Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

After assuming command of the First Order, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) faces a threat to his power in the form of the still-alive Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who pledges him an empire to command if he eliminates Rey (Daisy Ridley), the Jedi-in-training with whom he shares a psychic bond. Though encouraged by Resistance leader General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Rey continues to experience self-doubt. Meanwhile, her friends Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) learn of a mole in the First Order. Together, they seek to ferret out Palpatine while trying to stay one step ahead of Ren’s forces.

As the much-anticipated final film in the 42-year-old Skywalker Saga, Star Wars Episode IX had the unenviable task of appealing to fans while still finding enough novelty to justify its existence. Its predecessor, The Last Jedi, did plenty of the latter arguably at the expense of the former. The Rise of Skywalker, in contrast, appears an overcorrection: a give-them-what-they-want retreat into familiarity that still manages to entertain even if it doesn’t inspire.

First, the good: the film does many of the “Star Wars things” fairly well. Lightsaber duels, starfighter assaults, and planets with extreme climates are all accounted for. J.J. Abrams may lack the aesthetic flair of Rian Johnson or the imagination of George Lucas, but he is still a competent action director. Fast-paced and fluid, The Rise of Skywalker feels shorter than its 142-minute run-time.

While the film’s writing is, once again, a mixed bag, there are some compelling performances to be found here. Ridley shows impressive range as Rey discovers the full extent of her origins and seizes control of her fate. Driver, who spent most of the previous two films alternating between creepy monotones and rage tantrums, finally has the room to do more with Kylo’s characterization. Poe and Finn do a great job of amusingly trolling and chiding each other (though the former’s inspirational speeches continue to sound wooden and forced). Since Fisher died in 2016, Leia’s appearance is achieved through unused footage from The Force Awakens. Those fearing an awkward Livia Soprano-like hack job needn’t worry: it’s tastefully done, all things considered.

Unfortunately, not all of the old guard – or the new – receive such respectful treatment. McDiarmid’s Palpatine is full of the same wonderfully hammy menace fans have come to expect, but a returning Billy Dee Williams is given very little to work with. He’s less roguish Lando and more generic elder statesman. Resistance mechanic Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) and First Order General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) both see their screen time reduced and their presences diminished from previous outings. Meanwhile, new characters are introduced and shoehorned into their former roles without much development of their own. First Order General Pryde (Richard Grant) is clearly meant to evoke Grand Moff Tarkin and is implied to be a loyalist holdover from the Empire, but he’s forgettably one-note, and neither Poe’s former criminal associate Zorii (Keri Russell) nor Resistance ally Jannah (Naomi Ackie), an ex-Stormtrooper just like Finn, fare much better.

A greater letdown, however, is the extent to which The Rise of Skywalker relies on contrivance. Several characters presumed dead turn up alive under the flimsiest of pretexts. Locations and visual elements from the original trilogy suddenly take on new significance to justify their reappearance. Because the film risks so little and hews so closely to what has been done before, it never is able to deliver the level of pathos that a grand finale demands.

Though it plays it safe to an annoying degree, The Rise of Skywalker will probably see its reputation improve with age. After all, Return of the Jedi was similarly scorned at one point, and there are hardly any Ewoks this time. Original and daring it is not, The Rise of Skywalker nevertheless provides brisk, breezily satisfying entertainment and uplift.