Last time, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil) faced down the evil First Order at the cost of his life. This time, his apprentice, Rey (Daisy Ridley), continues her Jedi training with Leia (Carrie Fisher, via outtakes from the last two Episodes). Meanwhile, First Order Supreme Leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) goes to the Dark Planet Exegol and finds Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) back from the dead. Palpatine has a fleet of planet-killing Star Destroyers for his new regime, The Final Order. He also tells Kylo to bring Rey to him.
The Resistance decides to find Palpatine first. But they need a Sith Wayfinder to do it. So Rey and her friends, including Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega), travel the galaxy. There's a host of different aliens and humans along the way. There's a shocking revelation about Rey's past, too. Eventually, Rey must confront Palapatine for the fate of the galaxy.
Abrams and his three co-writers, including Chris Terrio, keep things going for a quick-paced 142 minutes. Maybe too quick paced. We get a lot of action in rapid succession in the first hour or so. A grand highlight is a Millennium Falcon chase where it "lightspeed skips" across several planets in rapid succession. The pace stabilizes once Rey's past is revealed. But some details are still skimmed over. For instance? A new character, Zorri (Kerri Russell), has a past with Poe. But she gets barely any screen time to elaborate. Meanwhile, the "course correction" of The Last Jedi's most controversial plot points didn't bother me. Luke's cameo addresses one such point hilariously.
What's to say about the technicals? They're to the Star Wars brand of excellence. Everything from the visual effects, creature designs, sound design and of course, John Williams's score, is top notch. There's nothing amiss from the Carrie Fisher stock footage. The new planets are appealing; even the dark and dreary planet Exegol. It's a great pinnacle of forty-two years of technical evolution.
There's also a good cast. Rey's character arc is probably the most "course corrected" plot point here. It still makes a strong point about shaping one's destiny. It's still satisfying to see her triumph. Kylo's character arc was OK, even if it was somewhat rushed. Classic characters like C-3PO, Chewbacca and especially Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), get much to do. Zorri makes the most of her limited screentime. Palpatine is still a formidable threat. There's also a ton of cameos that may slip past you on first viewing.
The Rise of Skywalker decently concludes this saga. Its story is convoluted but its visuals are grand. You might just have to sit back and relax for most of it. Still, the final scene is a poignant call-back to the first film. Meawhile, that new Disney + show, The Mandalorian, is supposed to be good. But who knows how Star Wars will continue on the big screen. Maybe a few years of dormancy can rile up fan demand.
Hey, it worked with The Force Awakens.
But there should be some better foresight.
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