Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker - Review - SPOILERS

IF YOU HAVE YET TO WATCH STAR WARS EPISODE 9: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, STEP AWAY NOW.

SPOILERS FOLLOW BELOW THE PICTURE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 

“No one is ever really gone” mused Luke Skywalker at the end of The Last Jedi. Words which would have an eerie foreboding over the franchises final outing. Right from the opening crawl we know that “The dead speak!” and that the long dead Emperor Palpatine is broadcasting a message of hatred and destruction of the Resistance throughout the galaxy.

While Ian McDiarmid’s return had been announced earlier in the year I think many had decided he might be returning as a Sith Force Ghost, or in flashback. The opening scene however confirms that Master Skywalker’s prophecy is closer to the true than anyone could have realised. Palpatine has survived the fall through Death Star 2 and has been living in secret, amassing a cult of followers, on the Unknown Territories.

How? Honestly its never fully explained nor fleshed out, though it is referenced at one point that the Sith had cloning abilities and other ways to cheat death. So…one of those I suppose?

This opening sequence is emblematic of The Rise of Skywalker as a whole. It looks brilliant on the surface, with some of the most beautiful and sweeping vistas in franchise history, but on a second glance it doesn’t add up to much, and seems to contradict earlier entries over and over.

Where The Last Jedi asked exciting, new questions, about the nature of rebellion, and about heroes coming from the most unlikely of places, it feels like JJ Abrams (returning to round out what he began in The Force Awakens) had to juggle taking up Rian Johnson’s narrative points while simultaneously having his own vision for Star Wars which was in deep conflict with the middle chapter.

Where Johnson looked to the future and what lay beyond the Skywalkers, Abrams’ approach was instead to cling onto history with both hands and never let go. So desperate was he for example for Rey to somehow fit into a lineage for the franchise, to make her journey somehow her destiny, that the choice of who’s family line she falls into is silly at best and almost insulting at worst.

He acknowledges the previous outing just long enough to have Palpatine tell Kylo “She is not who you think she is”. I rolled my eyes.

It isn’t all bad – indeed far from it, some of the franchises best moments exist in this film. It is easily Anthony Daniels’ best Threepio movie since the original trilogy. He gets every single laugh he's playing for here and it feels like they wanted to put our old friend front and centre. Meanwhile both Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver shine as series leads Rey and Kylo Ren.

Rey’s story in particular (but for the lazy reveal mentioned above) is her strongest of the trilogy, as we see her teeter on the edge of the darkness. Fear and a need to belong has controlled her entire life. Finally she has been offered that belonging, but still she doesn’t feel truly at home. Ridley plays the duality of the dark and the light perfectly.

Despite these bright spots though Rise of Skywalker feels like its trying to please everyone by appeasing those put off by Last Jedi while still trying to honour it at the same time. It falls somewhere in the middle and ultimately I would suggest falls flat because of it. There is too much fan service. Too many calls back to moments gone by.

JJ tried to cap off a 40+ year franchise with a whistle-stop tour back through its past, but in doing so the story of this movie, this chapter, feels cluttered and without enough of a direct through line of its own.

Where Avengers Endgame earlier in the year took a huge spanning franchise and made a movie which honoured it while feeling uniquely its own story, this film feels like it cannot escape its past long enough to move forward.

Its very final scene will be perhaps its most polarising. Even if you have gone with it up to now, the final sentence of the Skywalker saga is one I simply couldn’t get on board with. We have a rich and storied history and the end (while clearly trying to be homage) comes off more as like “Huh?!”

Two years ago I walked out of a cinema in the early hours of a morning with a beaming smile across my face knowing I had just witnessed the finest Star Wars film of all time - The Last Jedi. Future viewings and thoughts confirmed my initial opinion, but it was there right from the off. Walking out of this film in contrast I felt confused. Not loving it, not hating it, just struggling to form a coherent opinion.

Several hours, and some much needed sleep, later, and I can say that Rise of Skywalker is messy. Not without its joys, but messy undoubtedly. Its not the worst the franchise has to offer, not by a long shot, and at its best its spectacularly good. But its simply not at its best for enough of the runtime.

Booksmart - Film Review

Olivia Wilde's directorial debut is an equal parts funny and cathartic take on the classic Coming of Age story.

Following best friends Amy and Molly on their final 24 hours as High School students, we are first introduced to the usual teen movie cliques - the nerds, the jock, the theatre kids, the popular slutty girl - and it seems like business as usual.

But very quickly we learn all is not as it first appears, and while Amy and Molly begin feeling superior - their hard work in school has paid off, they are off to prestigious universities - they quickly learn that their party hard classmates did just as well as they did.

Molly - a star making performance from Lady Bird's Beanie Feldstein - realises they have missed out on the the High School experience, and set the girls off on a trail to find the Grad Night party, finally trying to let the pairs hair down.

There has been a real renaissance of the great Teen Movie in the last few years. From the aforementioned Lady Bird, to Perks of Being a Wallflower, to The Way Way Back, many filmmakers have tried to capture that unique moment in life all teenagers feel where they feel like everyone else is fitting in while they simply don't fit.

Very few films get it as right as Booksmart.

The performances of the two leads in particular really display the camaraderie the two girls feel, while also showing that as we grow up we can become too stuck in our own minds. Too ready to judge someone or their position and get stuck there. Too stubborn to see things from anyones point of view but our own.

Its not just in the acting that the film shines either, some excellent music choices allow the story to flow, through the hedonism of the rush through the night, into the softer more character driven moments. Wilde clearly has not just an eye for her story but an ear for it.

Its impossible to bring this movie up without talking about its politics either. Amy is an openly gay teen, madly in love with the masculine presenting Nonbinary girl Ryan.

The film never once passes judgment on this in a way a less well handled offering might have. It simply presents it as business as usual. All the same shots you might get if the sexuality was flipped you get here. It just feels like any other teen movie, but dealing with LGBT youth rather than straight. This is how it should be done. Deftly and with a soft touch, and for that its to be applauded.

Though it released here in the UK this week, many cinemas seem to be opening it wider from Friday, so I implore you to search it out. This is a gem of a film, one of the very best I've had the joy to see this year so far, and it deserves to be seen.

AEW Double or Nothing - Review/Recap

Last night, from the Garden Arena at the historic MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada, All Elite Wrestling finally kicked off, after months of anticipation with their premier event: Double or Nothing.

Kicking off with hour long pre-show The Buy In on ITV4, the fans were first treated to the Casino Battle Royal, 21 guys vying for a spot in the first ever AEW World Title match. A frenetic and chaotic few minutes followed, with big moments for the man formerly known as Tye Dillinger in WWE as the Perfect 10, as well as hardcore spots between the likes of death match legend Jimmy Havoc and ECW’s Tommy Dreamer. This wasn’t going to be a 6* Tokyo Dome classic, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was crazy good fun, and by the time Hangman Page (the surprise 21st entrant following the high profile cancellation of his match with Pac on the main card) finally eliminated MJF, the fans were rabid for more.

Britains own Kip Sabian was up next, in a high flying and fast pace cruisers contest with former AAA Cruiserweight champion Sammy Guevara. Some frankly insane spots - including a shooting star press onto a prone Sabian hanging over the crowd barrier - would follow before the Norfolk boy would hit his Deathly Hallows finisher for the win, sending us into the main card hot. For those keeping score at home, this also means Kip was the first person to ever win a singles match in AEW, so when that trivia question comes up in a few years there’s your answer. 



An excellent six man tag would start the show proper with SCU taking on the Strong Hearts from OWE. Again this was high paced, with all 6 men working their butts off to bring spot after spot before finally SCU would leave with the big victory.



Going into the evenings event Tony Khan and the other AEW execs had promised plenty of surprises, and the first of them was just around the corner. As the 3 competitors in the women’s triple threat waited for the bell to ring Brandi Rhodes would suddenly appear on the stage, in full gear, saying that she had thought about it, and while a triple threat would be great, it was lacking something. In the biggest swerve of the night - everyone in attendance assumed she was about to insert herself - she then said simply that great wasn’t good enough. This match needed to be AWESOME. And with that Awesome Kong’s music hit, and the roof came off the Garden. The commentary did a really good job of selling the swerve, asking amongst themselves what was happening, and if Brandi was about to insert herself, so the moment the shock comes it really lands.

The most dominant force in the last decade of American women’s wrestling, Kong marched to the ring and the KONG KONG KONG chants reigned down.

The four women quickly went to work on another - allow me to say for me the stand out was Kylie Ray. I didnt know her going in, but she seems to be the purest babyface character I can remember. Cheering and smiling, completely unironically. She feels like NXT Bayley - and anyone who knows me knows that’s a compliment from where I’m sat. Her workrate was excellent, and her character work even better, so I can’t wait to see more of her. 

As the match drew on, the two big women in the match, Kong and Nyla Rose took each other out as Nyla speared Kong through the ring steps, and Britt Baker was able to capitalise and get the 3 count of Kylie.

Next up was for me the one real mis-step of the night. A 6 women tag match which would pit legend Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki and Emi Sakura against Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe and Ryo Mizunami was unfortunately let down by a couple of pretty egregious botches here. Chiefly among them, as the match was reaching its climax the ref counted a 2 count on a pinball but for some reason the timekeeper rang the bell. The 6 women (and the ref) did their best to salvage the situation, with the ref waving off the call immediately, but the fans noticed and the “You F**ked up” chants would ring out. A few seconds later the other team would pick up a 3 count and send the match home.

It was at that moment made clear that the mistake would have led the wrong team to win, which is why it had been so imperative to call off the decision, but it completely took the fans out of the match.



On a lesser show this could have been a death knell, the crowd lost, but thankfully they needn’t have worried because next up was - for my money - the match of the night. AEW founder and EVP Cody Rhodes would take on his brother Dustin in a match the pair had wanted to have for many years. 

It had been well publicised during their time in WWE that both Goldust and Cody were lobbying for a Wrestlemania match between the brothers, but in the end Vince McMahon’s company had decided the match was not worthy of PPV and blew it off in a TV match.

With something to prove then, both men went out clearly ready to give it their all. Before the match even got going the fans were on their feet, with Dusty chants - celebrating their father the late great Dusty Rhodes - calling through. The story of this match was one of two men who knew each other so well. Constantly reversing moves and stealing eachothers movesets they were working the crowd into a frenzy early.

Brandi would make herself a presence again - here spearing Dustin while the ref’s back was turned, but when he turned back he quickly worked out what had happened, leading to her ejection.

When she refused to go, DDP of all people came out, and forcibly removed her from the arena, leaving just the two men to go to war.

Soon after the camera found Dustin’s face and it was covered in blood (ostensibly from a hard turnbuckle spot just before the ejection) and this would change the complexion of the match. It became a hard hitting brawl, with Dustin fighting on and on even when it felt like the match might have to be stopped. Cody hit Cross Rhodes, but Dustin kicked out, getting back up and hitting Cody with a Cross Rhodes of his own for the closest near fall of the night so far.

Eventually Cody would hit a disaster kick and a final CR for the win, but this wasn’t the end of the emotion. With Dustin sat broken, crying and covered in his own blood in the ring, the fans began a loud and respectful Thank You Dustin chant. This felt like the retirement moment which had long been teased. The brothers had their match. Dustin had nothing left to prove.

But as the chant reached its crescendo Cody got back in the ring, saying that he wouldn’t let Dustin retire just yet.

At the next AEW event Cody was signed in a tag match with the Young Bucks, with a partner of Cody’s choosing.

He said he didnt need a partner. He didnt need a friend. He needed his big brother. As the two embraced, their war finally done and their reconciliation complete, I burst into tears. 

This was such fantastic storytelling. There had been rumours of a Cody heel turn for the end of the match, but this redemption story was so much stronger, and it leaves us moving into the next phase of AEW at Fyter Fest next month.

It almost goes without saying given the competitors, that the final two matches - Young Bucks Vs Pentagon and Fenix, and a main event of Chris Jericho Vs Kenny Omega were also both great, but for my money Cody Vs Dustin was THE match we will be talking about moving forward as the defining match in the promotion so far.

 Indeed it was one of the very best matches from a pure storyline perspective which I can remember seeing this year. Absolute magic, and it shows why pro wrestling can be the best entertainment source in the world

At the end of this match was another of my minor blips on the evening (it actually happened after most of the matches, but it felt most blatant here), as they went to show some highlights. On other wrestling shows this might have been a 15 moment, recapping 1 or 2 spots. I feel like the production strategy here was to recap like a good minute or two of the match, showing every major moment. It was just too much. We just saw the match, we don’t need it again in a digestible form.  Its a tiny teething issue on a brand new promotion though, so I give them plenty of leeway here that this can improve in an instant. 



After the aforementioned main event, with Chris Jericho standing victorious in the ring though, heeling it up demanding a thank you from the crowd, well, then came the headline you’ll inevitably be reading coming out of the show.



A roar came through the crowd. Starting in a corner of the arena and slowly spreading across the screen as the news clearly spread like wildfire. Sauntering through the crowd came the man many had theorised would be AEW bound, but who I don’t think many ever really expected to see, certainly here tonight

Jon Moxley had come to AEW. You hear about the roof metaphorically blowing off a building well with this pop the roof must have reached half way to space. Meeting Jericho in the ring with a Dirty Deeds DDT, and then one from the ref, the unhinged Moxley turned his attentions to Kenny Omega. 

Tired and broken from his battle with Jericho it looked like Mox might get the best of him too, but as he went for a third Dirty Deeds, Kenny managed to push him out of the ring to the floor, and the pair would battle into the rabid crowd. 



As they eventually reached the stage, both would climb up on a set of giant poker chips which made up the set, before Moxley would finally drop Omega with the Dirty deeds. Even this wasn’t enough though as he would pick up Omega and perform a HUGE standing Death Valley Driver, dropping Kenny probably 10-15 feet to the stage floor below, standing victorious, and sending the crowd home ecstatic.

For a debut show you couldn’t ask for a better conclusion.

The purpose of the final shot of any PPV is to make you want to come back next time, and I think you’d struggle to find anyone who saw the conclusion of last nights show and isnt immediately All In (if you’ll excuse the pun) on whatever comes next.



Taking everything into account, this was an exceptional debut. There were a few very minor teething issues from a technical standpoint (all easily fixable), and the end to the womens six man was a real shame as its the closest we came to a genuine sour point on the night, but otherwise this was outstanding. 



Bring on what’s next. If they can keep up anything like this pace, it’s going to be special. Really, really special.

Review - Super Mario Odyssey

For as long as I’ve been a fan of video games, I have been a fan of the Mario series. The first game I remember playing was Super Mario All Stars on the SNES, playing through Super Mario Bros in particular more times than I can think to remember – it’s by far my most completed game of all time. This love traversed into the 3D era when I picked up Super Mario 64 back in 1997, instantly falling in love with it.

I recently bought a Nintendo Switch, and I knew that one of the first games I was going to pick up was going to be the latest offering from the Mushroom Kingdom’s favourite plumber, so I hastily downloaded Super Mario Odyssey and cracked on.

To say this game is a love letter to the history of the Mario franchise would be an understatement. It mixes all the game play mechanics we have known and loved from previous 3D Marios, but introduces a whole lot more besides.

As the game opens we are introduced to the first and most important of these changes: Cappy. A living sentient hat who joins Mario on his quest, a throw of the cap allows you to capture and inhabit a whole host of creatures. From series favourites like the Goombas and Koopa Troopers, to far less conventional options – a T Rex early in the game is a particular highlight, as is a Christmas Tree in a later realm.

The level design too is gorgeous and incredibly varied. One minute you're in a huge desert, climbing through a ruined pyramid, and the next you're inhabiting a kingdom of living fork creatures (yes really) as you jump over a colourful array of fruit and vegetables - avoiding steaming hot tomatoes which turn into a molten tomato juice. Every inch has been meticulously crafted, and you can feel the love the Mario team have put into it.


No two worlds - or Kingdoms as this game calls them - are the same, and each have their own unique creatures and scenarios to master.

As you explore you find yourself inhabiting more and more of these as you try and discover new routes and new collectibles.

This too is one of Odysseys big wins – the sheer amount there is to see and do. While you technically only need a little over 120  Power Moons – Odysseys version of Mario 64’s Power Stars -  to “beat” the game and reach the final boss, this is in reality barely an eighth of what the game actually has to offer.

After the credits roll there are still more than 700 moons to collect (and even several Kingdoms you haven’t yet seen). Again this feels like the Mario of old – without drawing too many comparisons to 64, that game too had multiple endings, with a final prize for anyone willing to draw out every star – the game is built with multiple players in mind.

For the casual gamer, or children playing the game, the “final fight” with Bowser feels rewarding, and like a real end point. If that’s where you stopped you wouldn’t feel at all cheated by the games length or its story, and this is clearly a deliberate choice from the creators.

For the more hardcore gamer though this is arguably where the game really begins. Everything which has come before is a mere prologue for the game beyond, and the real quest to 999 Power Moons.

The Moons though aren’t the only place Odyssey shines. We have suggested already that the game celebrates what has come before for the franchise, and this isn’t just in its 3D history either.

There are sections of the game – accessed through classic Mario warp tunnels – where a 2D Mario sprite can play full 2D levels on the sides of walls – often allowing him to climb towers or sections which the 3D world would leave unreachable.

These are beautifully designed, and they really pay homage to those early NES and SNES Mario games I loved so much.

A nice easter egg is that each of Marios outfits in the game (and there are more than 40 complete Outfits) are translated into 2D sprites, so if you enter the warp tunnel in a particular outfit then Mario is still wearing that outfit in the 2D world.

It’s a tiny little detail – and something no one would have complained had they missed – but its this kind of attention to the little things which makes Odyssey such a joy.

Mario has had many great showings over the years, but this genuinely feels like a high point. Between Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, and the Galaxy series, the 3D hero has been through many iterations. Odyssey though feels like the franchise at its most complete. The sheer sprawling insanity of it is its greatest credit. Around every corner there is something new to explore and to discover. You could play for hours and hours and still not see a fraction of what there is to experience.

Even now I’m close to 100%ing the game, and I can’t wait to start all over, to discover new and faster routes through sections, and to simply experience the joy all over again. This isn’t just the best Mario game of all time, it’s one of the best games of all time.