Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker - or: "Ok, Boomer."

Rating: 3/10 (20 December 2019)

Warning: Spoilers ahead
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was a decent addition to the franchise - as long as one does not think too much of the actual plot. The film is fast-paced, which could have been a good thing, but instead fails to give the viewer the time to digest some of the information that is thrown at him - it often seems as if this is intentional: Move on quickly, before they realise this does not make sense!
Palpatine is the best example of this: First, he wants Kylo to kill Rey, and when he fails to do so, he wants him to bring her to him. Then Palpatine wants to kill Rey so he can transfer his 'evilness' into her, and when she later does, nothing of this sort happens.
There is very little character development; instead, new characters are introduced that have mostly nothing to do. Many plot points are too convenient: the famous (but often lacklustre) trio lands on Pasaana, meet Lando by convenience who knows exactly how to help their quest, are chased by the bad guys only to fall into a quicksand-cave where - who would have guessed! - they find the artefact they were looking for!
JJ Abrams does a lot to backtrack on some of the interesting things established in The Last Jedi, and it often feels like the film is desperate to please. Story and characters are neglected for all sorts of nostalgic moments that rarely add anything, while the basic themes established in the original trilogy - Love, family, and redemption - are distorted at will to fit the shaky plot. It feels as if the relentless moaning of "Star Wars fans" has won, sacrificing meaningful story development for the desperate attempt to please an audience that needs a pat on the shoulder and a reinforcement of their belief of still being in the centre of the Star Wars culture. It is nothing short of infuriating how Kelly Marie Tran's character, Rose Tico, was completely sidelined and reduced to a few lines - which shows that the bullies of the fandom did, indeed, win.
The biggest problem, however, poses the ending of the film. Many questions remain unanswered: How did Palpatine return? Why did he need Ben Solo for his plans? Was the force bond created by Snoke or Palpatine? What happens to the bond if one dies? Why did Luke fade instantly when he died, but Leia did not? Why did Rey not fade, but Ben did? Why did Ben Solo die by transferring is force energy, when it was never established that the transfer came at a price (example: Rey healing the snake and Kylo without ever breaking into a sweat).
One could look over all those things if it was mainly the end of the sequels, and not of the whole saga. With Palpatine's return, Anakin/ Darth Vader's sacrifice seems worthless; Luke's, Han's and Leia's death - and their hope to turn Ben back to the light - seem empty with Ben's death. It is established that Leia stopped her Jedi training because she saw her son's death at the end of that path - and he dies anyway.
The Skywalker Saga - one that was affected by Palpatine through several generations - ends with a Palpatine defeating him. Not a Skywalker, not a Skywalker and a Palpatine together - two sides of the force, a true balance. As such, it feels like this was the story of Rey, the story of the Palpatines, and not fitting to end a saga centred around the Skywalkers. There is much to argue about Ben Solo's fate - his death was definitely a letdown, as it also defies the established themes of George Lucas' vision of a fairytale, of hope and love and redemption. The attempt was there: he got redeemed, he did what Anakin could not, namely save his love. But his death feels hollow and forced and seeds the message of "Even if you do good, you will die." He is forgotten in a second, as the film cuts to the end-of-war celebrations, and he does not even receive the honour to be a force ghost along with his mother and uncle. With Rey seeking a family and belonging, her end is bleak too: she might have found friends with the resistance, but she is still alone. The film tries to tell us that she has found a new family with the Skywalkers, which she wants to honour by taking their name. It would have been beautiful if one of the first scenes of the trilogy hadn't been Lor san Tekka telling Kylo/Ben that "You cannot ignore the truth that is your family." With the last true Skywalker - Ben Solo - dead and every Skywalker's life ending in tragedy, the "Rise of Skywalker" fails to give a true payoff to everything any Skywalker as gone through.
The film is outstanding in terms of costume, effects, and acting; especially Adam Driver's portrayal of Kylo Ren's struggle and the transformation into a cheeky Ben Solo - along with a nod to his father Han - is mesmerising, and even more impressive when taking into account that Kylo Ren's last words are midway through the film and Ben Solo only ever mutters an "ow" but never speaks a word.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a good addition for people that prefer pew-pews and light saber action, but it fails as a meaningful conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.