Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

It is trying to accomplish a lot, because it has to tie up every plotline. It has to involve every character. It has to has to take you to every planet... And so, in trying to cram in all of that, it feels very cursory and very rushed.

The real Leia, the one we fell in love with, lives on inside us as she always has. She still inspires us, amuses us, moves us. And we can visit her anytime we want, at the touch of a play button.

A sizable amount of the narrative of The Rise of Skywalker is spent specifically undoing what happened in The Last Jedi, and the result is a film that lacks forward momentum.

I think The Rise of Skywalker is poorly directed, terribly filmed, clumsily edited, lamely scripted (a perennial problem, that one) and badly acted.

The reason why this film works (as opposed to the many editions which were overpowered by clanking machines) is because of the emotional connect it creates with us.

Abrams maintains a certain dated filming technique, reminiscent of the first trio of films, while adding modern-day computer graphics to breathlessly edited action sequences.

Stop pulling at the threads. Admire the characters, the setting, the plot and the conflict. The film has some legitimate shortcomings that deserve respectful criticism, but much of the disparagement and condemnation is unwarranted.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is a film devoid of progress because progress requires looking ahead. Instead, it gazes longingly into the past, unable to process what to learn from it, and chooses to stay put rather than risk a mistake by moving forward.

Where its predecessors were spectacular, even bold at times, The Rise of Skywalker is unimaginative and stuck so rigidly in the past that it forgoes an identity of its own. There’s the odd fun moment, but utterly no chutzpah.

…the call-backs to personnel, themes and scenes all create some genuine connection to a beloved universe, and for some, that will be enough. But in terms of plot and character, the third Star Wars trilogy has been a misbegotten disaster….