darth Vader (as much as the character tries, in a sly meta touch), his conflicted nature is more pronounced, leading to some genuinely emotional scenes. Additionally, while Abrams does dial back the humour glimpsed in The Last Jedi, there are amusing moments throughout this instalment, serving to augment the film's sense of humanity. However, several beats during the obligatory ending celebration sequence are odd, including an awkward (and somewhat creepy) moment between Lando and Jannah (Naomi Ackie), an out-of-nowhere same-sex kiss, and Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o) giving Chewbacca one of the medals from the last scene of A New Hope, after he legendarily missed out back in 1977.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a sense that Abrams and Terrio desired to "fix" certain facets of The Last Jedi's outside-the-box tampering. This results in a lack of cohesiveness in some respects, reflecting the absence of concrete planning at the outset of this trilogy. But then again, the original Star Wars trilogy was equally spontaneous, leading to the controversial Luke and Leia kiss before the reveal that the pair are siblings. Hell, the twist that Darth Vader is Luke's father retcons much of the background information from A New Hope, leading Obi-Wan Kenobi to simply say that he lied. In this way, The Rise of Skywalker is true to the spirit of the sacred original trilogy. Besides, Fisher's passing would have surely negated any existing road map for Episode IX. Moreover, a thematic through-line does underpin this sequel trilogy: breaking free of the expectations of legacy. For instance, Finn refuses to be a stormtrooper, Kylo rejects being a Jedi and refuses to be a pawn who answers to a higher power, Luke flees in shame after failing to recreate the Jedi Order's legacy, and Poe joins the Resistance to escape his origins as a criminal. Such thematic material ties into this sequel trilogy's underlying meta-narrative about a new generation inheriting Star Wars: the new characters worship the old characters, the First Order tries too hard to replicate the Empire, and Kylo Ren strives to be Darth Vader.

    With such a large budget, and considering the production's significance, a level of competency is a perpetual given with each new Star Wars entry, and Episode IX does not disappoint in this respect. Despite doomsday warnings from online forums circulating rumours about substantial reshoots at the eleventh hour, The Rise of Skywalker is a visual stunner beset with exciting set-pieces. Abrams once again harkens back to the original trilogy through a traditional filmmaking approach - cinematographer Dan Mindel (The Force Awakens) shoots on 35mm film, and the movie heavily relies on make-up, animatronics and sets, while CGI augments the fantastical illusions. The use of practical models is evident, as ships like the Millennium Falcon often look tangible, creating a realistic aesthetic as opposed to the phoney digital overload of the prequels. At times, it's genuinely difficult to discern where the CGI takes over from the sets, models, miniatures, and practical effects. In terms of the creatures, the standout here is the endearing Babu Frik (voiced by Shirley Henderson), who is a practical creation. In addition, this is reportedly John Williams' final Star Wars score, and the veteran composer's contributions are invaluable. Reintroducing recognisable cues and composing original material, Williams' score is majestic and exciting.

    Working around Fisher's premature death, Abrams dusts off unused footage from the previous two films to integrate General Leia into this concluding instalment, paying tribute to our beloved Princess and saying a poignant goodbye. Fisher appears to interact with her co-stars so naturally, with measured expressions and line delivery. The seams are invisible, resulting in the most successful and cohesive post-mortem performance in film history (which is admittedly a low bar to clear). Additionally, The Rise of Skywalker brings back the always-charismatic Billy Dee Williams for the first time since Return of the Jedi in 1983, while McDiarmid effortlessly slips back into the role of Emperor Palpatine. Abrams minimises Kelly Marie Tran's presence here, which is a benefit since her role of Rose is the least interesting character of this sequel trilogy. Enough characters are competing for screen-time already, with the main quest even involving C-3PO and Chewbacca; therefore, Rose is better-served as a minor part of the ensemble. The main cast again brings their 'A' game to the material, with Ridley and Driver ably handling complex emotional material, while Isaac oozes movie-star charisma in every frame. Richard E. Grant also makes a positive impression as a First Order General, a role which demands exaggerated villainy through a British accent. Another newcomer is Keri Russell (late of Abrams' Felicity), who's a fine addition as a feisty former criminal companion of Poe's. Abrams also brings back several recognisable actors through vocal cameos, in a superb fan service moment. There are other effective cameos to boot, including the return of Denis Lawson as Wedge Antilles (in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot), while Abrams himself voices a new droid, as well.

    Even though The Rise of Skywalker is more coherent than anticipated (considering the rumours of reshoots and studio meddling), it nevertheless feels as if a chorus line of internet forum users contributed to the screenplay, with Abrams and Terrio trying to tick as many boxes as possible - and more than likely did at least take a cursory glance at online chatter. In comparison, The Last Jedi is undoubtedly a more consistent vision, but the incendiary reaction to that instalment ruined any possibility for a more daring, unexpected finale for the Skywalker Saga. Whereas Johnson favoured a more dramatic tone, The Rise of Skywalker is pure escapism for the fans, delivering a surface-level sugar rush with the benefit of an immense budget, and it hits its mark. It's an imperfect assembly of puzzle pieces, and Abrams deserves credit for keeping the story involving and the energy levels high, creating a highly successful blockbuster under unenviable circumstances. Armchair critics can continue to nitpick, but if the same level of scrutinous analysis was applied to the original Star Wars trilogy, it would also fall apart.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    According to IMDb, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was shot with a combination of 35mm and 65mm film using Panavision and Arriflex cameras, and was completed with a 4K digital intermediate, which renders this a welcome upgrade over the already excellent 1080p Blu-ray. Framed at its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, this 2160p ultra high definition presentation is a visual stunner from top to bottom, exhibiting sublime refinement in terms of fine detail, sharpness, clarity, colours and highlights, making this the perfect way to experience The Rise of Skywalker on home video. The HEVC/H.265-encoded video is also enhanced with High Dynamic Range, though it's only encoded in HDR10 as opposed to Dolby Vision, which is sure to irk some videophiles. (It will stream in Dolby Vision on Disney+ later in the year.) In addition, the movie has an entire BD-66 to itself, which results in a video bitrate that frequently hovers around the 45 Mbps mark. Luckily, it's a competent encode from the House of Mouse, as the movie never looks unnecessary compressed or lacking in tightness. Additionally, whereas Avengers: Endgame was subject to edge enhancement and noise reduction, no such digital tampering was visibly applied to The Rise of Skywalker.

    The increase in resolution is readily apparent from the beginning, particularly when the movie shifts from the darkness of Exegol to Rey carrying out her training in the jungles of Ajan Kloss. There's an insane amount of fine detail within this 4K presentation, with close-ups easily topping the 1080p Blu-ray, while the film grain looks consistently fine and organic. The grain varies in terms of thickness, with some darker moments showing heavier grain, but again it's always nicely-resolved as opposed to distracting or chunky. I found the Blu-ray to look impressively sharp, but direct comparisons with this disc reveal that the 4K transfer is noticeably sharper from time to time, while the Blu-ray is occasionally on the soft side. This is especially true of wider shots, which are firmer and better-resolved on this 4K disc, and textures never seem to struggle no matter the lighting conditions or the presence of smoke. In my review of the Blu-ray, I mentioned an extreme close-up of Rey on Exegol as she reaches out to the previous generations of Jedi - and it looks even better in 4K, with firmer textures and highlights. Moreover, the special effects stand up to the increased scrutiny of 4K resolution - the spaceships still look astonishingly tangible as opposed to digital, while the practical effects and puppetry are extremely convincing.

    The colours of the 1080p Blu-ray are great, but this HDR-enhanced transfer looks even better. Black levels are noticeably improved, with the depths of space looking inkier and deeper, while skin tones look healthier and primaries are gorgeous saturated. I was initially unimpressed with the luminance during the opening title crawl, which looks noticeably dull, but this appears to be a creative decision, as the rest of the movie looks extraordinary. The superior luminance is hugely impressive on lightsabers, flames, ships and explosions, while skies and other harsh light sources show firmer specular detail. In long shots of Kylo wandering around Exegol in the opening sequence, his red lightsaber remains impactful and never looks dull, no matter how much darkness surrounds him. The scenes on Kijimi arguably benefit the most from the HDR grading, as the colourful lights stand out even more, and there's improved shadow detail in virtually every shot. A shot of the Knights of Ren at 48:21 looks extremely rough on the Blu-ray, but is more refined in 4K. In addition, the colour palette is more varied and intricate throughout the movie. For instance, scenes on Pasaana look outright yellow on the SDR Blu-ray, the HDR grading gives these scenes more variety from a colour standpoint. The greenery surrounding the Resistance Base on Ajan Kloss is stronger and more vibrant, while colours in general are more vivid across the board. The reds are also stronger during the approach to Exegol, while all the lightning during the climactic battle on Exegol looks extraordinary with HDR enhancement. This is not a face-melting, garish HDR grade; instead, it's more restrained, restoring highlight detail and enhancing the colours. The HDR is also more effective compared to The Last Jedi's controversially underwhelming HDR grade.

    The Rise of Skywalker's 4K presentation does not exactly reveal a day-and-night difference over the 1080p Blu-ray, but the improvements are apparent and appreciable. Especially given the reported native 4K finish, a quality that is becoming increasingly rare in modern cinema, it's a pleasure to be able to experience Episode IX in UHD. Thankfully, too, the encoding is exceptional, which is pretty standard with Disney's home video releases - I couldn't detect any unsightly video artefacts, and though the HDR does make the film a touch darker than the Blu-ray, there's no black crush to spoil the video presentation. Sure, as ever, the movie might've looked superior on a triple-layered BD-100 with a higher bitrate and Dolby Vision, but it's difficult to imagine the movie looking meaningfully better.

    Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish. Disney have used the same subtitle file as the Blu-ray - it's well-formatted and free of errors.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Whereas the 1080p Blu-ray offers a DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio track, Disney ups the ante on 4K with a Dolby Atmos mix, though it plays as a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track on non-Atmos equipment. I don't have an Atmos set-up, and I therefore cannot comment on the overhead activity. As a result, I was hard-pressed to find any meaningful differences compared to the Blu-ray's DTS track, and my thoughts remain virtually unchanged. For those interested, the disc also contains lossy Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 tracks in French and Spanish, but I concentrated solely on the Atmos mix.

    As usual, you'll need to raise your volume above regular listening levels to get the full experience of the Atmos track, but other than that, the mix is impactful and satisfying. Throughout the opening sequence, there's excellent low-frequency effects and bass to the action (Kylo's lightsaber is deafening in some shots), while Palpatine's voice is effectively deep and rumbling. During the subsequent space battle, there's ample impact to the Millennium Falcon, while excellent panning effects are used as a group of TIE fighters appear. The speeder chase on Pasaana also shows off excellent subwoofer and surround sound activity, with no laser blast, explosion or engine sounding lacking or underwhelming. When Rey and Kylo battle for control of the transport ship after the speeder chase, the LFE is enough to make your walls shake. These qualities continue throughout The Rise of Skywalker - just see Rey and Kylo's lightsaber battle on Kijimi, or the battle atop the Death Star wreckage, as both sequences show amazing LFE. During the climactic battle sequence on Exegol, laser blasts and ships zip around the immersive soundscape, and the audio never sounds noticeably front-centred. Even in more minor moments, various sound effects are isolated to certain speakers, from small mechanical beeps to footsteps or other foley. You don't need to worry about the dynamics or the LFE of this Atmos track, as it delivers at every step.

    Luckily, I could not detect any issues with prioritisation, as dialogue is clean and pristine, remaining flawlessly comprehensible amid the frenetic action scenes and loud sound effects. When the previous generations of Jedi speak to Rey during the climax, several of the voices are isolated to certain surround speakers. John Williams' score is also perfectly prioritised, coming through all available surround channels with immaculate clarity and impact. The track is crystal clear, too, thanks to the lossless encoding, and the bitrate remains perfectly adequate throughout. As a result, the mix never sounds compromised, tinny or compressed, as it's constantly impactful and dynamic, which is a miracle for a Disney disc, and hopefully a sign of things to come. In addition, I could not detect any pops, clicks, hissing, sync issues or drop-outs. It could probably stand to be a bit louder at times, but that's the only real shortcoming. I'm sure that some internet users will find something to complain about, but the Atmos track sounds excellent to my ears.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

As usual, the 4K disc contains absolutely no extras. However, if you pick up the three-disc edition, there are plenty of extras on the Blu-ray bonus disc.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The 4K disc is the same worldwide. However, there's a Target exclusive in the United States which comes with an additional featurette: A Final Alliance (25:32). That's the winner at this point in time.

Summary

It's impossible to please Star Wars fans at this point, and everyone will have a strong opinion about The Rise of Skywalker. For my money, though, this is a robust finale and an entertaining Star Wars picture that deserves to be witnessed on the biggest possible screen.

Let's not mince words here: The Rise of Skywalker looks and sounds excellent on 4K Blu-ray. The 2160p presentation is flawless from top to bottom, while the Dolby Atmos track is dynamic and impactful. And if you pick up the three-disc edition, there's hours of bonus material to enjoy. Highly recommended.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player, using HDMI output
Display	LG OLED65E6T. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 2160p.
Audio Decoder	Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
Amplification	Samsung Series 7 HT-J7750W
Speakers	Samsung Tall Boy speakers, 7.1 set-up

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