The End to an Era

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2019)

The conclusion to the Skywalker saga is a truly satisfying one for fans. The movie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is the grand finale of the large cinematic production of Star Wars spanning over 40 years, and the movie delivers a fantastic close to the nine film arc. Some critics would argue that there is too much consideration of the fans and not enough focus on the storytelling, but I disagree. The film's storyline stays more true to the roots of Star Wars mythos and falls more in line with the story's set-up in The Force Awakens than the jettisoned eighth installment, The Last Jedi. It goes in a predictable direction in the right areas such as the ultimate good versus evil storyline, but it provides unexpected surprises in a lot of areas as well. The movie manages to pay homage to so many great moments from the originals while not feeling overcrowded. It also ties up great moments from the sequel trilogy between Luke, Han, and Leia and the new heroes. The moments that seemed ruined by The Last Jedi's disconnected storytelling are salvaged by J.J. Abram's. Also, the fact that they used old footage of Carrie Fischer instead of computer generating her is a very impressive feat. The return of the villainous emperor is a great addition to the story and does not seem forced but is rather well explained. Overall, it's a grand and exciting adventure that serves as a fulfilling conclusion to the Skywalker saga that has been loved by generations.