Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) BluRay 480p 720p & 1080p

In 2017, the “Star Wars” universe was in a bit of a pickle. Writer/director Rian Johnson decided to put his own stamp on the franchise with “The Last Jedi,” happily dismissing a lot of narrative work created for 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” The picture was successful in a few creative areas, but ended up grossing nearly half of the previous effort’s box office take while weaponizing “Star Wars” fandom, with many feeling he ruined a reasonably good thing started by J.J. Abrams.In a few key ways, Johnson did torpedo promising plot and characters, forcing the next filmmaker in line to rework nearly everything to get the overall arc back on track.Well, Abrams returns to the fold with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” and he’s ready to rebuild what Johnson torn down, putting all his faith in the power of fan service to help reignite brand name excitement. He’s mostly successful with “The Rise of Skywalker,” which is a bit of a mess (understandably), but remains as “Star Wars”-y a movie as possible, bursting with droid, aliens, lightsabers, heroes, villains, and old friends to send the Skywalker Saga off with a…well, less of a pronounced limp than expected.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) continues her Jedi training with General Leia (Carrie Fisher), trying to get to the heart of the Force and grasp her heritage, which remains clouded. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) searches the galaxy for the Wayfinder, an ancient Sith device that reveals the location of the planet Exogol, which is home to Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), the powerful Sith lord who’s been creating a massive fleet in secret, manipulating the First Order with plans to unleash the Final Order and control the universe.

Kylo Ren refuses to accept a higher power, but Palpatine’s mission demands the destruction of Rey, reuniting him through the Force with his hesitant adversary. With the Resistance fighting on fumes, Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), BB-8, and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) search for help to take on Palpatine’s army, coming into contact with Zori (Keri Russell), a criminal pal of Poe’s, and Jannah (Naomi Ackie), who leads a tribal effort to take on the First Order.

The screenplay by Abrams and Chris Terrio doesn’t hide the return of Emperor Palpatine, introducing the new/old threat in the opening crawl, perhaps to reassure the audience that after the ridiculous death of Supreme Leader Snoke in “The Last Jedi,” there’s another bad guy to step up to the plate, making things difficult for the Resistance.

The very reason for Snoke is explained quickly, offered as the first of many White-Out moments from Abrams, who labors to steer this “Star Wars” back into position, delivering a crusty Palpatine who’s become a cult leader of sorts, spending ages in seclusion to create a massive fleet of planet-killing Star Destroyers.

Seeing McDiarmid back in his most famous role is a treat, and while the Sith Lord is falling apart, he’s hungry for Jedi blood, winding Kylo up to find and kill Rey, a woman the former Ben Solo is deeply obsessed with. Joining Kylo on the assignment are the Knights of Ren, a black-clad gang of enforcers suddenly on the scene to assist their fellow hunter with his mission to slaughter the future of the Jedi.

True to his directorial instincts, Abrams keeps “The Rise of Skywalker” moving along at top speed, reuniting with old characters and meeting a few new ones, including Zori and her hesitant relationship with Poe, who has a scoundrel past that shocks Finn. There’s also the question of General Leia, with the 2016 death of Carrie Fisher inspiring Abrams to use a mix of old footage and CGI to keep the beloved princess in the story, and it’s lovely to see the actress involved, deepening Leia’s connection to the Force and her influence on Rey, her student.

The primary push of “The Rise of Skywalker” is a chance to see the “Force Awakens” gang back together, and the production does well with such interplay, keeping things light with the pals as they face impossible darkness with Palpatine’s impending galaxy-wide massacre. Granted, Rey is on her own path to enlightenment here, learning more about her Force powers and her lineage (another Johnson reset), but Abrams sets time aside to play with known personalities, boosting screen time for Chewbacca (also adding a beat to right an unforgivable franchise wrong with the wonderful Wookie) and making C-3PO a critical part in the hunt for the Sith.

Such inclusion is welcome, also part of Abrams’s mission to please “Star Wars” fans with the elements of the franchise they love. Such focus also returns Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) to the fold, with the old smoothie adding just the right amount of nostalgia and heroism to the picture.

While “The Last Jedi” was far from daring, it was deliberate, with Johnson trying to add his own fingerprints to the franchise, craving different dramatic textures. “The Rise of Skywalker” is pure escapism, as Abrams is aiming for a rocket ride with “Star Wars” worlds, vehicles, and characters. He keeps the battles coming, hoping all the impeccably photographed mayhem will deliver a proper sugar rush. It works on a surface level, restoring the high-flying nature of the franchise, and a few surprises hit their mark.

Certainly this story and its magnetic pull to Palpatine wasn’t initially planned when “The Force Awakens” was completed, but one has to approach “The Rise of Skywalker” as an imperfect puzzle, with ill-fitting pieces hammered into place to complete the job. For that feat, Abrams deserves credit, as he does well making a grand adventure with huge energy. The details aren’t ideal, but what’s here impresses, giving fanatics one last explosive showdown between the Sith and the Jedi.