As the final film in the Skywalker saga, The Rise of Skywalker, certainly had high expectations resting on its shoulders. That's what makes it all the more disappointing that the film spectacularly failed in almost every possible way it could have.
Almost every overarching storyline it attempted to resolve, whether from the sequel trilogy or from the saga as a whole, felt hollow, reductive, and self-indulgent. Characters seldom acted like themselves, and fan service and nostalgia absolutely bloated the already overstuffed film. Here, we take a look at what actually worked in the disappointing saga conclusion, and what absolutely did not work at all.
Best: Babu Frik steals the show
Star Wars has always been filled with aliens, especially adorable ones. But few of them have been as tiny, as adorable, and as downright hilarious as the black market droidsmith from Kijimi, Babu Frik.
Though this tiny Anzellan barely has two minutes of screentime, he stands out as one of the absolute highlights of the movie. Whether whooping enthusiastically, commenting that C-3PO's memory will go "blech," or proudly introducing himself, Babu is a tiny friend we'd all love to have.
Underwhelming: The Resistance wins?
At its core, Star Wars is meant to be a story about hope - a fairytale, if you will. So why does The Rise of Skywalker's ending ring so absolutely hollow? After the magical deus ex machina of apparently the entire galaxy coming to the Resistance's aid, for no clear good reason, the First Order and Final Order ships overhead begin to explode.
But that's it. There's no indication that this really is the last of the First Order. What if there had been a base elsewhere, or hidden ships? The Emperor may be gone, but the Resistance claiming this as a victory in the way the Battle at Endor feels beyond hollow.
Best: Lando returns
The Rise of Skywalker may have been filled to the brim with nostalgia, whether in the form of blink and you miss it cameos from characters like Wedge Antilles or self-inflated self-referential callbacks. But one of the few instances of nostalgia and fanservice that truly worked was the return of Billy Dee Williams' Lando Calrissian.
Every bit as smooth and charming as he once was, Lando is exactly the character we always knew and loved. He also gets to have plenty of heroic moments in his few minutes of screentime, showing he's more than earned his legacy as a galactic hero.
Underwhelming: Palpatine's return
For months now, the return of Emperor Palpatine has been hyped up to no end as one of the most important parts of The Rise of Skywalker. But in the end, not only was Palpatine barely in the movie, his entire arc truly made very little sense.
At first, he wanted Kylo Ren to kill Rey. Then he changed his mind, and wanted Rey to be brought to him alive. Then he wanted Rey to kill him, so she could become Empress. Also, he magically created Snoke and had the power of every Sith who ever lived, who seemed to exist in his temple as acolytes. What? No, seriously: what? We're trying to make sense of it all. We just can't.
Best: Han and Ben make amends
At its core, Star Wars is a family saga. For decades, it's been the saga of the Skywalker family in particular. And while Kylo Ren is the true last Skywalker, it's his Solo family heritage that stands out as one of the film's strongest moments.
In one of the more unexpected and profoundly moving scenes, a more conflicted than ever Kylo Ren finds himself visited by the memory of his father, Han Solo. In the touching scene, father and son finally make amends for the wrongs that had been done, as they are afforded a chance to recreate their last moment together in the way things should have been. It's through Han's love, and Kylo's apology and self-loathing, that redemption is finally earned.
Underwhelming: Rey's lineage reveal
One of the The Last Jedi was the reveal that Rey was actually no one. It sent a message that the nature of the Force was not blood-bound, privileged, genetic. It allowed for anyone to earn their place in this story, no matter the circumstances of their birth or the family into which they were born.
The Rise of Skywalker quite literally spits in the face of that notion, with a reveal that pulls the rugs out from under the audience's feet. In the laziest possible choice, Rey is revealed to be a Palpatine, whose parents sold her into indentured servitude as a way to protect her. It's offensive, reductive, and deeply unsettling.
Best: Ben Solo returns
As the moment with Han and Kylo Ren establishes, Ben Solo accepts the light inside of him once and for all and returns to the light side of the Force in one of the most striking moments not just in the film, but in the entirety of the saga. The very demeanor of his character has changed, as has his costume, and Adam Driver delivers a true masterclass in wordless acting as we watch the redeemed Solo son come back to life.
Ben Solo is absolutely feral, undaunted, and willing to give up anything and everything to make amends and save those he cares about most, including his dyad mate, Rey. He throws himself wholeheartedly into his role saving the galaxy once and for all - just as his father and mother once did.
Underwhelming: Rey's ending
If Rey Palpatine was the laziest writing choice in the entirety of the film, maybe it would've been okay. There's something symbolic about a Palpatine choosing the light and defeating the galaxy's greatest evil once and for all.
But when it comes to the choice to have Rey settle down in exile on Tatooine, and symbolically choose the name Skywalker for herself, the movie really couldn't be any lazier. Rey has no connection to Tatooine, and even if she did, the Skywalker family hated it there and endured nothing but pain and suffering. Furthermore, why Skywalker? Rey and Luke hardly ever got along. It would have made more sense to declare herself Rey Organa, Rey Solo, or - shocking we know - just Rey.
Best: Reylo is real
For years now, the nature of the relationship between heroine Rey and onetime villain Kylo Ren has been the subject of great debate. But for all that time, a certain maligned fan group has been preaching what turned out to be the truth: these two are not only inexorably connected to one another, but they are meant for each other, in love with each other, and the closest the saga has come to creating absolutely destined soulmates.
The way they fight together in the film's final act is a thing of beauty, as is Ben's selfless choice to heal Rey and bring her back to life. Above all, their beyond poignant kiss, coupled with their soft intimacy and giddy smiles, makes for one of the film's only real, genuine human moments - one that these two troubled kids more than deserved.
Underwhelming: Ben's death
But what they absolutely did not deserve, and what we as viewers certainly did not either, was the decision to have Ben literally die in Rey's arms not two seconds after they embraced, and just mere minutes after he redeemed himself more powerfully than Vader ever could have hoped to.
In the grand scheme of things, Star Wars reinforces the lazy message that in order to redeem yourself, to atone for your sins, you must die. There is no future in which Ben is allowed to make true amends with everyone he has hurt - and he's not allowed the dignity of a memorial, or a Force Ghost, in the way that actual monster Darth Vader once was.
