The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Review

In December 2019, the final film in the Skywalker Saga hit theaters. Unlike the previous two films in the Sequel Trilogy, which saw the release of the “Art of” book on the same day as the film, the book for The Rise of Skywalker was delayed for almost three months. Thankfully the wait is over!

The “Art of” books for the Sequel Trilogy have taken the place of the “Making of” books common in the era of The Prequels. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi “Art of” books generally followed the development of the movie, through the art, in a chronological fashion. The Rise of Skywalker book starts off much like The Last Jedi edition did, giving us a look at the art from the previous film which was deemed too much of a spoiler to be released the same day the movie came out in theaters. The first section of the book is called “Return of the Last Jedi” which gives us the art for Luke Skywalker’s showdown with Kylo on Crait, the throne room battle, the mirror cave, Kylo’s memories of Luke’s attack and the Holdo maneuver.

However, after this first section, the book is organized in a less chronological format. Chapters include: “The Costume Department”, “The Props Department”, “The Creature and Droid Department”, “The Art, Set Decoration and Computer Graphics Departments” and “Industrial Light & Magic and Post Production”. This layout presents frustrations for the reader with its lack of cohesion with the text that illuminates the making of the movie from start to finish. The art and the timeline of the movie never seem in sync enough to give you the feeling you know how it all fits together. Although there are some great tidbits in the text that offer readers some idea of what the movie was like through Abrams and Terrio’s different iterations, this edition lacks the depth of the previous two books for the Sequel Trilogy.

With this book there are also a few things completely missing. There is absolutely nothing from Trevorrow’s time working on the movie — no art or story ideas. The only mention, which doesn’t even refer to him by name, comes in the description of Abrams taking over the production in 2017. Exegol and Palpatine are other notable omissions. How this book can have nothing from one of the most significant portions of the movie is astounding. The addition of Palpatine to The Rise of Skywalker is legitimately the most important plot point in the whole film and the lack of any art or information on his return hurts the book.

The art itself is beautiful, as always, and the presentation of it in the quality of the printing is what one would expect. If you are a completist, this book will be a must. If you are not, this might not be something you’ll feel like you have to have. Where the novelization for The Rise of Skywalker added a great deal to the movie, the “Art of” left me wanting. The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is rated 3 out 5 stars.

This review copy of  The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was provided by Abrams Books.

Author: Matt Rushing

Matthew Rushing is the host of Trek.fm‘s The 602 Club and co-host of TheNerdParty.com‘s AggressiveNegotiations: A Star Wars Podcast. He can be found on Twitter @mattrushing02.