"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker": OK

I want to say something deep and profound about the latest "Star Wars," which is supposed to complete a nine-film saga and complete the story that began all those years ago with Luke and Leia and the rest. But the movie is not particularly deep, and not at all profound. It is, in the end, just OK: a circling back through familiar tropes and scenes from other "Star Wars" movies; an apology for "The Last Jedi" (which I liked), and in both cases a re-presentation to the audience of things it believes that the fan base wants.

 To draw a really bizarre comparison, it's the onscreen equivalent of Trump's six-page impeachment letter, giving the base what it expects and the heck with those of us who valued something more/better/different (that is, again, "The Last Jedi").

But, as part of a part of that base, I was more or less content about the whole thing, willing to endure a clunky and overlong series of fights and battles -- and cheap plot moves -- in the first half of the film to get to the points where emotion took precedence over massive action scenes. Those emotions are just barely sustained, particularly in a closing scene that feels less like an ending than it should. But, you know, OK.

To recap: It's not long after the end of "The Last Jedi," the rebels are still battling the First Order, Rey (Daisy Ridley) is working on mastering her Jedi powers -- and there's even bigger trouble out there than the rebels ever imagined, bigger even than the ghastly Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Desperate moves are called for, courage is essential, wisdom must be found -- and many curtain calls will come.

 The lord of reboots, director J.J. Abrams, keeps it all zipping along for the most part, although not in ways that always make sense. A couple of thrilling fight scenes, for instance, still come too early for us to believe that either principal is going to get taken down.

The shout-outs to earlier parts of the saga are frequent, often cool but in at least one situation unnecessary -- even if it still made me grin. If "The Last Jedi" was an attempt to replicate some of the darkness of "The Empire Strikes Back," then "The Rise of Skywalker" is unquestionably a revisiting of "Return of the Jedi." A very, very explicit one. The "Star Wars" films, favorites and non-so, are still at their heart pulp movies, and it was always foolish of us to demand more than good pulp.