The Star Wars sequel trilogy has found a new streaming home on ITVX, with The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019) added to the platform.
The films, which were made by Disney after the company bought Lucasfilm in 2012, have received a mixed reception in recent years. Picking up decades after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars legends Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill returned to the franchise, reprising their roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, respectively.
Ushering in a new era, the trilogy also introduced Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac as the sequel’s core characters, with the overarching plot centring on Rey (Ridley), a Force-sensitive scavenger who finds herself embroiled in an epic battle against Supreme Leader Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) First Order.
Teaming up with Finn (Boyega), a former First Order stormtrooper, and Poe Dameron (Isaac), a high-ranking pilot for the Resistance, the trio must battle against the odds to take down Snoke and his apprentice, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) – aka Ben Solo – son of Han and Leia.
Following their respective releases, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker were all box office hits for Disney, with each one grossing over $1 billion. Critically speaking, the first two received respectable scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics scoring The Force Awakens at 93% and The Last Jedi at 91%. As for the final instalment, however, The Rise of Skywalker took a hit with a score of 51%.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
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“Just a shame, then, that [Rey’s] story should have so little emotional resonance, and that the Skywalker saga, with its 42 years of cinematic tradition, should end on such a charmless whimper,” wrote The Times.
Echoing this sentiment, MovieFreak.com added: “[This] is the first time I feel like The Force is no longer with the franchise and the Darkside of corporate cookie-cutter greed has proven to be victorious.”
Lucasfilm
“It looks gorgeous and offers strong performances from Driver and Ridley in particular, but ultimately the saga ends with neither a bang nor a whimper but something in between,” noted Empire Magazine.
As for the fans, several have voiced their frustrations on social media, with inconsistent story arcs and glaring plot holes emerging as some of the sequels’ biggest issues.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy is now available to stream on ITVX.
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Megan is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.