STAR WARS : THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Monday 23rd December 2019.

'STAR WARS : THE RISE OF SKYWALKER' has an M Rating, and so it is with much fanfare, hype and anticipation that the final instalment in the epic space opera franchise which I saw earlier this week and which had its humble beginnings way back in 1977, finally draws to a close. 'The Rise of Skywalker' marks the third instalment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following 2015's 'The Force Awakens' and 2017's 'The Last Jedi', and the final episode of the nine-part 'Skywalker Saga'. The 'Star Wars' franchise has spawned multiple films and animated movies and television series. The original trilogy was released between 1977 and 1983, the prequel trilogy between 1999 and 2005, and a sequel trilogy began in 2015, and comes to an end this year with the release of this film. In between the sequel films, two anthology films were released, 2016's 'Rogue One' and 2018's 'Solo: A Star Wars Story', both set between the prequel and original trilogies. The combined global Box Office revenue of the films equates to over US$9B and is currently the second-highest-grossing film franchise, behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 'Star Wars : The Force Awakens' currently sits at the top of the sales ladder with US$2.07B, followed by 'Star Wars : The Last Jedi' at US$1.33B, then 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story' at US$1.06B with 'Star Wars : Episode I : The Phantom Menace' also in the one billion dollar club at US$1.03B. This films sees J.J. Abrams returning to the Directors and Screenwriters chair following his success with 'The Force Awakens' and after the ousting of Colin Trevorrow following creative differences with the Studio and a breakdown in his relationship with Producer Kathleen Kennedy. The film saw its worldwide release last week, has so far taken US$517M off the back of a production budget in the region of US$275M and has garnered generally mixed reviews.

Set a year following the events of 'The Last Jedi', the surviving Resistance led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) intercept a mystery message beamed across the galaxy by the apparently dead Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Meanwhile Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the Supreme Leader of the First Order locates just one of two Sith wayfinder devices that directs him to the planet of Exegol, in the Unknown zone. Arriving there, Ren finds an almost physically disabled Palpatine rigged up to some sort of vast life support machine who proceeds to tell him that he created Snoke (the former Supreme Leader of the First Order whom Ren sliced in half at the waist in the last film) as a puppet to control the First Order and lure Ren to the dark side. Palpatine reveals a secret army of Star Destroyers and tells Ren to find and kill Rey (Daisy Ridley), who is still undergoing Jedi training with General Leia Organa, so that he can take his rightful place as the Emperor.

In the meantime, Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) receive official word from a spy within the First Order confirming Palpatine's return. Rey uncovers notes in Luke Skywalker's Jedi texts about a Sith wayfinder device that will help them locate Palpatine. Rey, Poe, Finn, Chewbacca, BB-8, and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) all leave for the planet Pasaana to seek the wayfinder, while R2-D2 stays with Leia. Arriving on Pasaana, the group comes across a once in every 42 year carnival with the locals out partying like it's 1999.

Ren quickly learns where Rey is located through their shared bond of the Force and travels there with his Knights of Ren. When an advance party of Knights arrive the group are quickly given shelter by Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) who directs them to the wayfinder's last suspected location. Rey and the others discover the skeletal remains of assassin Ochi, his ship, and a dagger inscribed with Sith text, which C-3PO's programming forbids him from deciphering.

Sensing that Ren is rapidly approaching, Rey goes out into the desert to confront him. The First Order captures the Millennium Falcon, takes Chewbacca prisoner, and Ochi's dagger which Chewie had stowed away in his satchel. Rey slices through the wing of Ren's advancing ship causing it to bounce across the desert dunes and explode into ball of flame. However, Ren walks away from this completely unharmed and in attempting to save Chewbacca, Rey inadvertently destroys a First Order transporter with Force lightning in a stand-off with Ren. The group escapes on Ochi's old, yet still serviceable ship, assuming Chewbacca was killed in the resultant explosion.

Poe reluctantly suggests traveling to Kijimi to have the Sith text extracted from C-3PO's memory banks, although he has bittersweet memories of his time on this planet and vowed never to return . . . but when duty calls! The process wipes C-3PO's memory, but reveals coordinates to a wayfinder on Kef Bir. Rey, through her Force sense, sees that Chewbacca is in fact still alive, and the group mounts a rescue mission. While Ren searches for Rey, on Kijimi the group infiltrates his Star Destroyer with the help of Zorii Bliss, a seemingly former love interest of Poe's. Rey recovers the dagger and has visions of Ochi killing her parents with it, while Finn and Poe rescue Chewbacca. Ren   informs Rey again through their shared bond of the Force that she is Palpatine's granddaughter and that Palpatine had ordered Ochi to find Rey as a child, but her parents hid her on Jakku to keep her safe. Finn and Poe get into a firefight with a bunch of stormtroopers and are captured and ordered for immediate execution. General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) thwarts the execution squad and reveals himself as the spy, allowing the group to escape on the retrieved Falcon. Hux is promptly executed as the known spy in the ranks for treason by Allegiant General Pryde (Richard E. Grant).

The group land on the windswept planet of Kef Bir. Jannah (Naomi Ackie), a Resistance sympathiser, leads them to the remains of the second Death Star, where Rey locates the wayfinder having traversed massive ocean swells to get there. Ren, having tracked the group to Kef Bir, and not far behind Rey destroys her newly found wayfinder and asks her to help him overthrow Palpatine.

Rey and Ren duel on the wreckage of the downed Death Star amidst ever mounting seas. Leia, now dying, calls to Ren through the Force, distracting him, and Rey impales him with her light sabre. Sensing Leia's death, Rey heals Ren's life threatening injury and exiles herself on Ahch-To. There, Luke's Force spirit encourages Rey to face Palpatine, and he gives her Leia's lightsaber and his old X-wing so that she can get off the island.

Rey leaves for Exegol, using the wayfinder from Ren's ship. Still on Kef Bir Ren speaks with a vision of his father Han Solo (Harrison Ford), ultimately seeing the error of his ways and throwing away his lightsaber assumes his true his identity as Ben Solo. Palpatine sends one of his Star Destroyers to destroy Kijimi as a show of force.

At the Resistance base, the group reconvene minus Rey, and learn that Leia has since died. R2-D2 restores C-3PO's memory. After a brief period of mourning, the assembled Resistance follow Rey's coordinates to Exegol. Meanwhile, there she confronts Palpatine and he demands she kill him to transfer his spirit into her so that she can claim her rightful place as the ruler over the galaxy. Lando in the meantime has mustered reinforcements from across the galaxy to join the battle. Ben arrives to help Rey, overpowering the Knights of Ren. Recognising that Rey and Ben are a rare Force dyad, Palpatine drains their power to reinvigorate himself. He attacks the entire Resistance fleet with Force lightning and sends Ben careering backwards into a deep ravine.

Rey, weakened, hears the voices of past Jedi, who lend her their strength. Palpatine attacks her with his lightning, but Rey deflects it back at him using the Skywalker lightsabers, killing him and herself in the process. Ben has picked himself up, dusted himself down and clambered out of the dark depths of the cavernous ravine into which he was thrust, and revives Rey by transferring his life force into her. They kiss, and Ben dies. The Resistance destroys the remainder of Palpatine's vast armada of attack ships. As the Resistance celebrates its great victory, Rey visits the now long abandoned Lars homestead on Tatooine. There she buries the Skywalker lightsabers in the sand, having built her own.

'Star Wars : The Rise of Skywalker' is all style over substance for me. It's impressively filmed with more than its fair share of action set pieces to keep the viewer entertained, and these are all delivered with spectacle and an eye for attention grabbing detail. But conversely, the film is way to busy thrusting us from one fight sequence to another without seemingly any let up whether its one on one, group on group, the Sith on the Jedi, or The First Order on the Resistance, its relentless at the expense of any further character development, imagination, emotion or time to really comprehend what just went before.  And what's with the indestructible Kylo Ren/Ben Solo who should have died from his injuries on at least three separate occasions by my reckoning only to bounce back each time completely unscathed - like he's Wile E. Coyote! This final instalment is entertaining enough but it treads largely down a familiar path that we have seen before over the course of its eight predecessors. The end when it comes feels rushed to get there, and it will offer few surprises as the end is the title of the film, and our heroine of the last three films rises as Skywalker somewhat unpredictably. Worth seeing on a big screen with glorious surround sound, but don't go in with too high an expectation to see anything especially new or inventive in the storyline narrative.

'Star Wars : The Rise of Skywalker' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-