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(CNN) - The following review does not contain spoilers.
As a tremor in the Force, the division caused by "The Last Jedi" created friction in the "Star Wars" universe. That left director JJ Abrams with additional cleaning work to do in "The Rise of Skywalker," a "Star Wars" movie made largely with devoted fans in mind, and which is highly satisfactory as an end not only. for this trilogy, but for a saga of 42 years in development.
Abrams (who co-wrote the script with Justice League writer Chris Terrio) also directed "The Force Awakens," and in retrospect, Lucasfilm would have been wise, or at least saved some headaches, not to trust. her baby (one even more precious than baby Yoda in "The Mandalorian") to multiple artistic visions. Love or hate the "Last Jedi", this shot in directions that seemed to depart from the preliminary work that Abrams and company had submitted.
In that sense, "The Rise of Skywalker" feels like a correction of the course, with sequences and references that the most cynical minds will dismiss as "fan service", but that derive emotion and power precisely from the bond and investment that the audience It has forged not only with this permutation in history, but it all goes back to the original trilogy.
READ : "The Rise of Skywalke" concludes the journey of a lifetime that has been "Star Wars"
It does not reveal anything that has already been strongly promoted: that Billy Dee Williams and Ian McDiarmid, Lando Calrissian and Emperor Palpatine, respectively, play roles in this film, reinforcing ties with those roots. The filmmakers have also chosen, with less success, to build Carrie Fisher's performance around the available unused images, a technical achievement that, however, is uncomfortable and limiting.
Perhaps most importantly, "The Rise of Skywalker" seeks to recover some of the fun and play that has been a hallmark of the series, despite the backdrop of darkness and the danger that threatens the galaxy at its core.
In that effort, the film focuses wisely on its protagonists: Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), as well as villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver): finding fleshy material and solid interaction for all of them. As compensation is that the few significant new characters barely register.
The topics are familiar. The history of "Star Wars" has always depended on choosing one's path. He has also frequently returned to the technology that destroys the world, with Death Stars connecting with the original trilogy.
Recruited to finish the story that began, Abrams obviously did not intend to reinvent anything. But the strong sense of nostalgia that permeates the film feels especially appropriate in the context of completing a narrative that took so many decades to finally tell.
If there is an objection, it is mainly in the first 45 minutes or so, as the film establishes its central challenge, then essentially it goes from one crisis to the next, in a way that seems too cunning in its galaxy jumping feats .
The final hour, however, is full of indelible moments, and the general rhythm is extraordinarily fast. Unlike some blockbusters, there is some precious fat in its frame of two hours and 23 minutes.
Like anything with a large and diverse group, there is nothing that everyone likes equally in a "Star Wars" movie right now, and detractors have a way of handling the loudest megaphones, occasionally in unpleasant ways that reflect A lack of perspective. While the creation of George Lucas is immersed in myth, he never intended to become a religion of his own.
Faced with this task, and clearly aware of the enormity of it, Abrams has made a "Star Wars" movie aimed at people who love her most. "The Rise of Skywalker" is not perfect, but seen that way, it is more than adequate for the occasion.
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" officially opens on December 20 in the United States. It is rated PG-13.
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