Brief Summary
This video analyzes the soundtrack of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," arguing it's the worst in the series due to misused themes and a lack of originality. The video explores how the film's disjointed plot and reliance on nostalgia led to a score that undermines the emotional impact of classic Star Wars music. It also discusses the behind-the-scenes issues with the score's production, including leaked tracks and unused musical ideas, suggesting a troubled creative process.
- The film's soundtrack is the worst in the series due to misused themes and lack of originality.
- The disjointed plot and reliance on nostalgia led to a score that undermines the emotional impact of classic Star Wars music.
- Behind-the-scenes issues with the score's production, including leaked tracks and unused musical ideas, suggest a troubled creative process.
Introduction
The video begins with the author expressing disappointment with "The Rise of Skywalker," particularly its soundtrack, which he considers the worst in the Star Wars saga. He mentions that prior to watching the movie, its plot points were spoiled for him. The author also criticizes the writing and the film's treatment of its characters, particularly Leia.
Part 1: This is a Bad Film That is Bad
The author argues that "The Rise of Skywalker" upset fans of both "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi" by retconning character arcs and plot points. The film undoes the character development of Luke Skywalker, returning him to a legendary figure instead of allowing him to learn from his mistakes. The narrative focuses too heavily on the Skywalker and Palpatine families, diminishing the importance of other characters. The author points out inconsistencies in the plot, such as Kylo Ren's helmet and Rey's family history, and highlights the lack of progression in Rey's journey, as she ends the film in a similar situation to where she began. The author references a podcast, "What the Force," for further musical analysis.
Part 2: No Work and All Play All the Reward With No Effort
The video discusses how the film misuses musical themes, particularly the Emperor's theme, which is played out of order with the story. The author criticizes the use of the Death Star destruction music during a hyperspace jump, arguing that it steals the emotional weight of the music without earning the moment. The author explains the difference between Leia's theme and the Han and Leia love theme, questioning why the latter is used when Leia dies. He suggests that the music is thrown in to evoke emotions without proper context. The author questions the use of Yoda's theme when Luke lifts the X-wing, deeming it nonsensical.
Part 3: Thematic Recontextualization
The author discusses the recontextualization of musical themes in Star Wars over time, using Obi-Wan Kenobi's theme becoming associated with the Force as an example. He explains how the Imperial March became associated with Darth Vader and how Luke's theme became the main Star Wars theme. The author argues that the film cheaply throws in familiar music, diluting the original meaning of the themes. He questions the use of Yoda's theme when Yoda isn't present and criticizes the use of Luke and Leia's theme when Rey meets Lando's daughter. The author points out the misuse of Vader's death music when Rey is looking for the wayfinder and the overuse of Luke's theme for various characters and events.
Part 4: Three Hours on December 10th 2019
The video discusses the leaked "for your consideration" edition of the score and how it differed from the film's release. The author mentions that John Williams wrote over three hours of music for the film, but much of it was not used. He references a leaked cue list from a cut of the film dated for November 11th, noting that the cues are out of order or don't make sense. The author plays a piece of music that sounds like a new version of "Duel of the Fates" and points out that there is no music from the prequel trilogy in the film. He suggests that the film's troubled production led to the misuse of Williams's music and expresses hope that the unused music will be released.
