The Rise of Skywalker: Identity Crises with Lightsabers

Rating: 6.9/10

The Rise of Skywalker explores how you define yourself while remaining consistent with previous Star Wars films and showcasing wonderful performances by Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.

Highlights: 

• Great actors (namely Ridley and Driver)

• Consistent with other Star Wars films

• Impactful feature of old characters

Lowlights: 

• Interesting ending

• Lengthy

• Confusing at times

As someone who's only seen about five of the nine Star Wars films, I'm not sure how much I can speak to the general efficacy of the series finale film, but I enjoyed it and thought it stayed loyal to the general motion (including the classic PowerPoint-esque scene transitions) and characters of previous films. Ridley and Driver were riveting, and I appreciated the general understandability of the plot despite my lack of Star Wars knowledge. The ending was a bit confusing, but with some research it made more sense. Tackling questions of identity, the film asks if you should let others define you or if it's something you control. The Rise of Skywalker is an action-packed film that questions identity while presenting interesting characters and staying consistent to the series.

Did you watch the movie? Do you want more? Check out the previous eight Star Wars films! Whether you watch them in order of episode or by release date, the Star Wars franchise is incredibly popular for a reason. See what all the hype is about and check out the complete series.

Watch the trailer!