Given the mixed response to the much hyped Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it would be an understatement to say this last week probably hasn’t gone the way Disney and Lucasfilm had hoped. In fact, as just one of many signs of the movie’s iffy reception, you may have noticed the hashtag “JJ Abrams Is Over Party” recently trending on Twitter.
Abrams’ latest film serves as the final installment of Disney’s Sequel Trilogy – a trio of movies that each proved divisive in notably different ways. While the director’s 2015 feature The Force Awakens garnered strong reviews, many viewers felt the flick repeated too much from 1977’s A New Hope. After that, Rian Johnson’s 2017 film The Last Jedi set out to challenge our assumptions of what a Star Wars movie can and should be, and the results were met with heavy online backlash, as well as much acclaim.
For The Rise of Skywalker, on the other hand, Abrams once more plays it relatively safe, only this time, the critics aren’t on his side, with many decrying the film as a messy, overstuffed picture that tries too hard to please The Last Jedi’s detractors.
As for the fans, while some have responded well to Abrams’ film, others are blaming the director for ending the Skywalker Saga on a disappointing note:
#jjabramsisoverparty i’ll see you in hell bitch https://t.co/Ljajx6Qcls
— jj abrams hate account (@janesandrews) December 17, 2019
stan anakin #jjabramsisoverparty pic.twitter.com/kCNWjYPMOp
— dorothy (@airyapricity) December 17, 2019
Star Wars should have stayed dead in 1983.
Hollywood is trash and doesn't have the balls to tell radical stories. It's for normies who don't want to read real fantasy/sci-fi authors and need everything turned into Junk Food.
— anarchosorcerer (@anarchosorcerer) December 17, 2019
Well congratulations Jar Jar Abrams, you have successfully alienated absolutely everyone from Star Wars.
That's two "Star" franchises in a row you fucked up. #jjabramsisoverparty
— Gamera Godzilla (@totominya) December 17, 2019
why stan star wars when you can stan the witcher it’s finished and the ending is very satisfying #jjabramsisoverparty pic.twitter.com/AWPGA6CiF0
— téa ❦ (@freyasolo) December 17, 2019
JJ, Kathleen and, Bob trying to figure out who to blame now that everyone hates star wars#jjabramsisoverparty pic.twitter.com/mq2MT3V0UX
— Skye ?TROS SPOILERS? (@Capt_Crappy) December 17, 2019
Interestingly, despite the many negative takes, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker still holds an audience approval rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting that the online backlash may not reflect the general attitudes of the filmgoing public.
Either way, it seems the time is probably right for the Star Wars franchise to take a break from the big screen. And while Disney already has another film scheduled for 2022, it’s hard not to have at least a little pity for whichever poor director will be charged with steering the series next.
