Epic trailer, and soundtrack, but average story

Rating: 5/10 (6 January 2020)

I was never a fan of the Star Wars saga, but the brilliant trailer and John Williams' score made it look truly epic. Sure there were many spectacular battles, and action, but plotwise the story seemed average. I appreciate the cameos from the original characters, but that is not enough to lift the movie. Rey's relationship with Kylo Ren was one of the most distracting moments for me in the previous installment and I dreaded having to see it play out here. Fortunately, their relationship/conflict was bearable but failed to provide any emotional anchor to the story. Daisy Ridley's Rey does not have much but to frown and scream; though she does great action scenes. John Boyega's Finn is pretty useless too, and I feel they could have used him better in the story. The only great thing about The Rise of Skywalker is John William's theme playing during the spectacularly explosive space battles. That almost makes up for the admission price. But if you are looking for an emotional send off, none here.