Can ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ Novelization Save the Movie?
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Annlyel James 
After being left underwhelmed by the movie, can The Rise Of Skywalker novelization redeem the climax of the saga for Annlyel?
The Rise of Skywalker will not be available to watch on Digital or Blu-Ray for roughly a month and a half still but the novelization is coming in less than a month’s time on March 17 and with the release of an exclusive excerpt giving extra insight into the expanded novelization of the movie, fans have already begun to salivate over the juicy details the novel will provide. But can it alone save the movie?
The blunt answer is no.
As someone who found The Last Jedi distasteful on my first viewing, loved it after my second viewing and obtained a legitimate fondness for the film after my two-dozenth viewing, The Last Jedi novelization only added to the story I loved so much.
Rose‘s character had more likability as her agitation with Finn was highlighted immensely throughout the story, adding extra depth to her growing feelings with Finn which eventually amounted into a smooch at the end of her road in the novel. Poe’s mutinous actions were elaborated upon in fascinating scale in the novel, providing a deeper understanding of why he went nuts after being, in his mind, trapped on the Star Cruiser. These two elements alone make the novelization worth the read, plus the storytelling is just phenomenal, leaving one extremely satisfied by the novel’s conclusion.
The Rise of Skywalker novelization will, indeed, help shed greater light on the movie’s blunders or unanswered questions but that’s the thing, the film was too incomplete.
The Last Jedi, whether you hated it or not, was a solid movie. The Rise of Skywalker feels cobbled together into a hodgepodge of storytelling that never feels truly satisfactory. Fan-service was heavily relied upon in the film but unlike Endgame, which was practically a love letter to the franchise, The Rise of Skywalker was unable to find a way to deliver anything utterly spectacular in the nostalgia department.
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Take the recent exclusive excerpt for example. It gives even greater detail to one of the best scenes in the movie; the opening sequence featuring Kylo Ren on Mustafar. We learn that while Ren was rampaging his way through Mustafarian enemies during his search for the Wayfinder Hux and Allegiant General Pryde were watching him. We also learn that Kylo apparently confronted a strange being called the Eye of Webbish Bog (the Eye of Webbish Bog…that sounds ridiculous) before grabbing the Wayfinder and heading to Exegol where Palpatine would be found.
To be honest, after reading the excerpt, I found the scene to be unimpressive in the novelization version. In the actual movie, it’s a sequence of pure beauty. The music, the destruction caused by Kylo’s rage, it’s a thing of art. If Hux, Pryde, and this thing called the Eye had been a part of that opening sequence it would’ve undoubtedly taken away from the magic of that scene…one of the few scenes that I actually LOVED in the movie.
So, I find myself drawn back to the nitty-gritty of this post.
The Rise of Skywalker novelization will help expand our knowledge of what we could’ve seen in the film compared to what we actually got. And what we got was shabby at best. I wish I could say I’m counting down the days to read the novelization. I’m not. Maybe I’ll read it one day when I’m visiting my local library and see it on a shelf but as of right now, I have no interest in reading a novel that’ll only reawaken the sorrow in my heart, for The Rise of Skywalker, was truly an underwhelming and depressing experience.
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Annlyel James is a prolific Staff Writer for Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her own blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter @annlyeljames where she channels the Force frequently!
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Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely that of the author and do reflect the overall opinion of thefutureoftheforce.com, it’s writers or affiliates.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
I feel the complete opposite of 99% of what you have written. I left the cinema after the first viewing thinking ‘Thank God. Abrams nailed it.’ There are things I would have done differently had I been making the film but I can argue very little with this end product. I truly feel sorry for you that this is how you feel about a movie that wraps up the Skywalker saga fantastically.
We all have our opinions. I’m glad your experience was phenomenal. 🙂