The dark side. Rise of Skywalker is entertaining, but formulaic
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Rise of Skywalker is a highly imperfect film whose skillful use of cinematic magic, avalanche of effects, and familiar music cannot disguise the unoriginal motifs, and its other, major flaws. The last Jedi, although he had its share of flaws, introduced some stuff Star Wars had never sexperienced. The ninth episode of the saga turns out to be a coward, who quickly returns to the comfort zone. It provides a mirror images of the old scenes with new heroes, who don't stand a chance against Luke, Han or Vader when it comes to charisma and presence.
Painless and thoughtless
The screening of the new Star Wars was surprisingly painless – maybe I expected a much greater failure? During the screening, I felt embarrassed much less often (compared to The Last Jedi), although narrative absurdities rained down thick. Skywalker said goodbye to me with a few sentimental scenes, a trillion references to the saga and other texts of culture to bring the story to what I hope will be the definitive conclusion. We really did not need a New Order, nor a new beginning – we needed a finale, a clear end that will wrap the four decades of Skywalkers' saga up, and then perhaps attempt to craft its own story. Free from the complexities, mistakes, absurd references and problematic legacy of the old heroes. We all must die one day – let Skywalker die at last.
Mathias Pawlikowski
And maybe that's why Abrams is so willing to cramp the old friends in the films, while pushing to the background those less cherished by the audiences (for example, Rose Tico may be seen for no more than 5 minutes in Skywalker). If you're expecting a guest appearance from a certain someone, it's likely you'll get it. If you're expecting the true art of surprise, you will be disappointed. At one point, it feels like the film has attempted something too bold and backed off – and one of the greatest mysteries of the new trilogy turns out a letdown, which you just end up shrugging off. Well, at least it answers fans' questions.
The whole film rushes to the inevitable finale, losing track of its own ideas and ways of solving individual threads – it was suddenly to late for everything. There's no impression that the ending was planned long ago, and was realized along the way. Sure, mysteries find their explanations which may make sense within the universe, but it's hard not to feel like "that's it?" Especially when the plot is pushed forward in key moments by dialogues such as "Well, how do you know?" "I have a hunch." You have to admit, though, that just looking at it feels nice, and you've got to give the special effects' crew their due – the combination of spectacular CGI with excellent scenery and animatronics is fantastic. The very extensive cast – faces new and old, roles big and small – all deliver. The main problem is just the material they had to work with.
V – IV – VI – III – II – I – VII – VIII – IX
Just a few years ago I could bet that VII will be the worst episode of the third Star Wars trilogy, and here's a surprise – it seems that this embarrassing CTRL+C/CTRL+V from A New Hope ends up as the best picture. Skywalker is the worst production I've ever seen in this universe on silver screen, even worse than Solo, which is a real feat. A chaotic festival of nonsense, and a disgraceful attempt at the patience of the old fans, watered down with iconic scenes (suffocating at a council, pulling out an X-Wing), which, instead of looking good, frustrate even further. I'm glad it's over, and I'm never going to watch it again.
Kristian Smoszna
Rise of Skywalker is not a rebirth. Is a forced conclusion of a promising story, which only lacked a more clear-cut plan. What it didn't lack, though, was a robust business plan, cold calculation, and providing the audience with exactly what it expected.
Fan-Service: The Movie
Which side of the Force are you on? Around the middle? After all, there was no point in the history of Star Wars, when fans would have one problem or another with the series. Lucas was attacked for Ewoks, the flat screenplay, and very "future-unproof" effects in the prequels. And now, both The Return of the Jedi, as well as episodes I-III are often perceived as good. It will probably be the same with the new trilogy.
The ninth episode of the stellar saga is, on the one hand, a film doomed to success at the box office, but which also has so much weight to carry that mishaps are unavoidable. The question that remains is how these defeats are perceived. If you are interested in the new trilogy, its characters and themes, this Rise of Skywalker should be a satisfying, exciting finale that has some obvious blemishes, but the joy of experiencing this trip is so much greater that it's easy to lose yourself in it.
If, on the other hand, you never liked Abrams' ideas to begin with, and the promise of an innovative approach from Johnson is for you the day when Star Wars died, then the only reason for you to watch the new film would be to see this thing through. You won't find anything new here that will clearly change your perception of the Star Wars of this decade, regardless of your opinion.
