- Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
- Disney's conclusion to the Skywalker saga will please fans who enjoyed director J.J. Abrams' take on "The Force Awakens" and who may not have liked "The Last Jedi."
- Abrams delivers a few impressive lightsaber battles and includes the late Carrie Fisher in a thoughtful, important role.
- A big reveal may leave fans divided and wondering about creator George Lucas' original vision for the sequel trilogy.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" leans heavily on nostalgia, has at least two big surprises, and needs a second watch to digest and unpack everything going on in the two-hour-and-20-minute film.
Long thought dead, the ninth film in the saga tosses Emperor Palpatine, the antagonist of the first two trilogies, back into the mix. As Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) seek out the Sith leader for very different reasons — the former for answers and fulfillment and the latter to destroy him — the two are, once again, pit against one another in a battle for their souls.
Will Rey succumb to the dark side? Will Kylo Ren receive redemption? And, for the last time, who is Rey? "TROS" gives answers to each question while frustratingly creating others that linger.
Much like 2015's "The Force Awakens,""TROS" delivers a lot of fan service with many beats of the original trilogy. That may be enough for some. By its conclusion, people will either leave satisfied or wondering what creator George Lucas originally envisioned for his sequel trilogy.
Why you should care: This is the final film in the Skywalker saga of 'Star Wars' films and J.J. Abrams returns to direct
"The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams returns to bring the new trilogy to a close after Colin Trevorrow ("Jurassic World") parted ways with Lucasfilm as director.
"TROS" closes out the final film in the George Lucas Skywalker saga which followed young Anakin Skywalker's descent to the dark side and his eventual redemption thanks to his son, Luke. In 2015, Disney revived the series with Anakin's conflicted grandson, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren.
The main cast of Driver, Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher return. Keri Russell, Billy Dee Williams, Dominic Monaghan, and Naomie Ackie join the ninth film.
What's hot: The film fixes a lot of what upset fans with 'The Last Jedi,' brings the cast together instead of separating them, and answers questions that shouldn't have been teased this long
You have to wonder how much Abrams looked at fan reactions to "The Last Jedi" when he considered how to close the Skywalker finale.
In a recent New York Times interview, Abrams said while he believed Rian Johnson's eighth film made "bold" choices, he thought it was "a bit of a meta approach," saying he didn't think fans went to "Star Wars" to be told things don't matter.
In another interview, he told the Associated Press his finale isn't an apology for the previous film, but specific scenes in "TROS" appear to say the opposite, smoothing over and explaining away some rough edges in the eighth film involving Snoke, Luke Skywalker, and Rey.
For instance, if you were upset that Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker seemed out of character as a grumpy hermit, that's fixed here. His character seemingly does a 180 as a Force ghost. While that may please some fans, it will undoubtedly disappoint anyone who wished to see more of a positive, hopeful Luke in Johnson's film.
After waiting four long years, fans will receive an answer about Rey's lineage. Abrams doesn't completely wipe out and disregard what Kylo Ren said about Rey's parents in the last film, but he does give viewers a definitive answer — and one that may very well divide the fandom.
One of the film's best changes is our heroes aren't separated on completely different missions, a unity that was a staple in the original trilogy. Expect to see plenty of Poe Dameron, Finn, Chewbacca, and Rey together. Frankly, it was silly that Poe and Rey haven't had a real introduction until this film. C-3PO is utilized here for more than throwaway lines. In the film's first 30 minutes, he may have more dialogue than in "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi" combined.
Once again, it's the mysterious connection between Rey and Ben Solo that's a major draw in "TROS." A few lightsaber fights between the two are big highlights of the ninth film.
Fans will appreciate that Abrams found a respectful and important way to incorporate Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia into the movie. Others will enjoy how the film explores and references ideas brought up by Emperor Palpatine in "Revenge of the Sith."
A lot of "TROS" feels like it rehashes storylines in "Revenge of the Sith" and "Return of the Jedi," sometimes beat for beat. Some will feel the saga plays it too safe by tapping into that nostalgia, but Lucas has always considered "Star Wars" as poetry, saying the films "rhyme." It would be odd if the last film wasn't referential of that.
What's not: As a whole, this sequel trilogy never felt like a cohesive unit, and the conclusion was always going to divide fans
In ditching and undoing some of "TLJ," it makes the new trilogy feel like less of a connected series and more like three separate films cobbled together. More or less, that's exactly what this trilogy has been. After the release of "TLJ," Simon Pegg said Abrams had a different idea for Rey's lineage (perhaps the one finally revealed here). After Trevorrow left "Episode IX," he said he wasn't considering bringing back Palpatine.
Lucas' first two trilogies follow definitive archs. The prequel trilogy introduces us to Anakin and shows his journey to the dark side as Vader. The second trilogy introduces us to Luke, the hope to bring balance to the Force who stops the Emperor's reign of terror.
It never felt like there was one overarching idea for this trilogy. In a way, it has arguably been less about the Skywalker saga than it has been about Rey's journey to discover her place in the world. It felt like each director came in and worked on their own individual film separately. It's enough to make a fan wonder what Lucas' original treatments for this trilogy entailed, even if it had something to do with the Midi-chlorians. Disney chose not to use them.
Unlike the first six films, Disney's trilogy has been more concerned with creating mysteries, adding clever nods to the franchise to distract and appease fans, and introducing new characters (Rose, droid D-O, Zorii Bliss, and Jannah) than it ever has time to fully explore.
We're also introduced to more uses of the Force in this movie. Some of them will undoubtedly spark conversation and raise eyebrows. Honestly, after rewatching the first eight films and seeing some other exaggerated Force powers, I'm fine with letting it go and embracing whatever Abrams tells me is a Force power. "The Mandalorian" hinted at one power in particular.
If you're hoping to get some big sweeping statement about the future of the Jedi religion or whether balance was actually brought to the Force, you get a somewhat vague explanation and conclusion, which I can only assume is because Lucasfilm and Disney want to leave the world open to explore other avenues in future "Star Wars" films that have already been announced.
Overall: If you heavily disliked 'The Last Jedi,' but enjoyed 'The Force Awakens,' you should mostly enjoy 'The Rise of Skywalker'
Two years ago, I thought fans would love "The Last Jedi," and was surprised that wasn't the case. If you loved "TFA" then you should enjoy "Episode IX," though I don't think you'll love it as much. Conversely, if you enjoyed Rian Johnson's take on "Star Wars," you may not enjoy the final chapter.
Regardless, if you've been on this journey for years, you're going to come along for the ride to see how the Skywalker saga concludes. You don't spend more than 40 years with a franchise and just let it go.
One final note: Avoid the trailers if you can. Many of the film's biggest moments have been overly teased in trailers and I wish many of them were left as surprises, including the scene with all of the ships gathering in space.
"The Rise of Skywalker" is in theaters Friday. If you're game for visual spoilers, you can watch a trailer for the movie below.