Before I get into this movie- here is a quick synopsis of who I am and how Star Wars has been a part of my life:

I'm 31, and I was 7 when I watched my first ever Star Wars movie; Return of the Jedi. I fell instantly in love with Star Wars. I soaked up everything I could. I played the SNES games. I got the VHS of all three original movies. I read comics, I read books... anything I could get my hands on.

I went to all of the cinematic re-releases of the original movies in the 90s, and was 11 when I went to the midnight premiere of Phantom Menace... The beat of my heart for Star Wars carried on from there. 

Now maybe it was because I was just so young, and enjoyed the prequels so much myself, that I never realized how badly people hated those movies. I never realized that Jake Lloyd (young Anakin) was bullied into mental institutions, I never realized Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks) nearly committed suicide, I never realized Hayden Christensen (older Anakin) nearly swore off acting forever, or that George Lucas was sent death threats. I loved every single second of every single one of those movies.

It was these reasons that led George Lucas to sell Star Wars to Disney, and wouldn't you know it? The same people who burned Lucas to the stake for his prequel trilogy, were suddenly so pissed off that Disney had Star Wars, they were clamoring for Lucas not to sell. Suddenly they loved him again and wanted him to come back and make something they knew they would hate regardless of who made it.

Say what you will about the sequels: I enjoyed them. That moment in Force Awakens when Rey force-grabs Anakin's lightsaber away from Kylo Ren? I instantly got emotional. All of those feelings from my childhood after not having a Star Wars movie for over a decade came roaring back up into my throat. But yet, Sooo many of these same people who bullied child actors were super pissed off. 

Regardless of what they tell you, these people were NEVER going to like any of the Disney movies, the same way they never liked the prequels. But even more,ridiculous elements of hatred were employed with these movies. Primarily sexism and racism. Suddenly, because there was a female lead to Star Wars, the movies were suddenly "feminist", "woke" and "multi-cultural". Me, being a Star Wars snob, and somewhat of a guru to the old cannon and lore, I can easily debunk every single bit that these people like to throw out.

But that's for another time.

The Rise of Skywalker, the end of the Skywalker Saga:
Poorly reviewed on Rotton Tomatoes currently sits at a 55% for critics, and 86% for fans
 
Critics claim the film has too much fan-service. I'm not entirely sure what that means. The movie is a two-and-a-half-hour long roller coaster ride that left my heart pounding, my eyes soggy and my feelings at ease with a fitting ending to the series that shaped my childhood.

Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver are absolute studs in this movie. They honorably carried the saga that started a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away to a place that I believe, will eventually be cemented by time as one of the best Star Wars movies ever.