Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker reviewed by Mark Kermode

Mark Kermode reviews Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. Rey, Finn, Poe and their friends unite to ward off the rampaging Kylo Ren and his new alliance with an old threat.
Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.
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[@Triertop]

"there's no need to discuss the plot" sounds like a winner

[@bobcatdriver6930]

This cracked me up 😂

[@tepsicouch]

"long distance relationship with Kylo Ren" lol

[@Dog0nWheels]

Who would have thought that a trilogy of films based around one of the biggest IP's in cinema with one of the most ravenous fan bases, with no road map, written by several different people who never consulted each other, could possibly go pear shaped? I for one am shocked.

[@FootyCrazyM8]

Still baffles me why they wouldn't have a 3 film plan when they knew they were going to make 3 films. I feel like it just shows how little they actually care about the quality of the films

[@Ryan-gh4iz]

Self made billionaire, owner of WWE, and all around great guy, Vince McMahon once said “Don’t give fans what they think they want. Instead, give them what they don’t know they want.” This is why we once saw an 80 year old former wrestler have a fling with the world’s strongest man, get pregnant, and gave birth to a plastic hand.

[@carn5haun343]

But how does it compare to The Exorcist?

[@frankmerker630]

Think “Exorcist II: The Heretic” but making even less sense

[@shaggydog9789]

I like the point that Mark makes at 4:31, I've been saying that some of the secondary characters in this, such as Domonic Monaghan's guy or Zori Bliss, just felt like NPCs from a video game that just pop up solely with the purpose of feeding exposition.

[@p0rq]

"It's a handsome looking movie" = "How did I enjoy dinner last night? Well, the decor was lovely."

[@holdyourcolour1987]

"Stuff! And then action." Should be on the poster.

[@PolarPhantom]

As a big fan of Star Wars and especially The Last Jedi? This film hurt a lot.

[@ianpearson8976]

Mayo now looking like Christopher walken

[@coreykitchen5269]

For me the saga ended at ROTJ. It's got a better ending and a better conclusion to a 6 film story.

[@iainjames03]

I'm very open-minded about the way this trilogy has developed. But if self-confessed gaming philistine Mark can describe what plot there is as a videogame fetch-quest then something is definitely rotten in the state of Star Wars.

[@jasonfitzpatrick2197]

Now we have all three films to look at, the decision to give TLJ to Rian Johnson seems more mental than it did when his attachment was announced. All three films by JJ would have led to a basically safe retread of the original trilogy, updated for a modern audience: fine. All three films by Rian Johnson would have led to a radical re-imagining of the whole shebang, and a chance to create something fresh out of a stock formula: also fine. Instead, TFA, while being a little too safe, built a house that TLJ gleefully set fire to, leaving TRoS to try to pick up the pieces; and so the audience who wanted something familiar, and the audience that wanted something different, were both left disappointed by the whole endeavour.

[@tropictom5996]

As a theme park ride it’s smashing. As a story it’s a bit penny dreadful.

[@Ton-uy1xd]

I've never liked Star Wars at all but I feel bad for the fans. If someone came along and somehow did this level of injustice to Tolkein's work, I would be just as pissed.

[@devi2691]

"That, people, is how you play this game"? what, did you except him to go: "Well Mark, Disney said they'd give me my own Star Wars trilogy to work on if i made the last Jedi and then reneged on the deal when they saw the finished film. but it's okay, Mark. I'm not bitter at all.." read between the lines, hon..

[@thebeardsman2031]

As a star wars fan from day one, my feeling is I'm glad it's over!

[@Stupoider]

He laughed... He shouted... He fist-pumped the air

[@nigelcarren]

This sounds like that moment when a 12 year-old me handed my mother the painting I had been working on in secret for her birthday, she slowly tore the paper off and said: "Ohhh wow.... I love the frame"!

[@tcac1687]

Let's come back in ten years and see what we think

[@paulaburrows8660]

So good to watch a Rise review that isn't hysterical.

[@TheHacknor]

The Disney trilogy ultimately suffered from a lack of clear vision and a road map that the directors/writers should have had to follow, the result is a mess

[@frankmerker630]

They paid the price for their lack of vision

[@mck-qt7hu]

Nice jacket Mark.

[@lemmingstu5046]

Well, as long as Rian Johnson enjoyed making The Last Jedi, that’s the important thing

[@Superfantastictop10]

Star Wars just leaves me cold now. It's become a never ending franchise. There will be reboots. A series that never ends had no stakes and diminished value. Who cares any more?

[@IamFirtyDucker]

Best thing about this trilogy is Kylo Ren's character and his arc. Everything involving him is interesting and more thought out. Also Adam Driver's great performance completely sells it. This film is convenient, not built on any structure due to the previous films, narratively messy, does rely on nostalgia moments far too heavily. But I still enjoyed it and had a good time, despite recognising its flaws. Parts of it especially Kylo Ren's arc was very satisfying.

[@DucksCourage]

I understand why many people like the film, as you said it has entertaining moments. However, as someone who was very invested in the characters and the story I hated the film. Instead of building on what TFA and TLJ did, it retcons them in a way that makes TLJ in particular make no sense. Instead, we get a film that does something we have seen before done better in Star Wars with an incredible amount of fan service. As you said, like a greatest hits reel. I don't feel like it ended the saga well because (mild SPOILER) we are essentially in the same place as we were at the end of the original trilogy. As a film, too, its pacing and story structure are totally no existent. For me, it moved so quickly that it couldn't really explore the emotional implications for the characters in any real depth. It got so ridiculous around half way through that I felt nothing had any weight. However, I think a lot of people will be entertained. And 3PO was great in the film.

[@whenindoubtdo]

Chris Torrio, the writer of Batman V Superman and Justice League... Also co-wrote Rise of Skywalker. This film was doomed from the start.

[@Northstar-Media]

He laughed.. He shouted..His fist pumped the air... It was crap 😢

[@gordonthespeed4499]

"I laughed, I cried, I fist pumped the air....."

[@howieb4217]

It was like they gave the franchise to Michael Bay. No pacing, no character development, no real story arc - just action sequences randomly stitched together and no emotional involvement as a result. There were some decent bits in the last 1/3 - if you're a SW fan you can't help get involved when the music kicks in and the lightsabres are crackling - but it was cheap fan service at best and the rest was poor.

[@mattguy1980]

THERE'S NO NEED TO DISCUSS THE PLOT...... BECAUSE IT HASN'T GOT ONE LOL

[@AceOThorns]

Having a plan and sticking to it is how Marvel (and Sony) got to make 23 movies and finish with the satisfying Avengers Endgame. The Last Jedi needed to feed into this movie, building some momentum... which many felt it didn't. I came to The Rise of Skywalker with an open mind, and enjoyed it.

[@countgeekula9143]

Pretty much summed up exactly how I felt about it. Like Mark I loved TLJ for same reasons he gave. Love it or hate it, it felt like a proper film. To me, TROS mostly felt like a highly contrived cut and paste job from a hundred different fan subreddits. But, yes, Driver and Ridley were still very good.

[@harrisont2004]

This is the most accurate review of the movie that I’ve seen. Mark is fair to all aspects of the film, good and bad, and I feel like I had a similar reaction to him. Enjoyed it, but these bits weren’t great.

[@supersonic79]

You failed to mention the Elephant in the room. The return of Palpatine. A desperate decision made purely due to Rian Johnson killing off Snoke in The Last Jedi, and in turn, retconning the events of Return Of The Jedi. There was no storyline for this trilogy, it’s a complete mess.

[@TheBuccaneer1975]

Top tip, if your relasing a trilogy then storyboard the whole lot.....and stick to it!!!

[@lewis8552]

Richard E Grant being trolled by Limmy gets a mention lol.

[@joshthompson7936]

Its amazing that the same studio that planned the MCU didn't have the foresight to map out the trilogy.

[@jeremymullins1294]

Episode 8, Rey teams up with Kylo and they go full dark. Episode 9, Luke & Leia take on Reylo together and some combination of redemption and death between the 4 characters takes place. There, I fixed the trilogy.

[@bradavon]

It probably could've done with a single person overseeing all three films, as was always the case before.

[@websalsero]

I will probably never understand how it is possible to like “The Last Jedi”, wich I hated, but I respect different opinions. But since the last movie I just lost completely the interest in watching Star Wars and I will not go to the theater to watch “The Rise of Skywalker”. But really, not because I am angry and want to protest ... I simply doesn’t care anymore ... very sad. I saw the first movie in the theater as a child but after more than 40 years the magic is gone. Maybe they don’t target me as audience anyway ...

[@bgb5126]

And Wedge returns, for 2 seconds!

[@theomegajuice8660]

There's something very poetic about a dull and safe Star Wars film being in theatres at the same time as Rian Johnson has a really clever, entertaining and award-nominated film that challenges and revitalises a fairly tired genre...

[@Thomas-Jay-Baker]

Great review as usual. Interesting point about Johnson at the end there (wasn’t aware of the Knives Out interview), something to keep in mind in this chaotic discourse that always follows these films.

[@peterwright5311]

Although you say that this film doesn't pick up the threads of Last Jedi, you say that this now feels like a trilogy with a first and a third film but no second film. It is Last Jedi that is the problem - Johnson deliberately did not pick up on the breadcrumbs scattered by Abrams in The Force Awakens - who is Rey? Who is Snoke? Why does Rey have all these force powers and why did she bond so quickly with Luke's lightsaber? The Last Jedi narrative simply didn't make sense as it had no continuity with these issues.

[@ashleyferrar5276]

It stings because I and alot of people feel like they missed a great opportunity to make a fantastic trilogy. They had 30 years of back story's to tap into and didn't utilise luke or anakin. The trilogy failed to wow me

[@phillydavison]

1 of the biggest movie franchises ever and they didnt even write their 3 stories out before a scene was even filmed and that is just criminal. This movie did the best job it could to wrap up so many stories and end the Skywalker saga too, it pretty much had an impossible job to do but they brought it on themselves by their bizarre planning of the trilogy.

[@hastekulvaati9681]

I think they should have drawn a line under the whole thing in 1984.

[@LickMyLovePump11]

Another great review where Mark tells you everything whilst giving away nothing!

[@amandeepv]

The emperor was dead fact

[@python3773]

could not have said it better myself, I felt very similar about the film and I respect how Mark didn't attack anyone while calmly voicing his opinion.

[@jonathanadnitt7704]

Sounds like rian was playing a different game to what he told you mark.

[@Chrispy01a]

Now we have the full story arc of the current Star Wars saga, the standouts have always been Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One - Gareth Edwards should be first in line for Direction duties for the next instalment given how much love and dedication was put into Rogue One.

[@jimhartley1421]

I haven't seen it yet but I've heard there are horses on a starship, how & why - did the budget run out for special effects?

[@portland-182]

Disney are still pretending that there was no vitriol

[@AnimationRevolution]

It's basically Transformers with light sabers. That's either good or bad depending on what you're looking for a in a movie.

[@hammyhamster8349]

I enjoyed it. I laughed - mainly at the myriad of call backs and the exposition - but I still don't think Mark understands why TLJ upset so many fans. And even more intrigued as where Mark thought RJ (who I can't believe didn't know what he was doing and was far from as cool as he has tried to make out to you) was taking it? There's been hate on both sides over TLJ but everyone who comments on either side seems to get tarred with the same brush and the people responsible for that film have sadly joined in. But Twitter is the world we live in ... unfortunately. I think Mark's review is fair. It's certainly no "Empire". There may be bigger fans of Mark (they must be really big) than me but it will be a sad day when I no longer hear or read his thoughts. BTW "Subversive" is the word most commonly used when it comes to TLJ, but I always felt that Rogue One was subversive (for the first half at least) and I loved that. TLJ felt like being slapped repeatedly in the face by a wet fish and me just staring at it saying "Will you just stop?"

[@MarkSmith-fl4zq]

I actually enjoyed the film, looks great and didn't seem to drag at all. It's all opinions though so I get why people don't like it but I thought it was a good fun film.

[@greggwayling7580]

Agree with everything Mark said. Personal opinion: The identity of the prequels is that it tried to squeeze in too many ideas and explanations and setups for the original. The identity of the recent trilogy is that they didn't have a plan, they weren't sure what they were doing.

[@MGB_2024]

Rewatched TFA and TLJ before watching Rise of Skywalker on its opening night. Wasn't a fan of The Last Jedi at all, but The Rise of Skywalker made me like it. On a rewatch, I realised that, although I'm not the biggest fan of its pacing, The Last Jedi raised far more interesting concepts than were in The Force Awakens or The Rise of Skywalker. The narrative I'd consumed about it "not respecting the originals" was in fact the inverse - The Last Jedi saw Luke, Leia etc were characters rather than pop culture icons and by doing something deliberately wacky and out-there, Rian Johnson channeled George Lucas' original vision for Star Wars. The reason why I love The Last Jedi now is in part because of how uncomfortable I initially felt with how it was going. Where The Force Awakens (which I do still like) and The Rise of Skywalker gave us Star Wars, The Last Jedi told a story.

[@Vaultboy101]

It didn't pick up the gauntlet that was throw down by The Last Jedi? What you mean "Write yourself out of this!"

[@antray8481]

By the end. I just didn't care about anyone, because I could see behind the curtain. And that literally nothing is final. Everything can be undone or changed if it gets more toys sold or more Twitter fans happy. Nothing is sacred and that means there are no real stakes. So I just stopped caring

[@ChristophProbst]

Trilogy 1 was Anakin's story. Trilogy 2 was Anakin's son's story. Trilogy 3 SHOULD have been Anakin's grandson's story. Instead it focused on a completely new character (Rey) and Ben Solo's story was cast to the side.

[@emwin2833]

I don't always agree with Kermode, but I feel like this review hits everything that was wrong in the movie

[@onbedoeldekut1515]

Forty-two years ago, I began a journey through the galaxy in a cinema in Tankerton. It took me to places I could never have conceived, gave me dreams which showed me glimpses of the future, and filled me with aspirations to be more than I am. At times, the journey took some unexpected, unwanted, undesirable directions, from which our collective memories recoil, and which filled me with a deep fear for how my journey would conclude. That adventure has now ended, with a tumultuous onslaught of relentless emotions, tied together with a familiar score, penned by the masterful hand of John Williams. Despite all I had read and seen telling me that what I just experienced would be the death-knell of the hopes and dreams of my childhood, I was carried aloft with each new scene. There wasn't time to catch my breath as one frame fed into the next, highs and lows shocking me into anger and then slapped awake by sleight of hand and the realisation of my folly. My fears were unfounded, the epic of my youth rekindled and far brighter than the previous abomination led me to expect. My journey began a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, and it has ended strong and bright in memories I can hold dear once more. Maybe there can be hope for the future.

[@con_doorman]

Just watched RoS. Its a movie of two halves. The first half is as Mark described with characters doing various things to collect items around the galaxy, but after a very emotional middle 10 minutes (the first time I teared up in a Star Wars movie) it hits its stride and comes to a satisfying conclusion. Yes, it's mainly a tick-box exercise for fans but at least characters were treated with more respect than in TLJ. And TLJ had the Canto Bight storyline that didn't achieve anything and just distracted from the main arc.

[@flytetime7637]

Disney paid Lucasfilm 4 billion for the rights to Star Wars and didn’t think to put Han, Luke and Leia on the screen together. It would have an ideal fan service. A missed opportunity.

[@he1ar1]

star wars: pirates of the caribbean

[@slothlovechunk]

"I liked the last Jedi" But why?

[@harryhicks1142]

Unfortunately to me, this will always be the trilogy of “what could have been...”

[@cjwright79]

I had cancelled plans to see this but I think maybe I'll alter that deal. Then again, it was on Mark's recommendation that I went to see The Force Awakens, which I regretted. So I'm going to seek some more opinons. And could it be nearing the time to upgrade our in-studio camera to 1080p?

[@hurpldurp]

I agree on TLJ, and partly therefore I don't feel very encouraged by what I hear about this film. I'm sure JJ Abrams did what he could given the circumstances, though. Also, mad respect for Rian Johnson for not taking things badly. Thanks for a good review!

[@N93000]

It was non stop Carrie Fisher did anchor it with some good emotional scenes. Finn just feels underused this time again, John Boyega should produce a star wars story with his character. The sequel episodes in general have been lackluster great eye candy though . The extended movies made around the episodes like the brilliant Rogue One and a decent adventure movie Solo gave fair shots of what else can be done in this universe with the recent Mandolorian series being a solid hitter. It was middle of the road really that saying one of my favourites is Revenge of the sith so take that with Tatooine salt.

[@Richard_Jones]

Thankyou Mark, no spoilers, no clips with the best bits. I will be seeing it next week despite being now feeling slightly dubious about the possible missed opportunity Rian Johnson presented them.

[@fuckyoutube2483]

"Didn't pick up the gauntlet thrown down by The Last Jedi" What a farce! As if The Last Jedi didn't (literally) throw the charge of its predecessor over its shoulder. If any film lacked respect to what came before, it's the Last Jedi, and your assessment of that film is as baffling as ever.

[@mathieuleader8601]

if the trilogy had been an adaptation of the successful novel series the Thawn Trilogy it would have been a success

[@MikeyC314]

On the point of not picking up the baton from TLJ, I felt it did in some very important ways. Without getting too spoilery, the Rey/Ren dyad and dynamic was carried through very well as was the evolution of the force which TLJ took some liberties with. Oddly I’ve found myself having a new respect for TLJ because of this film and I didn’t think that was possible.

[@TheWaynos73]

One of the reasons Mad Max Fury Road was so good was that it was largely made outside of the Hollywood system. George Miller took the time and the care to make something that was quality and with a fantastic ending. Disney however doesnt give a damn about creating a decent story with a great ending - their approach is yep, whatever, crank it out, just get it on the screen and take the public’s money. This won’t be the last star wars film either. There will be more and more unrelated films to the Skywalker saga now. Expect at least 20 or 30 more or until they stop making money.

[@southernkatrina8161]

No plot but great graphics. Oh dear.

[@mrs.featherbottom5901]

I always look forward to your reviews.

[@TheJlook2000]

this is one case where a studio caved in to fan pressure . Watching the film you constantly think - where did that come from ? oh yeah .... the fans

[@joshuawiljanen3403]

I'm shocked he found this entertaing and good looking. It was fast paced but somehow dull and boring. And the visuals were so dark and colorless and the camera would not stop shaking.

[@jamesgreenwood2289]

I think that's a pretty accurate review. Some Force stuff happens that I'm not ecstatic about but it's a good, fun adventure.

[@nigellee7895]

If when as a boy you had told me that sitting watching the first film and the words Episode Three came scrolling across the screen that it would be 42 years before I got to see the final film I would have had trouble even visualising the time difference. That having been said I was disappointed. It seemed like an endless list of Star Wars tropes and cliches thrown into an overlong film. Towards the end I was rooting for the Sith just to bring it to a rapid closure. I mean at one point Darth Vader's helmet is knocked off a pedestal. How more cliched could it get?

[@tomwebb7091]

As a Star Wars fan since rhe 80s, the moment he says its more of a sequel to Force Awakens and almost renders the Last Jedi redundant i was absolutely sold 👍

[@Orewood]

Agree with Mark. The Rise of Skywalker is an enjoyable but hollow experience. And it absolutely lacks the strength of its conviction. If you count C-3PO getting his memory erased as a character death, then I counted no less than five times the movie seemingly kills a character only to immediately backpedal and undo it.

[@emgee44]

If the film seemed muddled or risk averse, then that’s most likely down to Disney and Kathleen Kennedy because they ignored Lucas.

[@drewnice1]

Why are the comments turned off for Mark's review of Cats? 😂

[@SteveA308]

I'd like to know what Mark thought was the things that the Last Jedi advanced and challenged amongst the saga. I rated it "OK" with some awesome bits and some naff bits. Be good to understand what he saw in it that I didn't quite.

[@hopeysmoke]

Would love to know what those TLJ ‘ plot developments’ are as it ended with nowhere to go??

[@elonmush4793]

Seriously, I was thinking to myself: If Mark defends this movie, I cannot trust his judgement any longer. The movie has no scenes! It's just set piece after set piece after set piece in a pace that doesn't let the audience appreciate anything about this universe.

[@Valaskjold]

TLJ wasn't nearly as clever as Rian Johnson thought it was. All it did was negate interesting characters and plotlines, while resetting the story back to Empire vs rebels. It's boring. So is ROS, when all is said and done..

[@Chewbacca2000]

A trilogy is meant to have an overall story arc, not be like a relay race where the first guy (JarJar Abrams) tries to take it safe, completes his bit but doesn't go flat out and produces an uninspiring performance. He passes it to the next guy (Ruin Johnson) and this clown just runs off the track straight to the toilet, chucks the baton down the bog and takes a shit on it. The third guy (Colin Trevorrow) gets sent off the track by the coach (KrayKray KK) for not being happy abt what his team has done. So the first guy (JarJar Abrams) has to replace him, who has to now fish out the baton from the bog and do his best with it. Meanwhile, the coach (KrayKray KK) is congratulating the second guy (Ruin Johnson) and telling him he'll get more big races in the future. I mean just wtf is going on here haha! Just got to wonder why there's that much incompetence because it's almost like the goal they have is to tarnish what George Lucas made imo.

[@chae2ice327]

You really summed up how I felt pretty much dead on so thank you!

[@sf3testvids]

Sorry for redundant question but....is Mark wearing a Nexus 6 Tyrell corporation top?

[@nightwinghunter]

I'm so relieved. Have tickets for Sunday. Can't wait.

[@rory7590]

Totally agreed. The Last Jedi was an attempt to democratise The Force by suggesting that it wasn’t just an inheritance of lineage, but that anybody could have it flowing through them. At times the plotting was clumsy, but there was a through-line with the story and theme and it provoked thought. Rise of Skywalker is an attempt to checklist everything the fans wanted and airbrush out anything controversial about The Last Jedi. The storyline is driven by that and, for me, there was just a sense of ho-hum when it’s all over.

[@davidryding6486]

I compare it to The Exorcist 2-The Heretic