Star Wars Episode IX: the Rise of Skywalker

The Skywalker saga is brought to a close by director JJ Abrams in this solid - if not stunning - wrap-up to the series. With little explanation ("the dead speak!" announces the opening crawl), Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has returned, despite his demise at the end of Return of the Jedi (1983). He's now commanding First Order Supreme Leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) towards the destruction of fledgeling Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley). To counter this, a Resistance team, led by Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac), go on a planet-hopping mission to track the Emperor down. The film is flush with fan service, with series callbacks including the return of Lando Calrissian (once again played by Billy Dee Williams), Luke's abandoned X-Wing and even the wreckage of the second Death Star. Yet these ghosts from the past somewhat overshadow new characters such as cute droidsmith Babu Frik (voiced by Shirley Henderson), Naomi Ackie's ex-stormtrooper and Richard E Grant's eye-bulging First Order general. Abrams may struggle to marshal the narrative into a cohesive whole, but he still delivers some thrilling action scenes, not least Rey's breathtaking backwards-flip attack on Kylo Ren's ship.