Chris L – Google

The music/visual aesthetic is high, but I was unimpressed with the other aspects of the show. The plot was meandering and rudderless, feeling both predictable and scattergun at the same time. It also seemed inevitable that the protagonists would succeed regardless of what they came up against, which really removes all stakes and sense of suspense. Some continuity errors are noticeable as well. Choosing to end Cad Bane with the whole villain-monologues-allowing-hero-to-turn-the-tables routine was also a disappointing end for his character. Overall very meh for me.

The Rise of Skywalker was definitely the best film of the sequel trilogy, not that that's saying much. I certainly liked its intention more than its execution. Positives: The loose ends were tied up pretty nicely considering the hole they'd dug for themselves. In particular I liked the discovery of Rey's heritage. Characters remained consistent to their traits and it was good to see some of the old faces return. Negatives: It was too chaotic at times and a bit too Michael Bay for my liking. Scenes tended to transition quickly with with new locations being continually thrown in without explanation of the wider context. Overall the film lacked a galactic perspective. Where were the New Republic, for instance? It was as if they didn't exist. It appeared as if the New Order was an omnipotent power that were able to act with impunity when they're surely supposed to be a splinter faction from the empire. The movie was also guilty of some cringey dialogue, particularly between Po and Finn, as well as more superfluous characters that added nothing to the story other than being highly convenient allies to bail the Resistance out. All of the badguys, from Palpatine down to the lowly stormtrooper, remain hilariously incompetent. Hyperspace and the force now seem to have turned into convenient plot devices, with arbitrary new abilities being discovered as the situation demands. I'm defo not a fan of this "force projection". Additionally the ruins of the death star scene felt like a bit of fan service, as it didn't really mean anything and the events that transpired there could've happened anywhere really. Overall I'll give the movie an average 5/10. It was better but still not particularly memorable. I really hope that Star Wars content improves in future.