--- title: "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" year: 2019 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker" fi1m_score: 50 critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 18 published: "2026-09-18T12:05:44.205711+00:00" updated: "2026-09-18T12:05:44.643807+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Directed by J.J. Abrams · 2h 22m · MPA PG-13 · Adventure, Action, Science Fiction **Fi1m score: 50** · Critics 59 from 18 reviews *In a sentence:* Everybody runs, every object is a map to another object, and the dead are mostly back > J.J. Abrams closes the saga at a sprint, undoing most of what the previous film dared and replacing it with a treasure hunt. It looks superb, Driver and Ridley are better than the script, and at the end we found we had felt almost nothing. ## Synopsis A broadcast in the voice of Emperor Palpatine, long thought dead, reaches every corner of the galaxy. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) hunts down its source in the unmapped dark and finds a fleet waiting there. On a jungle world, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) is training Rey (Daisy Ridley), whose concentration keeps breaking. A spy inside the First Order confirms the Emperor is alive. Rey, Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) take the Millennium Falcon to a desert planet, following notes left by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), to find a relic that will chart the way to the Emperor before the fleet launches. ## Review The poster says the saga concludes and the opening crawl says the dead speak. J.J. Abrams, who restarted the series with *The Force Awakens* (2015) and handed the middle film to Rian Johnson, comes back to finish it, and finishing turns out to mean two things: bring back the Emperor, and undo as much of *The Last Jedi* (2017) as 142 minutes allow. It is superbly made and well acted and it is frightened of its audience. We were entertained for most of it and moved by little of it. The plot is a fetch quest. Emperor Palpatine is alive somewhere in the unmapped dark with a fleet; to find him Rey (Daisy Ridley) needs a relic that charts the way; to find that she needs a dagger; to read the dagger she needs a droid wiped and rewired. The screenplay is by Abrams and Chris Terrio, from a story they share with Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow, and it reads like four writers agreeing on a list. Nobody in it wants anything for longer than a scene except Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who wants Rey. What Abrams can still do is put a picture on a screen. Dan Mindel shoots a desert festival in hard yellow light with coloured streamers snapping across it, and the wreck of the old Death Star as black ribs in a grey sea, waves breaking over the two leads as they fight. Rick Carter and Kevin Jenkins build the Emperor’s hiding place as a cavern of black stone lit only by lightning, with a fleet parked below the throne in rows to the horizon. Michael Kaplan gives Kylo Ren his shattered helmet back, welded with seams of red, and it says more about the man than most of his lines. Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube cut it at a run. Few scenes last two minutes, conversations happen on the move, and when the film stops it is usually so someone can say what the plot needs said. The exception is the link between Rey and Ren, who can see and touch each other across the galaxy; these scenes, played almost in silence with objects passing from one room to the other, are the best written and best cut in the film. John Williams, scoring his ninth of these, brings back every theme he has, and twice we were moved by a cue that arrived before the picture had earned it. He is doing the work the script left undone. Driver is the reason to watch. He plays Ren as a man who has won everything he set out to win and has no idea what to do with his mornings, and the tantrums look like symptoms rather than costume. Ridley is steady and less well served; the film keeps asking her to be frightened of herself and cutting away before she can be. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac spend most of the running time running and bickering, and Finn is given something to tell Rey that he never gets to say. Naomi Ackie’s Jannah and Keri Russell’s Zorii Bliss arrive with a history each and are left holding it. Richard E. Grant is a pleasure as Allegiant General Pryde, cold and pleased with himself. Carrie Fisher died before this film was shot, and her Leia is assembled from footage made for the earlier ones. The seams show. She is filmed slightly apart from everyone, her lines are short and general, and people react to things she has not quite said. We expected to find it ghoulish and instead found it sad, which the film did not plan, and it is the one sadness in it we trusted. The previous film’s boldest decisions, about who Rey is and what the Force is for, are reversed or quietly forgotten, and we will not say how. Abrams treats the film before his as a fault to be repaired, and the repairs take up so much room that his own story never gets a middle. [*Return of the Jedi*](https://film.one/film/return-of-the-jedi) (1983) also ended with an emperor and a large gun in space, and it gave its emperor an hour in a chair to be frightening. This one gives him a broadcast. See it if you have seen the other eight, and see it on the biggest screen you have. Do not expect to be surprised. It runs 142 minutes and carries a 12A. *Fi1m score 50, published 18 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews split almost evenly, and the overall lean is only just positive. Where critics agree is on the cast: Adam Driver is praised in nearly every notice, Daisy Ridley in most, and the scenes between Rey and Kylo Ren are picked out as the film’s emotional centre even by those who dislike the rest. The set pieces, effects and production values are admired across the board, and several reviews credit Abrams with pace and a fluent handling of the saga’s legacy. The reservations cluster on fan service and caution. Many critics find the film rushed and overcrowded, and a large group call it a retreat from The Last Jedi into safe nostalgia, with little new to say. The spread is unusually wide, from raves at The Telegraph and Variety to the Los Angeles Times calling it a failure of nerve and Polygon and The Ringer judging it a creative defeat. British outlets are noticeably kinder than American ones. ### Reviews we read (18) - **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (90/100, inferred): Abrams delivers a roaring success with swashbuckling spectacle, emotional core in the Rey-Ren relationship, and a satisfying, heartfelt conclusion that feels precious despite some early pacing issues. The film excels in world-building, set pieces and thematic sense. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2019/12/19/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-review-jj-abrams-heroes-ending/) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (90/100, inferred): It is the most elegant, emotionally rounded and gratifying Star Wars adventure since the original films, with strong performances especially from Daisy Ridley. The film has rousing action and timely resonance despite some length and conveniences. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-daisy-ridley-adam-driver-jj-abrams-1203445811/) - **The Times**, Tom Shone (★★★★): Abrams brings the series to a satisfying conclusion with a swift, racy, superbusy send-off that confirms his fluency with the material. The film handles the legacy and haunted elements of the franchise well while delivering the expected spectacle. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/article/film-reviews-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-and-cats-f759hp3t7) - **Total Film**, Jamie Graham (4/5): Abrams delivers a bumpy but ultimately satisfying ride packed with action, emotion, callbacks and fan service. The quiet moments and perfect ending are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/) - **Sight and Sound**, Rebecca Harrison (75/100, inferred): The film is an energetic caper that ties loose ends with dexterity and offers a warm, enjoyable if flawed experience full of fan service and nostalgia. It praises the sense of hope, strong performances especially from Adam Driver, and moments of community and kindness amid its breathless pace and occasional character sidelining. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/star-wars-episode-ix-rise-skywalker-review-new-hope-springs-eternal) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (70/100, inferred): The film is the send-off the saga deserves but largely the one expected, with epic action and efficient storytelling that ties up loose ends within a coherent if cumbersome narrative. It benefits from momentum, visual flair and mythic grandeur but offers little in the way of surprises or deep character exploration. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/18/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-death-is-not-the-end-in-new-trilogys-laborious-exit) - **IndieWire** (C+): Abrams delivers a costly tribute to the franchise that is spectacular yet uninspired, fixated on fan service and expectations while playing into the bottom line. It benefits from strong performances by the core cast and stunning effects but has a hollow core. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/2019/12/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-1202198018/) - **Radio Times**, Huw Fullerton (3/5): The film has its moments with sweet nods to the past and great performances but is ultimately a messy, rushed smorgasbord that backtracks on prior elements and feels like a shrug rather than a satisfying conclusion. It singles out strong acting from Adam Driver and emotional final scenes for praise while complaining about cramped plotting and fan-service overreach. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-more-of-a-shrug-than-an-air-punch/) - **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (55/100, inferred): The film feels like a step backwards from The Last Jedi and makes the trilogy disjointed overall. Strong performances from Ridley and Driver, along with visual craft, stand out amid the mixed execution. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (50/100, inferred): The film is eventful but not entirely satisfactory as it concludes the Skywalker saga. It succeeds as escapist entertainment with stupendous production values and striking images but has nagging problems that have become more pronounced. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/star-wars-rise-skywalker-review-1263578/) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (50/100, inferred): The film is one of the best and one of the worst in the series, perfectly middling overall. It is not a great Star Wars movie but enjoyable enough in its familiar, crowd-pleasing way. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/movies/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (30/100, inferred): The film is a zippy but craven disappointment and an epic failure of nerve, retreating from the boldness of The Last Jedi into safe nostalgia. It remains a swift, vigorous entertainment thanks to strong craft and performances, especially Adam Driver's. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-12-18/star-wars-review-the-rise-of-skywalker-last-jedi) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (30/100, inferred): The film is a formulaic, crowd-pleasing cartoon that hits its marks but moves so quickly that little emotion sinks in. It has dazzlingly expensive visuals and gung-ho spirit but feels like a Disney product more than a personal vision. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-episode-ix.html) - **HeyUGuys**, Amanda Keats (4/5): The film is a little jarring and disjointed in parts but an exhilarating and emotional end to the saga, full of action, delight and visual splendour. It singles out the electrifying chemistry and conflict between Rey and Kylo Ren for praise while complaining about strobe lighting and a screenplay that juggles too many strands without enough focus. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/) - **The Wrap**, Alonso Duralde (50/100, inferred): The film delivers every expected plot beat with ruthless efficiency and precision as the saga concludes, but its slick, calculated approach and heavy fan service make it feel ultimately unfulfilling and soulless. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-episode-ix-the-rise-of-skywalker-film-review-jj-abrams-2019/) - **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (2.5 out of 5): The critic finds it a box-ticking exercise with a flimsy narrative and no distinct point of view, though well-acted and exciting in parts. Praises the performances, especially Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, and some set pieces. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/) - **Polygon**, Tasha Robinson (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a defeat, obsessively copying the past in a safe, timid way that feels like an admission of creative defeat, with frantic pacing but little character development or new ideas. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/12/18/21024586/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review-spoiler-free) - **The Ringer**, Ben Lindbergh (30/100, inferred): The film is soulless and tethered to the past, a misconceived rehash that diminishes the saga without new ideas or messages. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/12/20/movies/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-review-saga-ending) ## Details - **Director:** J.J. Abrams - **Director:** J.J. Abrams - **Screenplay:** Chris Terrio, J.J. Abrams - **Story:** Colin Trevorrow, J.J. Abrams, Chris Terrio, Derek Connolly - **Cinematography:** Dan Mindel - **Editor:** Maryann Brandon, Stefan Grube - **Music:** John Williams, Cedric Baravaglio - **Production design:** Rick Carter, Kevin Jenkins - **Costume design:** Michael Kaplan - **Producer:** J.J. Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan - **Cast:** Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa; Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker; Daisy Ridley as Rey; Adam Driver as Kylo Ren / Ben Solo; John Boyega as Finn; Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron; Anthony Daniels as C-3PO; Naomi Ackie as Jannah - **Runtime:** 2h 22m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 20 December 2019 - **Genres:** Adventure, Action, Science Fiction - **Budget:** $490 million - **Box office:** $1.07 billion - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qn_spdM5Zg ## Where to watch in the US - Hulu: streaming, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Disney+: streaming, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Apple TV: rent $5.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $9.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $19.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-18.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Saturn Awards 2021: Best Science Fiction Film (won) - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie 2020: Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* (2017), Fi1m 76: The film this one keeps apologising for, and the braver of the two. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/star-wars-the-last-jedi.md) - *Return of the Jedi* (1983), Fi1m 75: The ending this one copies; see how much quieter its emperor is allowed to be. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/return-of-the-jedi.md) - *Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind* (1984), Fi1m 85: Miyazaki’s desert, airships and a young woman who talks to monsters rather than fighting them. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/warriors-of-the-wind.md) - *Flash Gordon* (1980): Gaudy, cheerful space opera that knows exactly how silly it is, with a Queen soundtrack. - *Mad Max: Fury Road* (2015), Fi1m 88: A chase film that never stops moving and still tells you who everyone is. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mad-max-fury-road.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker