9 Things Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Did Right
5. The Action Sequences Rock
Moving onto Rise as a spectacle, it more than delivers on the action front. It's very sharply directed and edited, while there's always a sense of high stakes and the characters being in genuine danger.
The easy highlights are Rey and Kylo Ren's awesome, visually stunning lightsaber duel on the wreckage of the second Death Star and the gripping, hugely intense final space battle above Exegol, but the vast majority of Rise's action sequences pack considerable punch and reaffirm J.J. Abrams' skill as a director of blockbusters.
Yes, there are less successful moments. For example, the early lightspeed-skipping scene (which makes for an ironic and unfortunate reflection of the film's rushed pacing) was rather odd and there arguably should've been a proper fight scene between Rey and Palpatine, but for the most part Rise doesn't disappoint in this department.