‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’ Reviews: What Critics Are Saying After Embargo Lift

With Rotten Tomatoes already trending on Twitter following critics publishing their “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” reviews for the fated finale of the Skywalker saga, long-awaiting fans can finally learn if “Episode IX” is a milestone or a nightmare. Directed by J.J. Abrams, “The Rise of Skywalker” closes nearly 40 years of story, yet rumors of reshoots and “Episode IX” leaks have made fans wary.

As Variety reports, reviews thus far have been mainly mixed. A majority of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” reception points to an emotional journey, one that blends too much fan service with retconning the sequel films. “The Rise of Skywalker” Rotten Tomatoes review currently sits at a lowly 57% rotten. As such, several top reviews for the film on the site are not entirely positive.

David Sims, from The Atlantic, calls the new “Star Wars” movie “completely manic.” He added, “It leaps from plot point to plot point, from location to location, with little regard for logic or mood.”

NPR’s Glen Weldon, on the other hand, stated that Abrams “nails that 42-year-old recipe,” yet doesn’t seem to get the entire flavoring right. Weldon identified the problem as too much fan service and too many callbacks, for which he explains left him feeling “overstuffed.”

Time Magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek began her review by stating that “‘Star Wars’ is for everybody,” yet upends the statement by stating that "Episode IX" “is for everybody and nobody.” Zacharek added, “In its anxiety not to offend, it comes off more like fanfiction than the creation of actual professional filmmakers.”

EW's Darren Franich simply summarizes in the title of his "Episode IX" review that "'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' is the force ghost of a movie."

Not every critic bestowed a negative review, however. Justin Chang of Los Angeles Times pointed out that “Episode IX” simply corrects many of the supposed mistakes that made “The Last Jedi” detested. Chang said, “‘The Rise of Skywalker’ nakedly offers itself up in the spirit of a ‘Last Jedi’ corrective, a return to storytelling basics, a nearly 2½-hour compendium of everything that made you fall in love with ‘Star Wars’ in the first place.”

Other top critics on the site, including John Wenzel of Denver Post, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com, and Owen Gleiberman of Variety, to name a few, released positive reviews.

"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" opens in theaters on Friday.