That’s a certified “Rotten” rating.
And unlike The Last Jedi, let’s just say the critics aren’t exactly heaping praise about the film.
lol this is hilarious to see this shit burn
Here’s some reviews:
And unlike The Last Jedi, let’s just say the critics aren’t exactly heaping praise about the film.
lol this is hilarious to see this shit burn
Here’s some reviews:
**Rotten Tomatoes:** [55%](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_rise_of_skywalker/)
**Metacritic:** [53/100](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-ix---the-rise-of-skywalker?ref=hp)
[The Atlantic - David Sims](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/603790/)
>The Rise of Skywalker is, for want of a better word, completely manic: It leaps from plot point to plot point, from location to location, with little regard for logic or mood. The script, credited to Abrams and Chris Terrio, tries to tie up every dangling thread from The Force Awakens, delving into the origins of the villainous First Order, Rey’s mysterious background as an orphan on the planet Jakku, and even Poe’s occupation before signing up for the noble Resistance. The answer to a lot of these questions involves the ultra-villainous Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), the cackling, robed wizard-fascist behind the nefariousness of the first six films. I wish I could tell you every answer is satisfying, and that Abrams weaves the competing story interests of nine very different movies into one grand narrative, but he doesn’t even come close. As The Rise of Skywalker strives to explain just how the Emperor, who died with explosive finality in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, is involved in this new saga, it neglects to do any work to ground its story in a more compelling and modern context.
[Chicago Tribune - Michael Phillips](https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/michael-phillips/sc-mov-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-rev-1217-20191218-iaaxtf4tknb4bkrfdncyowuuv4-story.html)
>As stated in this review’s opening crawl: The movie does the job. Abrams keeps it on the straight and narrow, though there is a brief, middle-distance same-sex kiss off in a corner in the finale. In the main, “The Rise of Skywalker” allows itself no risk, or any of that divisive “Last Jedi” mythology-bending, with its disillusioned, cynical Luke Skywalker, or some of the nuttier detours favored by that film’s writer-director, Rian Johnson. On the other hand, nothing in Abrams’ movie can hold a candle to the Praetorian throne room battle scene in “The Last Jedi.” The “Rise of Skywalker” director frames and shoots for the iPhone, by Jedi-like instinct. Johnson knows more about filling out and energizing a widescreen action landscape, interior or exterior. Abrams and company get around the “Last Jedi” fan base blowback the easy way: by making a movie, a pretty good one, essentially pretending there never was a “Last Jedi.”
[Games Radar - Jamie Graham](https://www.gamesradar.com/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/)
>There are also, naturally, plenty of new ’bots and beasts, with a tiny droidsmith named Babu Frik damn near stealing the show. It’s a right old jostle, and the knockabout tone of some of the humour might just reignite the ire of those who rolled their eyes when Poe put General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) on hold in The Last Jedi. Bumpy as the ride sometimes is, though, no one can accuse Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker of stinting on action, emotion, planet-hopping, callbacks, fan-servicing, or, well, anything Star Wars, as Abrams goes for maximalism laced with classicism.
[The Guardian - Steve Rose](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/18/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-death-is-not-the-end-in-new-trilogys-laborious-exit)
>The good news is, The Rise of Skywalker is the send-off the saga deserves. The bad news is, it is largely the send-off we expected. Of course there is epic action to savour and surprises and spoilers to spill, but given the long, long build-up, some of the saga’s big revelations and developments might be a little unsatisfying on reflection.
[The Hollywood Reporter - David Rooney](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/star-wars-rise-skywalker-review-1263578)
>There are directors who are content with such ambitions, just as there are large audiences for same. Abrams has a foot in one camp and the other foot in another, hoping to have it both ways, which he manages for the reason that The Rise of Skywalker has a good sense of forward movement that keeps the film, and the viewer, keyed up for well over two hours. It might not be easy to confidently say what's actually going on at any given moment and why, but the filmmakers' practiced hands, along with the deep investment on the part of fans, will likely keep the majority of viewers happily on board despite the checkered nature of the storytelling.
[IGN - Jim Vejvoda](https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/12/18/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review)
>There’s no way to end the Skywalker Saga and make all the fans happy – and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker certainly isn’t going to make all the fans happy. Those who loved The Last Jedi will surely be peeved by the jettisoning of what that divisive eighth installment introduced, while those irked by The Force Awakens’ nostalgia-bait will likely be irritated by Episode IX’s recycling of familiar beats and plentiful fan service. The Rise of Skywalker labors incredibly hard to check all the boxes and fulfill its narrative obligations to the preceding entries, so much so that you can practically hear the gears of the creative machinery groaning under the strain like the Millennium Falcon trying to make the jump to hyperspace. It ultimately makes the film a clunky and convoluted conclusion to this beloved saga, entertaining and endearing as it may be.
[Indiewire - Eric Kohn](https://www.indiewire.com/2019/12/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-review-1202198018/)
>If 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was the biggest fan film ever made, an elaborate rehashing of the Saturday matinee space opera that made the 1977 original such a singular cultural event, “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” slips into meta territory. Returning to direct the third installment of the blockbuster trilogy, J.J. Abrams has delivered a costly tribute to the tribute, with reverse-engineered payoff for anyone invested in these movies but wary whenever they take serious risks. It’s spectacular and uninspired at once, playing into expectations with a gratuitous fixation on the bottom line.
[Polygon - Tasha Robinson](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/12/18/21024586/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-spoiler-free)
>The most notable effect of that plan is that just as The Force Awakens mirrors A New Hope in characters, conflicts, and plot beats, Episode IX closely mirrors 1983’s Return of the Jedi, to the point where savvy fans could easily call out half the locales, enemies, and story turns well in advance. It’s a remarkably safe and timid approach, one that consciously reflects viewers’ cinematic pasts back at them, with a “You loved this last time, right? Here’s more of it!” attitude. It’s the rom-com method of storytelling, essentially cinema as comfort food: The story is pat and predictable enough to be soothing, and the surprises exist only in the details that mix up the story.
[ScreenCrush - Matt Singer](https://screencrush.com/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/)
>The heroes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker talk so much about endings and last chances you’d swear they know they’re involved in the final movie of a 40-year mega-franchise. They talk about taking “one last jump” to lightspeed on the Millennium Falcon, and refer to Rey as their “last hope,” and wistfully announce they’re taking “one last look” at their friends before saying goodbye. The burden of wrapping up a 40-year franchise weighs heavily on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, an overstuffed chase film that barely lets up from its connect-the-dots MacGuffin-heavy plot for even a second or two. In dialogue like these examples and many more, the movie wears that burden on its sleeve, hoping to suck every last drop of nostalgia and affection for these characters and their galaxy out of the audience.
[Screen Rant - Molly Freeman](https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rise-skywalker-movie-reviews/)
>Ultimately, Abrams spends so much of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trying to give audiences what they want out of a Star Wars movie that it seems he forgot to deliver a good movie. There may be aspects of The Rise of Skywalker that surprise audiences, whether in Abrams and Terrio's story or Abrams' directing decisions, but nothing that has teeth, nothing that challenges viewers or subverts expectations. And, to be sure, that will please some fans just as it will irritate others. It's a relatively safe movie, attempting to return the sequel trilogy to the heights of The Force Awakens and move away from the divisiveness of The Last Jedi, but it's bound to be just as divisive for playing it safe as The Last Jedi was for the risks it took.
[SlashFilm - Chris Evangelista](https://www.slashfilm.com/the-rise-of-skywalker-review/)
>When Avengers: Endgame, another huge blockbuster conclusion, arrived earlier this year, there was a true sense that the journey with these particular characters had come to an end. Sure, there will still be Marvel movies, just like there will still be Star Wars movies. But for all its flaws, Endgame felt like a well-earned final act – a big, celebratory curtain call that was well-earned by the saga. There’s nothing even approaching that in The Rise of Skywalker, which aims to be not just a conclusion to this new trilogy, but to the so-called Skywalker Saga as a whole. This movie should leave you feeling as if you’ve completed a spectacular journey. Instead, the film simply irises out to show Abrams’ directorial credit and leaves the viewer feeling a hollow feeling.
[Uproxx - Mike Ryan](https://uproxx.com/movies/star-wars-rise-of-the-skywalker-review/)
>So, here we are, at the end of this Sequel trilogy. Three movies that exposed the tug-of-war, back and forth between two talented people on opposite ends of the spectrum. Yes, Rey and Kylo Ren. But, more importantly, J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson. For whatever reason, their two visions just don’t work side by side. Abrams gave us a great first movie that brought a lot of people back to Star Wars. Johnson gave us a second film that dared us to question what it was about Star Wars we believed in anyway. And now The Rise of Skywalker feels like a movie trying to steer against the skid instead of into it. And as a result, there was no way to avoid the crash.
[USA Today - Brian Truitt](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/12/18/rise-skywalker-review-star-wars-saga-gets-too-safe-finale/2672252001/)
>Abrams doesn't stick to a template as much as he did with "Force Awakens," but there are familiar turns that go down like comfort food. You want lightsaber tussles? There are plenty between Rey, who’s still wrestling with identity issues and her background, and First Order leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Ridley and Driver fueled a lot of the emotion in those previous films, and they rise to the occasion again as the lifeblood of "Skywalker."But after paying homage to everything that came before, this "Star Wars" ending is a too-safe landing of a massive pop-culture starship, and a spectacular finale that misses a chance to forge something special.
[Vanity Fair - Richard Lawson](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/12/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review)
>Rise of Skywalker, which tasks itself with an exhausting double duty: tying up the strands of a scattered series in some satisfying fashion while also attending to fussier fans’ Last Jedi tantrums, an atoning for supposed sins. Abrams is a talent, but he’s no match for a corporate mandate that heavy—his sleek, Spielbergian whimsy isn’t enough to cut through all the tortured brand maintenance. But he thrashes away anyway, filling Rise of Skywalker with a million moving parts. It’s a turgid rush toward a conclusion I don’t think anyone wanted, not the people upset about whatever they’re upset about with The Last Jedi (I feel like it has something to do with Luke being depressed, and with women having any real agency in this story) nor any of the more chill franchise devotees who just want to see something engaging.
[Variety - Owen Gleiberman](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-daisy-ridley-adam-driver-jj-abrams-1203445811/)
>“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” might just brush the bad-faith squabbling away. It’s the ninth and final chapter of the saga that Lucas started, and though it’s likely to be a record-shattering hit, I can’t predict for sure if “the fans” will embrace it. (The very notion that “Star Wars” fans are a definable demographic is, in a way, outmoded.) What I can say is that “The Rise of Skywalker” is, to me, the most elegant, emotionally rounded, and gratifying “Star Wars” adventure since the glory days of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” (I mean that, but given the last eight films, the bar isn’t that high.)
[The Wrap - Alonso Duralde](https://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-episode-ix-the-rise-of-skywalker-film-review-jj-abrams-2019/)
>Rest assured that there’s nothing in this final “Star Wars” that would prompt the eye-rolls or the snickers of Episodes I-III; Abrams is too savvy a studio player for those kinds of shenanigans. But his slick delivery of a sterling, shiny example of what Martin Scorsese would call “not cinema” feels momentarily satisfying but ultimately unfulfilling. It’s a somewhat soulless delivery system of catharsis, but Disney and Abrams are banking on the delivery itself to be enough.
**Metacritic:** [53/100](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-ix---the-rise-of-skywalker?ref=hp)
[The Atlantic - David Sims](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/603790/)
>The Rise of Skywalker is, for want of a better word, completely manic: It leaps from plot point to plot point, from location to location, with little regard for logic or mood. The script, credited to Abrams and Chris Terrio, tries to tie up every dangling thread from The Force Awakens, delving into the origins of the villainous First Order, Rey’s mysterious background as an orphan on the planet Jakku, and even Poe’s occupation before signing up for the noble Resistance. The answer to a lot of these questions involves the ultra-villainous Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), the cackling, robed wizard-fascist behind the nefariousness of the first six films. I wish I could tell you every answer is satisfying, and that Abrams weaves the competing story interests of nine very different movies into one grand narrative, but he doesn’t even come close. As The Rise of Skywalker strives to explain just how the Emperor, who died with explosive finality in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, is involved in this new saga, it neglects to do any work to ground its story in a more compelling and modern context.
[Chicago Tribune - Michael Phillips](https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/michael-phillips/sc-mov-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-rev-1217-20191218-iaaxtf4tknb4bkrfdncyowuuv4-story.html)
>As stated in this review’s opening crawl: The movie does the job. Abrams keeps it on the straight and narrow, though there is a brief, middle-distance same-sex kiss off in a corner in the finale. In the main, “The Rise of Skywalker” allows itself no risk, or any of that divisive “Last Jedi” mythology-bending, with its disillusioned, cynical Luke Skywalker, or some of the nuttier detours favored by that film’s writer-director, Rian Johnson. On the other hand, nothing in Abrams’ movie can hold a candle to the Praetorian throne room battle scene in “The Last Jedi.” The “Rise of Skywalker” director frames and shoots for the iPhone, by Jedi-like instinct. Johnson knows more about filling out and energizing a widescreen action landscape, interior or exterior. Abrams and company get around the “Last Jedi” fan base blowback the easy way: by making a movie, a pretty good one, essentially pretending there never was a “Last Jedi.”
[Games Radar - Jamie Graham](https://www.gamesradar.com/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/)
>There are also, naturally, plenty of new ’bots and beasts, with a tiny droidsmith named Babu Frik damn near stealing the show. It’s a right old jostle, and the knockabout tone of some of the humour might just reignite the ire of those who rolled their eyes when Poe put General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) on hold in The Last Jedi. Bumpy as the ride sometimes is, though, no one can accuse Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker of stinting on action, emotion, planet-hopping, callbacks, fan-servicing, or, well, anything Star Wars, as Abrams goes for maximalism laced with classicism.
[The Guardian - Steve Rose](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/18/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-death-is-not-the-end-in-new-trilogys-laborious-exit)
>The good news is, The Rise of Skywalker is the send-off the saga deserves. The bad news is, it is largely the send-off we expected. Of course there is epic action to savour and surprises and spoilers to spill, but given the long, long build-up, some of the saga’s big revelations and developments might be a little unsatisfying on reflection.
[The Hollywood Reporter - David Rooney](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/star-wars-rise-skywalker-review-1263578)
>There are directors who are content with such ambitions, just as there are large audiences for same. Abrams has a foot in one camp and the other foot in another, hoping to have it both ways, which he manages for the reason that The Rise of Skywalker has a good sense of forward movement that keeps the film, and the viewer, keyed up for well over two hours. It might not be easy to confidently say what's actually going on at any given moment and why, but the filmmakers' practiced hands, along with the deep investment on the part of fans, will likely keep the majority of viewers happily on board despite the checkered nature of the storytelling.
[IGN - Jim Vejvoda](https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/12/18/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review)
>There’s no way to end the Skywalker Saga and make all the fans happy – and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker certainly isn’t going to make all the fans happy. Those who loved The Last Jedi will surely be peeved by the jettisoning of what that divisive eighth installment introduced, while those irked by The Force Awakens’ nostalgia-bait will likely be irritated by Episode IX’s recycling of familiar beats and plentiful fan service. The Rise of Skywalker labors incredibly hard to check all the boxes and fulfill its narrative obligations to the preceding entries, so much so that you can practically hear the gears of the creative machinery groaning under the strain like the Millennium Falcon trying to make the jump to hyperspace. It ultimately makes the film a clunky and convoluted conclusion to this beloved saga, entertaining and endearing as it may be.
[Indiewire - Eric Kohn](https://www.indiewire.com/2019/12/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-review-1202198018/)
>If 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was the biggest fan film ever made, an elaborate rehashing of the Saturday matinee space opera that made the 1977 original such a singular cultural event, “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” slips into meta territory. Returning to direct the third installment of the blockbuster trilogy, J.J. Abrams has delivered a costly tribute to the tribute, with reverse-engineered payoff for anyone invested in these movies but wary whenever they take serious risks. It’s spectacular and uninspired at once, playing into expectations with a gratuitous fixation on the bottom line.
[Polygon - Tasha Robinson](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/12/18/21024586/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-spoiler-free)
>The most notable effect of that plan is that just as The Force Awakens mirrors A New Hope in characters, conflicts, and plot beats, Episode IX closely mirrors 1983’s Return of the Jedi, to the point where savvy fans could easily call out half the locales, enemies, and story turns well in advance. It’s a remarkably safe and timid approach, one that consciously reflects viewers’ cinematic pasts back at them, with a “You loved this last time, right? Here’s more of it!” attitude. It’s the rom-com method of storytelling, essentially cinema as comfort food: The story is pat and predictable enough to be soothing, and the surprises exist only in the details that mix up the story.
[ScreenCrush - Matt Singer](https://screencrush.com/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/)
>The heroes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker talk so much about endings and last chances you’d swear they know they’re involved in the final movie of a 40-year mega-franchise. They talk about taking “one last jump” to lightspeed on the Millennium Falcon, and refer to Rey as their “last hope,” and wistfully announce they’re taking “one last look” at their friends before saying goodbye. The burden of wrapping up a 40-year franchise weighs heavily on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, an overstuffed chase film that barely lets up from its connect-the-dots MacGuffin-heavy plot for even a second or two. In dialogue like these examples and many more, the movie wears that burden on its sleeve, hoping to suck every last drop of nostalgia and affection for these characters and their galaxy out of the audience.
[Screen Rant - Molly Freeman](https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rise-skywalker-movie-reviews/)
>Ultimately, Abrams spends so much of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trying to give audiences what they want out of a Star Wars movie that it seems he forgot to deliver a good movie. There may be aspects of The Rise of Skywalker that surprise audiences, whether in Abrams and Terrio's story or Abrams' directing decisions, but nothing that has teeth, nothing that challenges viewers or subverts expectations. And, to be sure, that will please some fans just as it will irritate others. It's a relatively safe movie, attempting to return the sequel trilogy to the heights of The Force Awakens and move away from the divisiveness of The Last Jedi, but it's bound to be just as divisive for playing it safe as The Last Jedi was for the risks it took.
[SlashFilm - Chris Evangelista](https://www.slashfilm.com/the-rise-of-skywalker-review/)
>When Avengers: Endgame, another huge blockbuster conclusion, arrived earlier this year, there was a true sense that the journey with these particular characters had come to an end. Sure, there will still be Marvel movies, just like there will still be Star Wars movies. But for all its flaws, Endgame felt like a well-earned final act – a big, celebratory curtain call that was well-earned by the saga. There’s nothing even approaching that in The Rise of Skywalker, which aims to be not just a conclusion to this new trilogy, but to the so-called Skywalker Saga as a whole. This movie should leave you feeling as if you’ve completed a spectacular journey. Instead, the film simply irises out to show Abrams’ directorial credit and leaves the viewer feeling a hollow feeling.
[Uproxx - Mike Ryan](https://uproxx.com/movies/star-wars-rise-of-the-skywalker-review/)
>So, here we are, at the end of this Sequel trilogy. Three movies that exposed the tug-of-war, back and forth between two talented people on opposite ends of the spectrum. Yes, Rey and Kylo Ren. But, more importantly, J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson. For whatever reason, their two visions just don’t work side by side. Abrams gave us a great first movie that brought a lot of people back to Star Wars. Johnson gave us a second film that dared us to question what it was about Star Wars we believed in anyway. And now The Rise of Skywalker feels like a movie trying to steer against the skid instead of into it. And as a result, there was no way to avoid the crash.
[USA Today - Brian Truitt](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/12/18/rise-skywalker-review-star-wars-saga-gets-too-safe-finale/2672252001/)
>Abrams doesn't stick to a template as much as he did with "Force Awakens," but there are familiar turns that go down like comfort food. You want lightsaber tussles? There are plenty between Rey, who’s still wrestling with identity issues and her background, and First Order leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Ridley and Driver fueled a lot of the emotion in those previous films, and they rise to the occasion again as the lifeblood of "Skywalker."But after paying homage to everything that came before, this "Star Wars" ending is a too-safe landing of a massive pop-culture starship, and a spectacular finale that misses a chance to forge something special.
[Vanity Fair - Richard Lawson](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/12/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review)
>Rise of Skywalker, which tasks itself with an exhausting double duty: tying up the strands of a scattered series in some satisfying fashion while also attending to fussier fans’ Last Jedi tantrums, an atoning for supposed sins. Abrams is a talent, but he’s no match for a corporate mandate that heavy—his sleek, Spielbergian whimsy isn’t enough to cut through all the tortured brand maintenance. But he thrashes away anyway, filling Rise of Skywalker with a million moving parts. It’s a turgid rush toward a conclusion I don’t think anyone wanted, not the people upset about whatever they’re upset about with The Last Jedi (I feel like it has something to do with Luke being depressed, and with women having any real agency in this story) nor any of the more chill franchise devotees who just want to see something engaging.
[Variety - Owen Gleiberman](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-daisy-ridley-adam-driver-jj-abrams-1203445811/)
>“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” might just brush the bad-faith squabbling away. It’s the ninth and final chapter of the saga that Lucas started, and though it’s likely to be a record-shattering hit, I can’t predict for sure if “the fans” will embrace it. (The very notion that “Star Wars” fans are a definable demographic is, in a way, outmoded.) What I can say is that “The Rise of Skywalker” is, to me, the most elegant, emotionally rounded, and gratifying “Star Wars” adventure since the glory days of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” (I mean that, but given the last eight films, the bar isn’t that high.)
[The Wrap - Alonso Duralde](https://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-episode-ix-the-rise-of-skywalker-film-review-jj-abrams-2019/)
>Rest assured that there’s nothing in this final “Star Wars” that would prompt the eye-rolls or the snickers of Episodes I-III; Abrams is too savvy a studio player for those kinds of shenanigans. But his slick delivery of a sterling, shiny example of what Martin Scorsese would call “not cinema” feels momentarily satisfying but ultimately unfulfilling. It’s a somewhat soulless delivery system of catharsis, but Disney and Abrams are banking on the delivery itself to be enough.
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