Film Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Lazy and uninspired, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a pandering regression from the bold new direction established by Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. Even worse, it’s the first Star Wars film engineered to please its loudest and most troubled demographic: the toxic fandom. A frantic rush to bring a nine-film saga to a close, The Rise of Skywalker is filled with narrative dead-ends, aborted character arcs, and generic fetch quests, all designed to please as many people as possible. Minor spoilers below…