Anyone expecting an epic, touching, well written and appropriate conclusion in Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker is going to be bitterly disappointed. Anyone who’s been disappointed in the franchise post 1983 however, and knows that there’s no way that this can be good will at least appreciate the film’s glorious dumpster fire-like beauty.

In this final instalment of the Skywalker saga, the resistance struggle to combat the First Order as it grows immensely in strength with the addition of a new and unexpected ally: Emperor Palpatine. The resistance is not hopeless however, as Rey, after much training and some life changing revelations, confronts the Sith lord and his empire.

The Characters

Being the final part of the trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker is plagued with the flaws of its predecessors. Since the characters didn’t really have a clear arc or journey in the previous films, the final film is forced to make them up last minute.

Kylo’s journey is the most engaging. While for the first and second acts he’s pretty much the same as he was in The Last Jedi, in the final act he undergoes a major change. His doubt regarding his place in the dark side finally leads him to make a decision in quite an emotional scene. Had his journey gone through more complications in the previous films, this change could’ve been even more engaging. Unfortunately, in the final product it just seems like a waste of potential.

Rey’s journey is quite similar to Kylo’s but unlike Kylo’s has no history in the previous films and comes straight out of nowhere. She goes through some engaging conflict but once again with no build up or progression, her arc is entertaining at best.

The Emperor, being a known and beloved character, is fun to watch and has a backstory that’s actually more engaging than the plot that plays out.

The other characters (Finn, Poe, Leia) experience little to no relevant change and seem to be nothing but vehicles for action and nostalgia.

The Plot

Rise of Skywalker is like Batman V Superman in that it consists of so many subplots, some relevant while others completely pointless, that it results in a muddled and meaningless story.

Consequently, the plots that matter don’t get the time they need to develop and attract empathy. To make things worse, the subplots following Poe, Finn and the resistance are, just like in The Last Jedi, pointless and don’t really need to be there.

The Destruction

You’ve probably gathered at this point that I didn’t really like The Rise of Skywalker and yes, as a Star Wars film I think it’s one of the worst but as I stated at the beginning, those who know that there’s no way this can be good will enjoy it.

Star Wars should’ve ended in 1983 but it didn’t. The prequel trilogy should’ve been more well written but it wasn’t. The sequel trilogy should’ve been more original but it wasn’t. I’ve reached a point personally where I think it’s pretty much impossible today to create a good and original Star Wars sequel (spin offs are a different story). Since it’s become evident that none of this trilogy was planned, I was expecting the worst when going into Rise of Skywalker and my expectations were fulfilled.  

However, I also expected to have fun and I did. I loved the battle scenes, the returning characters and the alien worlds. It’s a terrible film and it shouldn’t have happened but for what it’s worth, with its abundance of references and action pieces, it’s good Star Wars porn. Its poorly written characters and plot of course prevents it from being any good.

If you want to see how the trilogy ends, I’d recommend it with caution but if you want to have fun, I’d recommend it with a smile.

I give Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker an awful but likable 4 out of 10.