“Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” marks the end of 42 years of sequels vying to live up to the original film’s successes. Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, the saga has been a cocktail of poor decisions and creative incongruity.

The new trilogies premier entry, “The Force Awakens,” was initially well-received. The hype and nostalgia faded progressively, and everyone realized the film to be a complete carbon copy of “A New Hope.” Disney’s follow up, “The Last Jedi,” received mass scrutiny from audiences. The public aversion became so fractious that a petition gathered over 10,000 signatures to negate the film from the “Star Wars” canon. “The Rise of Skywalker” feels like a desperate attempt to right the wrongs of previous mishaps – executed with mediocre results. 

The film is a concept stew of convoluted ingredients that are underdeveloped and simply don’t mix. Those who are keeping tabs should be informed of the homecoming of fan-favorite villain Emperor Palpatine. The character’s inclusion in the movie is utterly contrived, and simply doesn’t make sense. It gives the film an essence of artificiality and discloses the lack of fresh ideas within Disney’s creative branch. The film immediately bombards us with an unflattering amount of exposition. This serves to notify the viewer of the alternative direction the film is employing due to prior backlash. The outcome is something of little affinity in the context of the trilogy. The film does not feel nearly as epic as it should be, because there was no cohesive build up to these events. No one likes someone that tries too hard, and “Skywalker” is the embodiment of that grievance. That said, there are aspects of the film that are irrefutably awe-inspiring and efficient. One of the film’s “try hard” tactics surprisingly lands in the form of ardent fan service. John Williams’ definitive score swells at emotional heights and serves as the perfect foil in sequences of homage. Our protagonists, Rey and Kylo Ren, considerably consummate their respective character arcs.

    The burden that “Skywalker” carries is the residue from its predecessors. We had been granted heroes with vague nuances and slim likability. Until this entry, Rey’s character had been personified in wooden textures and “Mary Sue” characterizations. The one truly interesting arc they had established (the moral awakening of a stormtrooper), went absolutely nowhere – as Finn was ultimately reduced to a frivolous sidekick. How are we supposed to get on board with a film that has bland and undeveloped characters? 

      The fundamental factor in my response to the film was that I did not care. I appreciate that the minds behind the film attempted to nurse our frustrations – but I say too little too late. The film is undoubtedly superior to the first two films in the saga. It has many moments of spellbinding triumph that nearly make us forget about how much of a monumental mess the film actually is. The blame falls on the executives at Disney. It is abundantly clear at this point that even after spending $4 billion on this property, their chairmen still elected to dive in headfirst with no concrete game plan. Taking on the mantle of “Star Wars” imbues a certain expectation of quality. While “Rise of Skywalker” is a high point within the newer films, it’s also, unfortunately, a reflection on just how misguided and directionless this trilogy is. This is not my Star Wars. Take a page out of Kevin Feige’s book and get organized if you are attempting to tackle America’s most cherished film franchise.

Grade: C

By Sam Clark