The Skywalker Saga gang get back together for one last adventure, as Rey (Daisy Ridley) and co head off on a frantic quest to stop Kylo Ren (Adam Driver)’s First Order and the resurgent Sith from rallying behind Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
There’s some fun banter between Rey, Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) as their hunt takes them across the galaxy, via a host of lovingly-realised aliens. Poe gets some tantalising hints at a back story with Keri Russell’s mysterious Zorii, but ultimately he and the potentially Force-sensitive Finn are left with slim and unfinished stories.
That’s because The Rise Of Skywalker is really interested in Rey and Kylo Ren, and their conflict is at the heart of the film. Their wave-pummelled lightsaber battle is one of the best of the franchise, and the final all-out-war between the Resistance and the First Order is a grand spectacle. But the film wastes time course-correcting from The Last Jedi and lacks any real surprises, ending on a note that feels rather flat and predictable.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be released in 4K Ultra HDTM, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and DVD on 20 April.