The Rise of Skywalker is a movie that has been talked about a lot since it came out in 2019. For many fans, it was the end of a story that started with The Force Awakens and continued through The Last Jedi. Some people loved it, some people hated it, and a lot of people are still arguing about it years later. But the question that keeps coming up is this Is The Rise of Skywalker actually worse than fans remember or is it just being judged too harshly because of what came before it
When The Force Awakens came out in 2015 it felt like a breath of fresh air. It brought back the excitement of the original Star Wars movies. It had new characters like Rey, Finn, and Poe, and it had familiar faces like Han Solo, Leia, and Chewbacca. The movie was fun, it was fast, and it made people feel like they were back in the galaxy far far away. The Last Jedi in 2017 was different. It took some big risks. It changed the way people thought about the Force, it killed off some important characters, and it made some choices that not everyone agreed with. Some fans loved it for being bold and different. Others felt like it was too much of a break from what Star Wars was supposed to be. By the time The Rise of Skywalker arrived in 2019 the expectations were high and the pressure was on. People wanted answers. They wanted to know who Rey really was. They wanted to see how the story would end. They wanted to feel that same excitement they felt with The Force Awakens.
The Rise of Skywalker starts with a big surprise. Emperor Palpatine is back. He was supposed to be dead but somehow he is alive again. This was a shock to a lot of fans. Some people thought it was a cool twist. Others thought it was a cheap way to bring back a villain from the past. The movie then follows Rey, Finn, and Poe as they try to stop Palpatine from taking over the galaxy again. Along the way they meet new characters, visit new planets, and face new dangers. There are big battles, there are emotional moments, and there are a lot of callbacks to the original movies.
One of the biggest complaints about The Rise of Skywalker is that it feels rushed. The story moves very fast. There are a lot of things happening in a short amount of time. Some fans feel like the movie does not give enough time to develop the characters or their relationships. Rey, Finn, and Poe are supposed to be the new heroes of Star Wars but they do not spend much time together. They are often split up on different missions. This makes it hard for the audience to feel a strong connection to them as a group. In The Force Awakens they were together for most of the movie. In The Last Jedi they were mostly apart. In The Rise of Skywalker they are together at the beginning and the end but in the middle they are on their own. This means that the emotional impact of their friendship does not feel as strong as it could have been.
Another complaint is about the way the story is told. The Rise of Skywalker tries to answer a lot of questions that were left open by the previous movies. It explains who Rey is. It explains how Palpatine came back. It explains how the Resistance can fight back against the First Order. But some fans feel like these answers are not very satisfying. They feel like the movie is trying to fix problems from the past instead of telling a new story. For example the reveal that Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter was a surprise but it did not feel like it added much to her character. Some fans felt like it made her story less special. They liked the idea that she was just a normal person who became a hero. The idea that she is related to a famous villain felt like it took away from that.
The movie also brings back a lot of old characters. Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia all appear in some way. Some fans loved seeing them again. Others felt like it was just fan service. They felt like the movie was relying too much on nostalgia instead of creating something new. The way these characters are brought back also felt strange to some people. Han Solo appears as a vision. Luke Skywalker appears as a ghost. Leia is in the movie but she was played using old footage because Carrie Fisher had passed away. This made some fans feel sad and uncomfortable. They wanted to see these characters in a better way.
The action scenes in The Rise of Skywalker are big and flashy. There are space battles, lightsaber fights, and explosions everywhere. Some fans loved the excitement. Others felt like the movie was too focused on spectacle and not enough on story. They felt like the action was happening just for the sake of action and not because it was important to the characters or the plot. The final battle on Exegol is a good example. It is a huge battle with a lot of ships and a lot of fighting. But some fans felt like it did not have the same emotional weight as the battle in Return of the Jedi. They felt like it was just a big show and not a meaningful moment.
The music in The Rise of Skywalker is also a point of discussion. John Williams returned to score the movie and he created some beautiful themes. The main theme for Rey is very memorable. The music for the final battle is powerful. But some fans felt like the score was not as strong as it could have been. They felt like it was trying to copy the music from the original movies instead of creating something new. They wanted to hear more original themes and less repetition.
The performances in The Rise of Skywalker are generally good. Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, and Oscar Isaac as Poe all do their best with the material they are given. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is especially strong. His performance is emotional and intense. He makes the character feel real and complex. But some fans feel like the script does not give the actors enough to work with. They feel like the characters are not given enough depth or development. They want to see more of their thoughts and feelings. They want to see more of their relationships with each other.
The Rise of Skywalker also has some problems with its pacing. The movie is not very long but it feels like it is trying to do too much. There are a lot of plot points and a lot of twists. Some fans feel like the movie does not give enough time to any one thing. They feel like it is jumping from one scene to the next without letting the audience catch their breath. This makes it hard to get invested in the story or the characters. The movie is exciting but it is also exhausting.
Another issue is the way the movie handles its themes. Star Wars has always been about hope, friendship, and the fight against evil. The Rise of Skywalker tries to touch on these themes but some fans feel like it does not do it very well. They feel like the movie is more focused on action and spectacle than on meaning. They want to see more of the emotional journey of the characters. They want to see more of the struggle between good and evil. They want to see more of the impact of the choices the characters make.
The Rise of Skywalker also has some problems with its logic. There are moments in
