The Only Bad Episode

Rating: 5/10 (14 May 2020)

I'm not a major STAR WARS fan, but I'm not a stranger to it, either. I just watched episodes I to IX over the course of a couple weeks (the final trilogy for the first time). This one was the only film I didn't like. It's sloppy and rushed, full of coincidences and deux ex machina. The character arcs are forced and sudden. Deceased characters return in spades. Many STAR WARS films (of ep. I to IX) have flaws but all of them are good movies--except for RISE OF SKYWALKER. It barely feels like a STAR WARS film and more like something Marvel rushed out the factory in between SPIDERMANs. Evident here is the cash-grab mentality of Disney prioritizing profits over story. When studios see only dollar signs, a passionless mess is inevitable.