A solid B

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2019)

There were a few things to criticize about The Last Jedi, the main 1 being making Luke bitter and killing him off. So first Han, now Luke? Prop up the stars of the new trilogy by killing the stars of the first one? Really?
Oh, and if these are spoilers for anyone, here is another 1: Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father. Seriously? The Last Jedi came out 2 years ago. Catch up.
Still, no one can say The Last Jedi didn't take chances. It introduced the character Rose Tico, played by Kelly Mary Tran. She is Asian, and she doesn't die in the movie. Beautiful. There was love brewing between her and Finn. Beautiful.
The question I had at the end of The Last Jedi was who was going to end up with Rey. Poe or Finn? Love triangle. Nice. Adam Driver's Kylo Ren also wanted to hook up with Rey. So love pyramid, with Rey at the top? Nice.
Or maybe Finn was going to end up with Rose, and either Poe or Kylo with Rey? So love here, and love triangle there. Nice. Not that Rey needs to hook up with any man, by the way, but the potential for romance was there on the screen. Nothin' wrong with a little lovin'.
Rise of Skywalker gets rid of all that, basically gets rid of Rose (and Princess Leia for obvious reasons, RIP Carrie Fisher), and focuses on the feelings between Kylo Ren and Rey. The movie is fast and full of action, but it is safe. It is going to make a billion dollars. I saw it once, and I am going to see it again.
But does it measure up to Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi? Hell no!
Is it better than The Force Awakens? No. Without all of the additional, emotional stuff that was in The Last Jedi, the love pyramid that could have lifted the movie to another level, Rise of Skywalker is almost paint by numbers.
It is a big movie. It is fast and full of action, as previously stated, and I am going to see it again. I guess I'm part of the problem. But for me, the film is just... lacking.
Here is the thing, at the very end, when everyone is celebrating, J.J. Abrams shows us two women kissing, a lesbian kiss. Great! Fantastic! For 1 second. In the entire almost 3 hour movie, no one is gay, except for that 1 example at the end, that flash moment. That is all that is needed to be inclusive?
I understand playing it SAFE, not wanting to upset the hetero mass, which I am a part of, and all the religious folk who hate gays. However, if you're going to put something on the screen, do something with it.