Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

While, obviously, not the last film in the franchise, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is considered the last chapter in the nine-part Skywalker saga that introduced audiences to the Star Wars films back in 1977. J.J. Abrams returns as cowriter and director after having done The Force Awakens, the first in the sequel trilogy that this entry ends. After the whole galaxy learns that Darth Sidious is still alive, Kylo Ren initially wants to kill him until the powerful Sith Lord reveals he has an entire fleet of powerful Star Destroyers that he will give to him. Tasked with finding Rey, who is being trained by Leia as the young Jedi and her friends go on a mission to find where Sidious is hiding and finally put an end to the First Order. Along the way, Rey learns a dark truth about her past as she grown stronger with the Force as Kylo begins to doubt his path in the Dark Side. Being guided by the Jedis of the past, Rey alongside her friends, the Resistance, and the rest of the galaxy finally put an end to the terrors of the Sith. Whether or not the film succeeds in perfectly completing a decades long, much loved, and inspiring story, you can't deny just how epic and entertaining Rise of Skywalker is even if it feels short. The biggest issue to befall this film, even before it was made, was the death of Carrie Fisher before it was even written. While Abrams does a great job at getting around this through a mixture of deleted scenes from the 2015 film, body doubles, and some CGI, Carrie's absence is still very obvious due to Leia's minimal appearance but still making her role big. One of its biggest accomplishments is definitely with the cast, especially the chemistry between Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. The performances are powerful, whether it comes from the newer actors or veterans of the franchise. Mixing both practical and computer generated effects, this entry perfectly captures the magnificence of the universe that Star Wars is set in with the many worlds we see and the different aliens we meet. This is especially apparent with the action scenes as they are fresh, powerful, and continue to impress. One action scene that especially stands out, not just for this entry but for the franchise as a whole, is the ending battle set in Exegol. The performances, direction, writing, effects, music, and the cinematography all work together to give us an awe-inspiring sight. However, it's not without flaws, and unfortunately this film has such huge flaws that it's hard not to ignore. While the ending is good for this movie, an ending for this entire saga could have gone way better than what we got. Most of the time, the movie focuses on making references to the Original Trilogy that it's clear that the filmmakers involved wanted to capture that spirit rather than trying something new or even daring. Throughout the first few minutes, many of the scenes feel like they're trying to end as soon as soon as they start and just get to the next one. The film also fails to answer the many questions Force Awakens and The Last Jedi raised and either leads to even more or even give us answers that don't feel earned or even forced. While you do believe that Abrams truly loved the franchise, it doesn't help in realizing how too close it is to past films that it's less of an original film and more of a recreation of the best parts of the other entries. Many of the crew have admitted that they never had a plan since the new trilogy started and that each director would give their own idea, and that really shows with this film. There are numerous aspects throughout not only this, but the other new films as well, that tends to feel like extreme cases of fan fiction. The best example of this is how they show the Force, as it can sometimes border too such an extreme that it makes you question anything that has happened in the either the films, shows, or any other media. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is by no means a horrible end, but could have had a better one if one weren't trying to rely on nostalgia and had a clear plan. Over all: 100%
2019 top list so far:

1. Jojo Rabbit

2. Judy

3. Avengers: Endgame

4. Knives Out

5. Ready or Not

6. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

7. Doctor Sleep

8. Frozen II

9. Joker

10. The Lighthouse

11. Toy Story 4

12. Hustlers

13. Shazam!

14. Spider-Man: Far From Home

15. Richard Jewell

16. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

17. Villains

18. Zombieland: Double Tap

19. Rocketman

20. The Current War

21. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

22. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

23. Ad Astra

24. It Chapter 2

25. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

26. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

27. Hobbs & Shaw

28. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

29. Us

30. Aladdin 2019

31. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

32. Captain Marvel

33. The Lion King 2019

34. Yesterday

35. Pet Sematary 2019

36. The Upside

37. Dark Phoenix

38. Cold Pursuit

39. Glass