Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has the unenviable task of wrapping up the latest Star Wars trilogy, uniting a fanbase that’s become increasingly divided, and concluding the decades-spanning, so-called Skywalker saga. That’s a lot for one film to manage. Does it pull it off? Well…yes and no.
The Rise of Skywalker should’ve been Leia’s movie. Han Solo got the spotlight in The Force Awakens, and Luke Skywalker’s story dominated The Last Jedi. With The Rise of Skywalker, it was Leia’s turn. Unfortunately, Carrie Fisher’s tragic death in December 2016 made a big Leia showcase impossible, forcing J. J. Abrams to cobble together an arc for the princess-turned-general from old outtakes. It’s not perfect. Leia’s dialogue is noticeably vague, and it’s obvious that Abrams is using a stand-in when Leia’s face is hidden. She doesn’t have any standout moments, the climax of her arc is a little vague, and much of her plotline is carried by other people talking about her, not what she actually does. However, it works pretty well, and it’s much bigger than a cameo. Leia is in multiple scenes, and she has a complete arc in the movie. Obviously, it would’ve been better if Carrie Fisher were still around to give Leia the send-off she deserves. Given what Abrams had to work with, though, Leia’s final on-screen appearance is significantly better than we expected. The last entry in the Skywalker saga begins at a breakneck pace, and it doesn’t slow down to breathe until the film’s final minutes. In order to set up its endgame, The Rise of Skywalker introduces new characters, new planets, new gizmos, and new ideas so fast that it’s impossible to keep track of them all. Every new plot thread introduces a dozen questions that Episode IX simply doesn’t have time to answer. While reports differ depending on who you’re talking to, it seems pretty clear that Disney and Lucasfilm didn’t plan this new Star Wars trilogy out from the beginning. In The Rise of Skywalker, that decision catches up with them. The first half of the movie, while full of action, is mostly set-up for the second half. It would’ve been a lot better if some of those ideas that suddenly show up in Episode IX had been seeded throughout the previous two movies. Keep watching the video to see the 4 best and 4 worst things in The Rise of Skywalker!