Im doing what you did, says Rey (Daisy Ridley).
Whos she talking to?
Abramsimitates anything from the original trilogy he didnt already xerox into 2015sThe Force Awakens.
Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm
Did you seeReturn of the Jedis second Death Star in the trailer?
proclaims the opening crawl.
The voice of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is mysteriously broadcasting across the galaxy.
The Emperor expired long ago, so it would be just stupid to assume he is still alive.
But what uninspired hack could be resurrecting his image, and to what purpose?
Its a surprisingly meta concept, since General Leia is still quite prominent.
Shes played byCarrie Fisher, despite the performers untimely death long before production started.
I dont really know how Fishers appearance was created.
It looks like a very high-tech combination of unused footage, digital effects, and terrible writing.
The nostalgia festival proves one final kneecap-slice for the heroes of this sequel trilogy.
Rey still suffers from a nasty case of flashbackitis, alwaysalmostremembering her parents.
Keri Russell appears, briefly and awesomely, as a behelmeted old friend.
Isaac gives Poe a new pranksterish edge, which is fun.
Finn keeps yelling Reys name loudly, which isnt.
The best thing I can say aboutRise of Skywalkeris that it is sometimes incoherent on purpose.
Sacrifices get un-sacrificed, and superpowers become super-DUPER-powers.
Abrams co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Terrio, who also worked on onBatman v SupermanandJustice League, poor guy.
Every character suffers, squeezed between action scenes and runscream hyper-emotionality.
Abrams camera prefers Drivers towering frame, shooting upward to emphasize his room-filling physicality.Rise of Skywalkerragdolls all its humans.
Rey, Poe, and Finn keep crashing, tumbling, and jumping between ships.
Just once, couldnt someone in this sequel trilogy chill out?
If you enjoyedThe Last Jedi, youll be disappointed by the walkback qualities of this follow-up.
Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) gets demoted to screenstaring at the command center.
Another keyLast Jedipersonality returns with their whole philosophy pointed in an opposite direction.
Unsurprising, maybe, that his tale requires rigid focus on inheritance and legacy.
I will earn your brothers saber, Rey tells Leia, still obsessed with another mans weapon.
There is one exciting planetscape, where greatwall waves crash skyscraper-high.
A couple rando stormtroopers jetpack skyward off speeder bikes.
Its way cool; they never fly again.
C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) has a moving speech that dissipates into plotstuff.
The story concludes (sure!)
the nine-part saga that famously began with a tax dispute on Naboo.
The final act aims for tearjerkery with sincere appreciations of franchise lore.
Its a zombie.Grade: C
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