With just a few hours left for The Rise of Skywalker to hit the big screen, film critics have shared their views about Star Wars: Episode IX, which premiered in Los Angeles on December 16. The movie has received mixed reviews from the expert panel. While some opined that it is way better than The Last Jedi, a few others suggested that it cannot be described as the best film from the franchise.
There was one thing in common that most of the reviewers pointed out about the final installment in the new Star Wars trilogy. It was about how the movie aimed at pleasing the hardcore fans of the series rather than focusing on a proper conclusion. According to critics, director J J Abrams failed to deliver something new to viewers.
Here are some of the critical reviews on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- The Guardian - This vast, hulking Star Destroyer of a franchise has become too cumbersome to pull off any genuinely nimble manoeuvres, but at the same time, it never falls out of the sky.
- ScreenRant - There's something for everyone to like - if not love - in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but the reverse is also true: There's something for everyone to dislike, if not hate, too.
- Cnet - The film stays on fast-forward throughout its 2 hour and 21 minute run time...The film as a whole feels a bit like this, jumping around with hardly any time for characters or moments to breathe.
- The New York Times - "The Rise of Skywalker" isn't a great "Star Wars" movie, but that may be because there is no such thing. That seems to be the way we like it.
- Vanity Fair – The Rise of Skywalker feels like such a desperate scramble to win back fans' affection, to re-create that probably uncapturable sense of awe conjured up by the original series.
- Empire - It looks gorgeous and offers strong performances from Driver and Ridley in particular, but ultimately the saga ends with neither a bang nor a whimper but something in between.
- CNN - Abrams has made a "Star Wars" movie aimed at the people who love it best. "The Rise of Skywalker" isn't perfect, but seen that way, it more than rises to the occasion.
- BBC - All The Rise of Skywalker does is wrap up everything a second time, answering the same questions and revisiting the same themes...the main feeling it instils in the viewer is a renewed respect for the imagination of Lucas. The Rise of Skywalker has been lovingly crafted by a host of talented people, and yet the best they can do is pay tribute to everything he did several decades ago.
