The Rise of Skywalker

review | The Rise of Skywalker

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The Star Wars saga wraps up with a J.J. Abrams epic that looks spectacular in 4K HDR

by John Sciacca
update October 1, 2023

Officially carrying the weighty title Star Wars: Episode IX—The Rise of Skywalker, this film brings to a conclusion the space opera created by George Lucas back in 1977, and wraps the final trilogy of films that began in 2015 with The Force Awakens and continued in 2017 with The Last Jedi.

So let’s get down to it: How does the 4K HDR release of Rise of Skywalker look and sound? The answer is simple: This presentation is top-notch! Shot on a combination of Kodak film stocks, Skywalkers transfer is taken from a 4K digital intermediate and uses HDR throughout to really pump colors and highlights, with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack that surrounds and immerses you in the action.

From the opening scenes, Kylo Rens (Adam Driver) unstable lightsaber sizzles on screen, glowing and seething with bright reds. The final battle on Exegol is like an HDR demo reel, with dark skies dotted with glowing engines of ships, and illuminating the room with frequent bright blue-white bursts of pupil-searing lightning strikes and laser bolts.

While space is never pitch black” in Star Wars films, images remain clean and noise-free, and we get some true blacks in interiors. The scenes aboard Rens Star Destroyer look fantastic, with gleaming, glistening black decks, bright lighting illuminating hallways, and laser blasts and sparks.

The underground sand worms lair on Pasaana is another scene that could be a recipe for producing a video and compression nightmare, with dimly lit passageways illuminated by BB8s glowing lights along with a couple of flashlights and the searing blue of Reys (Daisy Ridley) lightsaber. Blacks remain deep, with lots of shadow detail without any distracting banding or other artifacts.

Closeups reveal a terrific level of detail, showing every pore, strand of hair, stitch, texture, and bit of wear. Part of owning the film—and watching it repeatedly—is the you can revel in the attention to detail in nearly every shot, such as the creature design, and the large interiors. The only scenes that appear soft” are the ones with Leia.

Disney has received flack over the soundtracks on many of its top-level releases but the Atmos audio included here is beyond reproach, with lots of dynamics and activity. Whether it’s the snap and hum of lightsabers, the effects of Force energy, the waves crashing on the moon in the Endor system, the thrum of various engines, or explosions, bass is deep, powerful, and room energizing when appropriate.

Surround and height speakers are used frequently to immerse you in the scenes and action. The speeder chase on Pasaana has laser blasts that shoot around the room and troopers launching and flying overhead. The scenes on Kijimi are filled with expansive street sounds to place you on location, with wind blowing, snow falling, distant shouts and voices. The height speakers are also used to good effect during Rey and Rens Force chats, Emperor Palpatines (Ian McDiarmid) booming voice, and the voices of Jedi past that echo in Reys mind.

Sonically, my favorite scenes are aboard the remnants of the second Death Star. These are among the most interesting from an audio standpoint, with loads of drips, creaks, and groans of wires twisting and metal straining as the giant ship constantly settles while Rey moves about in the cavernous interiors. The exterior shots are filled with the roar of wind and crash of waves and water splattering—all of it an ambient feast for the audio senses!

Beyond dialogue being clear and easily intelligible, the soundtrack also does a wonderful job presenting Williamsscore, what he says will be his final time working with Star Wars.

Even if Rise of Skywalker isnt your favorite film in the Star Wars saga, it’s worth purchasing just for the extras, including the feature-length documentary The Skywalker Legacy, along with five other featurettes. Included with the Kaleidescape release as a digital exclusive is The Maestros Finale,” which has John Williams looking back on his 40-plus-year career working with Star Wars.

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

PICTURE | The top-notch transfer uses HDR throughout to really pump colors and highlights

SOUND | The Atmos mix is beyond reproach, with lots of dynamics and activity.

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