INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
LOS ANGELES: "The Rise of Skywalker" was meant to provide a satisfying conclusion to nine "Star Wars" films but for many critics, its aim
was as wide of the mark as a stormtrooper in a blaster battle.Director J.J
Abrams´s return to the space saga has been slammed as unoriginal and slavishly pandering to the franchise´s rabid core fanbase.It has a
score of 57 percent from around 150 critics on movies website Rotten Tomatoes -- the worst of any live-action "Star Wars" episode since the
panned prequel "The Phantom Menace" two decades ago.The Los Angeles Times called it "an epic failure of nerve" with a "succession of cheap
´gotcha!´ twists.""In its anxiety not to offend, it comes off more like fan fiction than the creation of actual professional filmmakers,"
said Time magazine.For The Hollywood Reporter, the movie´s "more-is-more approach ultimately leaves one both bloated from too many courses
and uncertain about some of the ingredients."Many reviewers have compared it unfavorably to the previous installment, "The Last Jedi"
(2017), now widely seen as a more experimental "Star Wars" film which critics enjoyed but which enraged a vocal minority of hardcore fans.A
few reviewers, honoring the balance that is a central tenet of the Jedi Order, pushed back with their own glowing appreciations,
however.Variety called it the "most elegant, emotionally rounded, and gratifying ´Star Wars´ adventure" since 1980´s "The Empire Strikes
Back," while the Daily Telegraph in London said the film "gives our heroes the swashbuckling, heart-rending ending they deserve."- ´Too
cumbersome´ -A three-star write-up in British newspaper The Guardian noted that the "vast, hulking Star Destroyer of a franchise has become
too cumbersome to pull off any genuinely nimble maneuvers, but at the same time, it never falls out of the sky."The much-hyped film has been
tipped by analysts to take $200-$225 million at domestic box offices this weekend, which would place it among the biggest openings in movie
"A massive opening weekend is in the cards irrespective of reviews or audience sentiment," said Comscore senior media analyst Paul
Dergarabedian.Positive reviews are a "bonus" but the "true test" will come when the first fans get to see the film and form their own
opinions, he said."The long term prospects will depend on solid word of mouth propelling the film to greater and greater heights worldwide
week after week," he added.The film opened in several markets Wednesday including France, Germany and China, before arriving in US theaters
on general release Friday.Indiewire declared it "spectacular and uninspired at once," while the New York Times rounded things off, declaring
director Abrams "the most consistent B student in modern popular culture."The film "is one of the best (in the franchise) Also one of the
It all amounts to the same thing."TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content of the source
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