'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Honest Trailer: You Can't Teach An Old Emperor New Tricks

Last year, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ended the Skywalker saga, not with a bang, but with a whimper. That's because the final chapter of the Skywalker saga desperately tries to cling to whatever nostalgia is left for the original trilogy rather than delivering a satisfying, cohesive story. However, as the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Honest Trailer reminds us, unless you were reading one of the supplementary books, paying attention to interviews with co-writer Chris Terrio in the weeks following the movie's release, or playing Fortnite, you wouldn't have heard that whimper.

How many fake-outs does this movie have? J.J. Abrams makes us think Chewbacca is dead, but he can't stick with it. He wipes C-3PO's memory but then gives it back to him. And finally, he kills Kylo Ren and Rey only to bring them both back to life, and then gives Ben Solo a happy ending, only to take that away from him too. Make up your damn mind, J.J. Abrams!

Furthermore, The Rise of Skywalker sidelines any meaningful character development for anyone who isn't Rey or Kylo Ren in favor of bringing back all the old characters for a victory lap. You're telling me Lando Calrissian never answered Leia's call at the end of The Last Jedi, but suddenly he's back and hundreds of ships are willing to listen to him all of a sudden? For a movie that's supposed to make good on solidifying Leia's legacy in the Star Wars saga, it sure makes it seem like no one gave a damn about her and the Resistance until Lando Calrissian said something.

At the end of the day, we're left with The Emperor's New Groove, but the record is warped, and the song keeps skipping. That's why Emperor Palpatine tries the same old tricks with Rey that he did with Luke Skywalker. And it was already a pretty shitty plan to begin with.