The Rise of Rocky Balboa

Rating: 4/10 (20 December 2019)

Yep it's true Rocky is back for another bout in the ring ... oh excuse me, I meant to say Elvis Presley. Yes, Elvis did die in 1977 but they can bring anyone back. They can keep this series going indefinitely, and I await Episode X, a decade from now where Elvis or Anakin or Rocky will fight the Sith somewhere in Afghanistan till they almost perish in the 'end'.
The introduction of Palpatine into the story in the very last film is desparate, tedious etc. Same as Han Solo's treatment in the very first sequel. They have no story, no inspiration, no vision. They don't care, they need a product. Purpose if any comes later, and it never did.
It doesn't have the grandeur of the six Star Wars films, visually the sequels are dull, dark and grungy like most movies of the present.
At the end of three movies I am still emotionally unconnected to Rey, Finn and Poe. They look and feel like no name people. Some say the sequels are more emotional than the previous six. I don't know, there's been an emphasis, of loving your enemies ... but then Luke did that too. They just expanded on that. I liked Last Jedi but cannot remember how much in comparison to this one. Force Awakens: rubbish. I think the prequels were mostly the best, visually, acting wise and story.
Someone else said that this was a movie by committee, which is true, but then went on to complain that he felt persecuted as if the makers were calling him a Russian, misogynist racist dinosaur. No, not at all. Things need to move on in terms of social equality and there's no need to get defensive about something approaching equal screen time for all of us. The 'activism' was light compared to other films.
I say these movies did not need to exist. This was the story of Anakin Skywalker who brought balance to the force.
We are all wasting time and energy watching this stuff as OUR lives slowly ebb away in a dark theatre. Now that's the dark side of the force.