This week has made Star Wars fans across the globe anxious as reviews for The Rise of Skywalker make their way onto the internet... because the majority of them are not good.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker currently sits at a score of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the lowest in the franchise since The Phantom Menace in 1999 (53%). Although more critics are beginning to digest what they've seen on screen, the score only moves up and down with a margin of 3%. There are days when it's at a 60% and days at 54%. We really won't know what the final verdict will be until this film hits theaters on Friday and everyone gets to chip in their thoughts on the saga's finale.
Most critics, regardless of whether they had a positive or negative response to the movie, all agree that there is "a lot" going on that can make it feel a little overwhelming. The film not only had to wrap up the entire sequel trilogy, which had many narrative changes by different writers and directors, but it also had the responsibility of concluding the entire "Skywalker Saga" that started back in 1977 with the first Star Wars. That's a lot of gaps to fill in just a 2-hour movie, and many have argued that it wasn't done well.
I'm just going to go ahead and say it... I'm not a fan of this Star Wars trilogy. There's something about it that's so bland, so uninspired and it feels more like a cash grab to me now, unlike the blockbuster-defining, epic, space opera that the first trilogy was. I don't have the intention of seeing The Rise of Skywalker. Personally, I've moved on, and I think that's okay.
But I'm still curious to see what the fans will think. The Star Wars fan base is so large and divided on what makes a Star Wars movie now that it's hard to predict what their reaction will be. Sometimes films will have a terrible critic score but a positive audience score on rotten tomatoes and vice versa. So you never know, if you're a die-hard fan and love everything about this franchise, then who cares what we're saying about the movie, go out there and enjoy it. There's still hope.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be in theaters Friday, December 20th. And if you're seeing the premier tonight.... then may the force be with you.