30+ more Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Reviews – the future of Star Wars is on Disney Plus + All 9 Films Ranked

Disney didn’t spend billions buying Star Wars to roll out a few movies and call it quits.

The company has already confirmed that audiences will be getting an Obi-Wan Kenobi series, featuring Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Master, as well as a series that follows K-2SO and Cassian Andor from “Rogue One.”

After ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ the future of Star Wars is on Disney Plus

Their streaming service Disney+ is where we’re getting more Star Wars for the next couple years. In 2022, Disney promises another Star Wars movie will appear, but it won’t be dealing with the Skywalker clan.

Ranking All 9 Skywalker Saga Films

Here, then, is my ranking — best to worst — of all the Skywalker saga films (also see Letterboxd list):

1. Star Wars IV: A New Hope ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Star Wars V: Empire Strikes Back ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
3. Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith ⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. Star Wars XI: The Rise of Skywalker ⭐️⭐️½
7. Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones ⭐️⭐️½
8. Star Wars I: The Phantom Menance ⭐️⭐️
9. Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi ⭐️½

Based on our recommendation system, only the five of the nine films are recommended to watch. Yes, that means you’re largely skipping the prequels — don’t really need Anakin Skywalker’s formulative years — and the new films. I could make the argument those films are unnecessary, too.

Only The Force Awakens makes the cut because it promised a new adventure with some creative ideas (like Finn being a stormtrooper turned good), but alas most of that was ruined in The Last Jedi and it was probably too far gone to come back to it without major retconning for The Rise of Skywalker.

I am interested in seeing future Star Wars films, but want them to be spinoffs on cool races in places we haven’t seen or been before. The Mandalorian is a promising direction, but we’ll see if more of that unfolds in the future.

SPOILERS ahead, yes, of course.

Reviews by Others

What do other moviegoers think of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?

Recommended

1. A Taste of Spongey (Rating: Good): “It’s a mixed bag to say the least, and I am disappointed they couldn’t go out with a bigger bang that made it easy to love. I get why people are being harsher but my better nature has to take it over and say that the was movie was good, but not exactly THAT good compared to what I wanted and even on its own.”
2. Bunkazilla: “A messy, drawn-out, box-ticking, fan-servicing final chapter that, thanks to good acting, Chris Terrio’s script and some ace direction from J.J. Abrams (who shows the same flair for character moments through original action scenes he has done since the ALIAS pilot), still manages to stick the landing.”
3. Colin McMahon: “I didn’t hate the movie. I walked out of the theater feeling satisfied and a day later that feeling continues. Yes, it’s not amazing, but it’s far from horrible either.”
4. Confessions of an Unemployed Real OC Housewife (4/5): “Overall, I thought the movie was a great way to “end” the Saga. I honestly don’t think this is the end. I know we have some more amazing things to see.”
5. Cup of Tea Reviews: “I had a lot of fun. It evoked all the right emotions for me. While I can see the flaws, the movie generated enough good feeling and positivity that I can honestly say I liked it a lot.”
6. Dexter Discuss: “Not everyone will like it. In fact, some people will absolutely hate it. For me though it was probably the most fun and wild Star Wars film for better or worse. Just don’t think about things too much: take it at face value and you will enjoy it much more.”
7. dreager (7/10): “The action and effects should still keep you busy though and the film is technically sound. The writing is good and at the very least you can see how there was a lot of effort put in here. I’d recommend checking this film out whether you are a Star Wars fan or not.”
8. Herjuk’s Blog: “Given what JJ Abrams had to work with following the Last Jedi, this is better than what I expected, it is an enjoyable film, it respects its heritage and honours it where it can.  I doubt many will make it their best Star Wars movie but it is certainly better than many in the franchise.”
9. I Am The Real Mace Windu (8.5/10): ” The strengths of this film are the cast, the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren and Princess Leia’s backstory. The weaknesses of the film is the heavy plot, the ending kiss, and a character missing from the film.”
10. Kendall Lacey’s Webworld: “I‘m being vague because I am trying not to spoil things, I‘m also not here to slay the film, I did enjoy it, no doubt, but it will never be up there with IV, V and VI, or III.”
11. Musings of a Middle-Aged Geek: “…this movie had a lot of tables to wait on, and not everyone or everything will get the same level of service. Given the Hurculean task of trying to wrap a nice, neat bow on nine Star Wars movies over 42 years (not including the standalone movies, TV and streaming spinoffs), I’m frankly astonished that it came out as enjoyable as it did.”
12. That Review Site (Grade: A-): “As for this movie though, I loved a lot of it, the battles, the duels, the music, and the ending. Just like we don’t complain about the Ewoks fighting in battles with the heroes, 30 years from now, no one is gonna complain about the fairly ignorable mistakes.”
13. rosslangager: “If the director of the movie won’t approaches these details like they matter, why should anyone else? If cinematic storytelling is such a painfully cheap trick to J.J. Abrams, why give it a second thought, let alone a third or a fourth?”
14. Sean Ian Mills (7/10): “I loved almost all of the twists and surprises and came out of the movie feeling excited and entertained. A couple of the fan service things made me roll my eyes, but I’m pleased with the overall film. It was all perfectly fine.”
15. Tony Rossi: “And this moment serves as a fitting ending for the saga of a family that has captivated our attention for generations with morality plays about the struggle between good and evil inside all of us.”

Not Recommended (or on the fence)

1. Aaron / TGYK: “I really enjoyed this film, but I would be lying if I said it was one of my favorites. I think it is the worst of the sequel trilogy, but that does not mean it is a bad film!”
2. Carlo Simone: “In the end this film could have been a lot better, but it could have also easily turned out a lot worse. If JJ Abrams had done a little less pandering to the audience, and spent more time on the script I could be sitting here writing about a great time at the cinema. Alas, it’s not to be.”
3. Earl Hopkins (5.3/10): “Ten years from now, this trilogy will be remembered for its calculated reveals and safe character choices. It delivered all the ground-breaking visuals and signature plot tropes viewers have been accustomed to seeing. But in doing that, it veered away from what made the previous films uniquely their own. “The Rise of Skywalker” suffered from a lack of cohesion and originality, thus bringing the end of the saga to an unmemorable finish.”
4. Grant Wilson / Fiction Machine: “Describing The Rise of Skywalker as a good film is to be overly charitable, but it is easier to describe it as a fun one. Spaceships fly around. People exchange gunfire in pitched battles. Good battles evil, and destinies are resolved.”
5. Isabelle Reviews Movies (Grade: C+): “…it got a bit tiresome and redundant. The pacing was also meandering at times, with a lot of planet hopping and checking in with various characters. I also feel like the newest side characters which consisted of Keri Russell and Naomi Ackie as well as Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) did not have a lot to do.”
6. La Vie En Rouge: “Now, let it be said: I do not care about Star Wars. It’s a dumb little franchise that was created to sell toys to kids. There’s nothing smart or creative about it. If you like it, fine. But it’s a series of movies that you can watch and turn off your brain off for a while. It’s for children.“
7. Matthew Liedke (2.5/5): “Rise of Skywalker” isn’t bad. It has the entertainment value one expects from a “Star Wars” film and the characters remain enjoyable to follow. However, it fall so short in where it takes its story and many of its characters that it ultimately becomes lackluster.”
8. Meandering Milieu: “We go from a hard left turn with one film to a hard right turn with the next, which leads to whiplash, and a sense that the story of this last trilogy is more “the clash of egos” than it is “the resolution of a 40 year saga”.”
9. Movie Reviews by Johnny: “So how do I rate the movie. I can often judge a movie by how many times I closed my eyes and drift off. I counted two times in this film. It was a bit boring. It seemed to have a lot of chase scenes, laser fights, and oh oh…we better get going. Rinse and repeat.”
10. Not Another Script Guru (Grade: C-): “The result is a clunky by-the-numbers quest that feels derivative at best and like the dregs of appalling fan fiction at worst.”
11. redmangoreviews: four mini reviews (6.5/10, 7/10, 2/5, 3/5)
12. Riley’s Ramblings: “It’s not good. I thought I could grant it being “good enough,” but the more I think about it, the less happy I am with this film. J.J. Abrams, stop merrily pooping on my favorite science fiction franchises.”
13. The Caledonian Critic: “We can barely follow it, we can’t care about it, and it makes our lives worse. Legitimately, I can call this nothing else but the worst ‘Star Wars’ movie, by dint of sheer lack of caring and sheer toxicity of theme. And this is the note we go out on… The sequel trilogy is built on what came before, because it can’t build anything worthwhile for itself.”
14. The Howler: “To me, The Rise of Skywalker is the strongest film of the sequel trilogy. Rey’s characterization and the trio’s interactions are not enough to make the film live up to other trilogy-closers”
15. The Stop Button (1/5): “…a disappointing conclusion to a forty-two year-old story. But it’s a far less disappointing conclusion to that story than the one Disney Star Wars started for Ridley, Driver, Boyega, and Isaac four years ago. Though it still manages to be a more disappointing sequel to the previous entry two years ago.”
16. View From The Cheap Seats: “…it’s hard to say what sort of damage has been done by Episode IX being like this. Overlong, poorly paced, dull, and often very stupid. It brings this era of Star Wars to a close on a terrible note, and makes me question this entire thing.”
17. Wyatt Crosher: “…we have a flawed finale to what could have been a truly outstanding trilogy of movies. It’s a pretty decent time while it’s going on, but there’s almost nothing I will take away from “The Rise of Skywalker” as a top-tier scene or character development.”

Also see: 35+ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Reviews – Rian Johnson Calls Pandering to Star Wars Fans a “Mistake”

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