Rise of Skywalker Review

After 42 long years, three Star Wars trilogies have now been completed. From A New Hope (1977) to the Rise of Skywalker (2019), Star Wars has struck the hearts of millions of people across the world. With the final installment of the third trilogy being released and the movie being the ninth one in the Star Wars Saga, lots of pressure was on it to give loyal fans what they wanted. The Rise of Skywalker lived up to those expectations with very minor hiccups. With the preceding films, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, the introduction of new characters and a whole new story seemed hard to grasp, but they set up a whole new level for Star Wars fans to dive into. The Rise of Skywalker wraps up the the stories of main characters Rey and Kylo Ren. 

In my opinion, The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson, proved to be the worst Star Wars movie with it’s more drawn out story that differed from the previous film. It felt like a filler movie and it strayed too far away from “tradition,” as some fans would call it. In a way, it did not feel like a Star Wars movie. When director, J.J. Abrams was set to direct the Rise of Skywalker, hope was returned to enthusiasts of the franchise J.J. Abrams not only saved this trilogy, but he has left a legacy for any future Star Wars movies. 

Abrams directing style is very fast paced and makes you want to keep watching. Some would say it is too fast paced, but for a Star Wars movie, it works. The action sequences were stunning and emotional due to the actors’ wonderful portrayal of their characters and the beautiful camera work. The appeal to almost any movie goer is apparent and all good films are able to do that. The film made $177 million in the box office during the first weekend. 

The struggles I had with the Rise of Skywalker were the minor plot holes and the rushed ending. The character Finn was supposed to say something to Rey, but it was completely brushed over, leaving me and many other fans on edge as to what he could have said. Although Abrams’ fast paced movie was exhilarating, the ending was unsatisfying. It felt like there was more to the story than what it concluded on. 

The Rise of Skywalker proved to be one of the best Star Wars movies to date with minor problems. If you are able to look past those problems and focus on the stellar performances by the actors and the over the top action sequences, then it is a film to remember.