Daisy Ridley explains how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker backlash was different for her when compared to the other films. Arriving in theaters last December, The Rise of Skywalker had the gargantuan task of wrapping up not only the sequel trilogy, but also the Skywalker saga as a whole. Bringing classic villain Emperor Palpatine back to the fold, excitement for The Rise of Skywalker was high in the months leading up to its premiere. Director J.J. Abrams knew going in that it would be impossible to please all Star Wars fans with the film, but Rise of Skywalker reactions weren’t exactly what Lucasfilm was hoping for.
The Rise of Skywalker proved to be extremely polarizing upon release, earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for a live-action Star Wars movie and dividing viewers with its various creative choices. Some were pleased with how the film concluded the decades-spanning story, while others felt it was an underwhelming blockbuster that got bogged down in course-correcting developments from The Last Jedi. The wide range of responses took Ridley aback in the immediate aftermath of The Rise of Skywalker’s release, particularly when she recalled how the other movies were received.
Speaking with DragCast, Ridley discussed the Rise of Skywalker backlash and admitted, “January was not that nice.” She elaborated by juxtaposing the trilogy finale with its predecessor and what’s changed in the discourse in her mind:
“It’s changed film by film honestly, like 98% it’s so amazing, this last film it was really tricky. January was not that nice. It was weird, I felt like all of this love that we’d sort of been shown the first time around, I was like ‘Where’s the love gone?’ I watched the documentary, the making-of, this week, and it’s so filled with love; and I think it’s that tricky thing of when you’re part of something that is so filled with love and then people…You know, everyone’s entitled to not like something but it feels like it’s changed slightly. I think in general that’s because social media and what have you.”
All three entries in the Star Wars sequel trilogy had their own backlash; on Force Awakens, Ridley’s Rey was accused of being a Mary Sue character, and The Last Jedi was one of the most polarizing movies of the past decade. However, there are some key differences to keep in mind. Both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and there was definitely a sense of general enthusiasm surrounding the former’s premiere. Moviegoers were thrilled that Star Wars was back, and even though many felt Force Awakens skewed a little too closely to A New Hope, they were intrigued about where the trilogy could go moving forward. In contrast, The Rise of Skywalker received criticism for being a confusing and rushed film, frustratingly filling in many of the blanks in tie-in publications like the official novelization. It felt like even those who enjoyed the previous two movies were somewhat disappointed with the last one.
Nobody involved with The Rise of Skywalker intentionally set out to make a bad film, but most would agree it didn’t execute its plot in the best way. Arguably more than the other sequel trilogy installments, The Rise of Skywalker highlighted Lucasfilm’s lack of a cohesive plan when putting the series together. That was certainly a contributing factor to the backlash, and it’s something the studio needs to improve upon moving forward. Giving directors creative leeway on their projects is admirable, but there needs to be a happy medium between that freedom and plotting out a course to follow over a handful of years. It remains to be seen what Star Wars films come out from 2022-2026, but hopefully they’re able to get the franchise back on track with a compelling story.
