Rent Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Star Wars: Endgame - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review by MK

Based on the one star reviews and being an original trilogy fan (not the special editions), I was expecting to be disappointed by this final installment of the Skywalker saga, but as Obi Wan said in Jedi "...you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view".

From one point of view, this movie has more holes than Swiss cheese, some characters that would make paper look thin, and a need in places to suspend disbelief to previously unmatched levels. From another perspective, it's a fun movie, with loads of (not over long) action sequences, and a number of references to the original trilogy.

In a world (remember those trailers from the 80s) where most movies are heavy on the CGI, at the expense of characters and plot, The Rise of Skywalker is no different. I enjoyed the movie, but as an ending to the saga, it's less a satisfying conclusion to an epic story, more like a show cancelled mid season, where all the loose ends are desperately tied together, ending with the lead character getting abducted by aliens...actually that might be a different show.

Worst film in the entire series, a complete waste of time! - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review by CS

Having been a lifelong fan of the original series, I have sadly watched the new episodes go from mediocre, to bland, to absolutely awful and sadly, in my opinion, this film has got to be the worst of them all! Supposedly the finale in the 'Skywalker' series, who turns out to not be a Skywalker after all! The plot is unnecessarily complicated, convoluted and simply all over the place. This is trying desperately to be deep and meaningful, creating new layers in the Star Wars universe, but it's just messy, clumsy and cluttered. There are far too many new characters and it comes across as though this was made simply to promote the video game and all sorts of marketing media. Something which we have seen a lot of in recent years, is racial and gender politics, which has a tendency to completely ruin and destroy any movie it rears its ugly head into, simply because rather than exploring themes of diversity, equality and respect, they actually end up promoting inverse racism and sexism, where the characters end up being discriminatory towards others. And here this applies too, the sexual politics are not subtle, with even one moment during a light sabre fight, where hers is bigger than his, making a very clear sexual innuendo, whilst also being a complete male put down! The main character of Rey, comes across as arrogant, selfish, self centred and she is constantly putting her colleagues in danger due to her own sense of self absorbance. I did not rate her acting skills at all and felt she was completely miscast, but perhaps that's in part due to the poor production and direction values of this movie too! The editing is really messy, choppy and all over the place too, so much so, that any special effects end up not being so special after all. There are so many plot holes and things that simply don't make sense, that you really do need to suspend disbelief! It does not feel as though any real love or care has been spent over this film, given also that it is supposed to be the end, but is very clearly set up for yet another sequel, it comes across as all about the money, rather than wanting to take the story and the audience on a journey.

Better than previous installment but still poor - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review by NB

Not as bad as the previous installment but still poor. I would give it about four out of ten. Low quality script and dialogue, muddled plot that jumps all over the place, second-rate acting, cliche-ridden, and even tries to copy bits of the infinitely better 'Empire Strikes Back'.

But at least a little better than The Last Jedi, which was absolutely abysmal.

Pretty poor - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review by MA

Story-line was so-so. Didn't find the overall narrative too absorbing. Cheesy and poorly acted. Usual effects etc. I'm not a fan of the some of the main actors like Boyega and Adam Driver - poorly cast and generally not great actors.

Same old, same old - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review by Alphaville

If you like this kind of guff, you’ll like this kind of guff. Others will find it a painful watch and soon wish they were far far away in a distant galaxy. As in previous instalments baddie Adam Driver is the only interesting character. And let’s hope this truly is the last we’ll see of the whole franchise so that we’ll never again have to listen to John Williams’ relentlessly awful bombastic brain-numbing muzak. Director J J Abrams once showed promise, so let’s hope he can now move on to more interesting fare.

Wet Sunday afternoon film for the kids. - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review by IW

Derivative rerun of the good films which preceded it. Disney making money, that's all. A film to watch on fast-forward if you have nothing else to do.

Very watchable - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review by CS

As with all the other Star Wars movies this one doesn't disappoint. Full of action and a great family film.