J.J. Abrams, returning to close the sequel trilogy after Rian Johnson's divisive The Last Jedi, has made a film so determined to course-correct, to answer every complaint, to honour every expectation, and to resolve every storyline that it has forgotten to be a coherent piece of storytelling. The result is the most exhausting film in the Star Wars saga, a 142-minute sprint through plot developments, reversals, and revelations that arrive with such relentless frequency that none of them has time to land with force.
At a Glance
Director: J.J. Abrams
Runtime: 142 minutes
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Ian McDiarmid, Carrie Fisher
Release: 2019
Critics Rating: ★★ (2/5 stars, a disappointing conclusion)
Audience Rating: ★★½ (2.5/5 stars, divisive)
Review Breakdown
Plot
Emperor Palpatine has somehow returned, broadcasting a message of threat across the galaxy. Rey, Finn, Poe, and their companions race to find a Sith wayfinder that will lead them to Palpatine's hidden planet, Exegol. The return of Palpatine, announced in the opening crawl without explanation or setup, is one of the most indefensible decisions in the saga's history, undoing the sacrifice that gave Return of the Jedi its emotional resolution and reducing Kylo Ren to a subordinate in his own story. The picture moves at a pace that prevents any scene from developing momentum, rushing from location to location and revelation to revelation with a haste that suggests a film aware of its own incoherence.
Characters
Adam Driver is the greatest asset and the most significant waste. His Kylo Ren, and his eventual return as Ben Solo, is handled with a conviction and an emotional depth that the picture around it does not deserve. His redemption arc is rushed and underwritten, resolved in a fraction of the screen time that the equivalent arc in Return of the Jedi received. Daisy Ridley's Rey is given the sequel trilogy's most unsatisfying revelation in the disclosure that she is Palpatine's granddaughter, a decision that contradicts The Last Jedi's most interesting thematic statement. John Boyega's Finn and Oscar Isaac's Poe are reduced largely to reactive supporting roles in a picture that has too many characters and too little time for any of them. Driver is exceptional throughout, and his performance is the primary reason to watch the film. Ridley is committed and capable but is let down by material that does not give her character a satisfying arc. McDiarmid's Palpatine is as watchable as ever, though the character's return is so inadequately explained that it is difficult to engage with him as a presence. The use of archival footage of Carrie Fisher to construct new scenes for Leia is handled with considerable care and affection.
Tone
The tonal register is relentlessly urgent, a quality that here produces a numbing effect rather than a thrilling one. The absence of quiet moments, of scenes that allow the characters and the audience to breathe and to feel the weight of what is happening, is the most persistent failure. The emotional beats arrive and depart so quickly that they cannot build into feeling.
Meaning / Themes
The picture attempts to engage with themes of identity, legacy, and the possibility of choosing your own destiny, but the revelation of Rey's parentage undermines the most compelling version of these themes. The Last Jedi's argument that anyone can be a hero regardless of bloodline is one of the most democratic statements in the saga's history; The Rise of Skywalker's insistence that Rey is special because of who her grandfather is contradicts it directly.
Direction
Abrams's direction is technically proficient but narratively inert, a picture that moves quickly without building momentum. The final confrontation on Exegol is visually impressive in scale but hollow in execution, a spectacle that has not been earned by the emotional work that precedes it. John Williams's final score for the saga draws on the full breadth of the franchise's musical history with a skill and an affection that the picture itself does not always match.
Cultural Reception
The Rise of Skywalker received mixed reviews on its release and was a major commercial success. Critics condemned the return of Palpatine, the relentless pacing, and the reversal of The Last Jedi's thematic choices, while acknowledging Driver's performance and Williams's score. It is now regarded as the weakest conclusion to any of the saga's trilogies, a picture whose determination to satisfy everyone resulted in a work that pleases almost no one on a second viewing.
Final Verdict: A serious failure as a conclusion to the Skywalker Saga. The Rise of Skywalker substitutes activity for storytelling, fan service for emotional satisfaction, and speed for momentum. Adam Driver is exceptional in a role the picture does not give sufficient space to develop. But the return of Palpatine is indefensible, Rey's parentage revelation contradicts the sequel trilogy's most interesting thematic statement, and the pace prevents any of the considerable activity from building into feeling. The saga deserved better.