Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - 2/5

This is the Donald Trump of movies; it immediately begins dismantling everything its predecessor did. At least a dozen of the biggest plot holes from the last movie get directly addressed, which is a noble attempt but ends up making for a choppy, uneven film. It’s crammed to the gills with about three movies worth of plot and the first third especially plays out almost like a montage. Visually it’s not as stunning as The Last Jedi and its plot meanders, only knowing where it doesn’t want to go. So there’s good news and bad news. The good news is it’s much better than Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the bad news is it’s still not very good.

Closest comparison: It’s like Dragonball Z by way of Indiana Jones.

Setting: Sci-Fi
Plot: Fantasy
Tone: Adventure

Black Panther - 4/5

The design in this movie is awesome; it's a pleasure to look at. It's Guardians of the Galaxy-level colorful (if not more), and the costume design is some of the best Marvel's ever put on screen. The fight scenes are choppier than they needed to be, but they're not bad. The message is solid and well delivered, which is difficult to do in such a shaky social and political climate. It's a relief they took the high road.