Rise of Skywalker – not quite the rise we hoped it would be

Is it Fabalytic?

What’s the deal

We had such high hopes for Rise of Skywalker, the concluding chapter in the latest trilogy. And the movie almost delivers. It’s certainly fun to watch, and allows us to re-immerse ourselves in the Star Wars universe.

Normally we would identify the things that are Fab about a film, and then the things that are Not Fab. In this case we think the same four things are one and the same – Fab and Not Fab at the same time. And at the end, we will tell you if we think you should see Rise of Skywalker.

What’s Fab about Rise of Skywalker

• Pace: This movie really moves! J.J. Abrams really knows how to pack it in, and the first half of this movie is NON STOP!
• The characters: Now that we are a couple of movies in we have come to love Finn, Poe, and Rey. And don’t forget Maz!
• The plot: The official Star Wars website says “A powerful enemy returns and Rey must face her destiny.” Because we don’t want to spoil the fun, we won’t say more . . .
• How it wraps up the story: This movie pulls all the threads from the last two films together and brings them to a close

What’s not Fab about it

• Pace: Tries to do way to much in too short a time, especially the first half . . . if you blink you will miss very important plot lines. Fortunately the plot is so odd, that may be ok
• The characters: Even more than the last two movies, the characters are dead-on retreads from the earlier movies
• The plot: Where to begin . . . there are so many really odd choices in the story. The main character’s lineage is one of the worst (won’t spoil the story, but this is so unnecessary!). And “BenRen” and the resurrection thing??? Emperor Palpatine also! Not clear that was the “rise” intended in the title, but it just doesn’t seem to fit what we know about the way the force is supposed to work. Just know that plot is not the reason to watch this movie

What is it with “BenRen” and the resurrection thing???

• How it wraps up the story: This movie doesn’t really leave us satisfied. No more plot spoilers, so you will need to watch to find your own disappointment

Should you see Rise of Skywalker?

Yes. Even though it’s a bit “peds,” and doesn’t live up to the hype, just for the action packed J.J. Abrams energy, it’s going to be worth your time to spend the 2 hours and 22 minutes runtime watching Rise of Skywalker.