The lowest-rated Star Wars movie on Rotten Tomatoes is now Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The newest Star Wars movie came out in December, wrapping up both the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the Skywalker saga. The film sees Rey, Poe, Finn, and the rest of the Resistance go up against the First Order, as well as Emperor Palpatine.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was one of the most anticipated movies of 2019, but unfortunately for many fans, it was a disappointment. It seemed as if Disney struggled to adequately wrap up the trilogy, choosing to retcon a lot of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, while creating a film filled with plot holes. Many critics accused Disney of bringing back Palpatine to try to win over fans because of how polarizing The Last Jedi was, and they didn’t even explain how the Emperor had survived his fate in Return of the Jedi. Most fans and critics agree that Disney played it safe when it came to the sequel trilogy, tarnishing a series that has been beloved by fans since the late 70s. Now, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score reflects this.
The Rotten Tomatoes score for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been low since the film came out, but it has now sunk to the lowest-rated film in the franchise. The Rise of Skywalker currently sits at 52%, which is lower than every live-action film to date. For comparison purposes, Star Wars: The Force Awakens holds a 93% and Star Wars: The Last Jedi has a 91%. The only film lower than The Rise of Skywalker is the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, which has an 18%.
While many fans haven’t enjoyed Star Wars as much since Disney took creative control of the series, there have been a few highlights in the franchise since 2012. In 2014, Star Wars: Rebels started its four-season run, which got positive reviews for the four years it was on the air. The Mandalorian also came out last year on Disney+, which stands as the first-ever live-action Star Wars TV show. The Mandalorian got glowing reviews from fans and critics, with many people crediting the show with being the most exciting Star Wars story since the original trilogy. It’s also worth mentioning that the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will release next month, which fans have been craving since the show went off the air in 2014. Unsurprisingly, these three shows hold the top three scores of the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Rotten Tomatoes score for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is significant because it has gotten a lower score than some of the most hated films in the franchise. George Lucas’ prequel trilogy has been panned for years, and The Rise of Skywalker even comes in lower than Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was also ripped apart by critics. Despite the poor reception of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney has several more Star Wars projects planned, so fans can only hope that they will land a higher score on Rotten Tomatoes and do well with critics in general.
More: Colin Trevorrow’s Star Wars 9 Sounds Better Than JJ Abrams’ Rise of Skywalker
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
