A loud, fast-moving finale with some crowd-pleasing spectacle, but it’s weighed down by rushed plotting, constant retcons, and a sense of creative panic. If you mainly want familiar Star Wars textures and don’t mind narrative whiplash, there’s entertainment here; as a conclusion, it’s mostly frustrating.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Adventure · Action
Wed · 2h 22m
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley
Overview
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.
Director
J.J. Abrams
Cast
Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, fast-moving finale with some crowd-pleasing spectacle, but it’s weighed down by rushed plotting, constant retcons, and a sense of creative panic. If you mainly want familiar Star Wars textures and don’t mind narrative whiplash, there’s entertainment here; as a conclusion, it’s mostly frustrating.
Best for
Viewers who prioritize franchise spectacle over story coherence
Fans curious about how a blockbuster can course-correct in real time
Audiences who enjoy brisk pacing, legacy cameos, and big effects
Skip if
You want a satisfying trilogy payoff
You’re sensitive to contrived twists and exposition dumps
You prefer character-driven sci-fi with room to breathe
Overview
This is a finale built on momentum, nostalgia, and damage control. It moves so quickly that it often feels like it’s trying to outrun its own setup, stitching together quests, revelations, and reversals with very little grace. The result is intermittently exciting, but rarely emotionally convincing.
Worth noting
There are flashes of the old Star Wars magic in the production design, the score, and a few action beats, yet the film keeps undercutting itself with over-explanation and frantic retconning. What should feel mythic instead feels engineered, as if every scene is solving a studio problem.
Bottom line
For viewers who can enjoy a blockbuster as a piece of franchise triage, it has enough movement and spectacle to pass the time. But as a conclusion to a nine-film saga, it lands less like an ending than an apology.
Top Letterboxd reviews
SilentDawn (1★) · 16142 likes
15 Disney/Lucasfilm Headquarters. Int. Day. Rian Johnson: Oh, hey, JJ! JJ Abrams: Hi Rian, how's it going? RJ: Great! I just wanted to say that really enjoyed my time making The Last Jedi. It was so exciting to craft a personal film with Disney money. And everyone at Lucasfilm approved it right away because Episode 7 left me with a bunch of mystery-box ideas and set-up that wasn't going to lead anywhere. Who directed that one again? JJ: Me. I… more
katrina · 12369 likes
can’t believe palpatine has, at some point in time, fucked, while kylo ren just died a fuckin virgin. lmao gottem
James (Schaffrillas) (1★) · 9876 likes
I take back every mean thing I ever said about Attack of the Clones.
davidehrlich (2★) · 7674 likes
spiritually corrupt, but — BUT! — also flat and artless in a way that not even the worst Star Wars movies have been before. thanks to paternity leave, i have no professional obligation to keep thinking about this hugely disappointing capitulation to the most feckless elements of studio filmmaking. and so i won't. EDIT: Babu Frik innocent.
ciara (2★) · 5467 likes
palpatine is alive because uhhhh *spins wheel* he didn’t die because ummm *throws dart* there’s a secret sith planet and he’s been there for like 40 years just vibing
Themes
legacy, redemption, destiny, found family, good versus evil, identity, mythic quest, franchise fatigue