Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

Spoiler-Free Recommendation: Not the most fan service I’ve ever seen, but there was a job to be done here concluding the saga. It’s entertaining and sticks the landing: mission accomplished.

Loose Review:

There’s a nice moment when Po takes off his helmet and says ‘we did it’ presumably not hearing Finn say ‘you did it’. It’s a nice show of growth / leadership. This movie is also unexpectedly the most fun I’ve had with C3PO (although I didn’t grow up on the originals, so maybe I’m off on that). Palpatine lighting effects were very emotionally & tonally effective.

That’s all good and well, but the speed run of J.J.’s Episode VIII.5 for the first twenty minutes or so is just … too … rushed. There was no chance to connect and in turn no emotional payoff to the first few major happenings. Maybe not enough for two movies, but a prologue?

The Rey / Ben connection is good. I didn’t have any problem with the kiss.

Oscar Isaac is a scene stealer—great face-acting at the end being suggestive to his spice-girl, then swiftly accepting rejection.

I read somewhere that Finn spent three movies running around yelling after Rey … I don’t disagree.

I thought Leia was well treated and the old footage worked.

Tatouine: cool. Ghost twins coast-to-coast: cool. Yellow saber: cool.

I’d see it again.