We say goodbye to the cast of Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac as they finished up the final movie to the Star Wars series and the sequels.

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Episode IX, was released on Dec. 20, 2019, tickets were almost sold out in multiple theaters as fans from all age ranges bought tickets to see the end of the series that came out in 1977, Star Wars: A New Hope, Episode IV. With the final movie ending the series, there is a mixture of reviews from a lot of the viewers who watched it on its release date and many more that came after.
Since 1977, the saga grew to become the most cherished franchises throughout the world, affecting billions in the world from all age ranges, families, and backgrounds. The saga has left a significant impact on our culture, leaving nostalgia, memories, and a love for the series. For instance, I was one of the billions of people affected by the franchise.
I had seen the originals from a young age, and I became a strong fan of Natalie Portman’s character from the prequels, Padme Amidala. When I heard the news that Disney bought Star Wars, I was enthused, despite the worries that other fans had about Disney ruining the franchise that we had to come to know and love. My brother and I bought tickets as soon as we could and saw it a few weeks after the premiere date.
I didn’t know what to expect with the Rise of Skywalker, but I had high hopes from the trailer. Palpatine’s return after his demise in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It was a plot twist to discover Rey was the granddaughter of Palpatine, but brought even more joy when she took the Skywalker last name. She believed that she earned it from her hard work and dedication even after Luke Skywalker died, and she proved herself as a Jedi and showing she had the power of all jedi as Palpatine had the power of all of the sith.
The return of Lando Calrissian was something everyone was enthused about as it brought a sense of nostalgia from the original days and they didn’t fail compared to the backlash of The Last Jedi, the second movie bringing waves of criticism compared to The Rise of Skywalker.
A review from IMDB by user Erratics gave it a six out of ten and said it was “a decent thrill ride, and it provides us with some satisfying moments.” The user also made a point to show movie errors, pointing out areas for improvement. “It fails to tell a compelling story. It feels empty. It rushes through a corporate checklist of must-have moments at a chaotic pace. It manages to thrill with epic space battles, but it lacks a soul. There’s no creative vision here, no story to tell.”
A review from Rotten Tomatoes, from user Christopher O, rated it a 4.5 out of five stars with nothing but positive words to say, mentioning that it was “the best of the last three with thrills, laughs, and melancholy.” Having praise for the actors’ hard work throughout the trilogy and the wrap to the famous saga, “the acting is very good especially Ridley and Driver.” He ended his review by saying that the final film reminded him of the nostalgia of his childhood and a fitting way to end the movies.
Richard Brody wrote an opposing review compared to Christopher O, from Rotten Tomatoes. The critic had a lot to say about the movie and had criticism and feedback for JJ Abrams, screen writers, and actors. Saying that “the hermetic logic of the plot is impeccable as it is ridiculous.” Going into depth about the plot as he says “It’s a drama crafted with robotic insularity for the consumption of viewers being rendered as robotic.” Ending his review by saying that the movie itself lacked the soul that the other movies had.
Overall, the final installment to the saga was a good one, it was a good end to a series that many have come to know and love over the years since A New Hope was released. It brought back a feeling of nostalgia from the old use of quotes that many have memorized from memes and the scenes, such as Palpatine saying “do it,” or the sith lord also saying “the dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.” The acting was thrilling to watch as the script came to life and I would recommend this movie to any person who wants to start watching the saga or some who aren’t sure if it’s worth the ticket.