Rise of Skywalker

Rating: 7/10 (26 January 2020)

Oh boy if you had a problem with Rey being a Mary Sue in the previous two movies this movie isn't going to win you over. She can heal people at random now and she can invoke the spirit of dead Jedis. It also turns out that she's the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. Now I will admit making Rey the granddaughter of the Emperor is thematically interesting, but it seems more like a plot device than anything else. Now let's talk about what a tool the Emperor is. You know for a guy that drones on and on about how brilliant and powerful he is, he's seriously lacking in critical thinking skills. Hey Einstein instead of blasting Rey with force lightening why don't you sic your hordes of clones to kill her? Now that I think about it, the ending to Rise of Skywalker kind of reminds me of Matrix Revolutions. Anyway I digress, there are things to like about this movie. I love the whole dynamic between Rey and Kylo Ren and watching them join forces in the third act is dope. I also love the interplay between Finn and Poe they have a nice rapport. This film feels more like a sequel to Force Awakens than Last Jedi. I think JJ Abrams wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He wanted to win back the audiences that hated The Last Jedi and he wanted to please the people that loved Force Awakens. Which is why this movie feels disjointed in places . Honestly, I think Rise of Skywalker could have benefited from a few more rewrites in the script department to make the film feel more coherent. This film could have been great instead of just serviceable. If you liked Force Awakens and The Last Jedi you might as well watch the Rise of Skywalker for closure. The film is exciting in places and the actors do what they can to elevate the material.