So I re-watched THE RISE OF SKYWALKER and I have some thoughts for those who want to hear the ramblings of an O.G. SW fan who’s launched a series (Clone Wars) and been a fan since the first movie was in theaters...

First, my initial assessment that it was a fun romp and a good kids movie is mostly true. HOWEVER: there are definitely major issues. The movie is just way too much of everything. It’s like a puppy that will do anything to be loved, which for a final film in a trilogy is... weird

First, there’s a million emotional beats, all of which are unearned. Every moment is telegraphed broadly and in most cases you only have a few minutes to grasp what is going on and why you should care. It feels like the fourth film in a quadrilogy where we haven’t seen the third.

I don’t worry about “plot holes” with SW but even so, there are just a ton of massive events/changes here that have no attempt at explanation. From the Emperor’s return, to his huge fleet, to their planet killing weapons, to all@kinds of new and previously unseen force powers.

I think JJ went so hard on the BIG FINSH that he let go of all the things that would ground it. And as a result the whole thing kindve flies off its axis and becomes a series of BIG MOMENTS that don’t feel earned or natural.

The movie didn’t know what to do with Fin at all, and wastes Poe for the most part. The resolution of the final battle with the Dunkirk-ian arrival of the citizen fleet comes out of nowhere. JJ didn’t know when to move past the Rey/Kyle story either.

Overall I’d have to say it’s easily the weakest of the new trilogy films. Way worse than SOLO or ROGUE ONE and by far the worst of the new trilogy as well. Is it as bad as RETURN OF THE JEDI? Almost.

Upsides: seeing Ian McDarmid as The Emperor again was just cool. Rey and Kylo are great characters who are fun to watch. The saber battle in the Death Star ruins on the water planet is cool as hell. Leia’s death got the proper gravity. Babu Frik rules!

It’s a very beautiful film and most of the effects are seamless. Like Rian Johnson, JJ has seemingly zero feel for or care about sound design, at least not in the way Lucas did. I hope whomever takes over SW next realizes that sound is a huge part of what makes a world!

TROS is neither as bad as its haters say, nor is it as good as folks who hated TLJ say it is. I will say: I hope the Skywalker Saga is over for good, and I’m fine with the future of SW being in long form TV. I think too much is riding on these individual films to please everyone.