I saw The Rise of Skywalker on opening night and it’s taken me a few days to process it all! I’ve been seeing so much negativity about the final chapter in the Skywalker saga. But I really enjoyed the movie and found the ending so super satisfying. I have the hope of a rebel so I’m not going to fall to the Dark Side of critics and haters.

In this last part of the saga, Rey, Finn, Poe and Co. are trying to save the galaxy after the devastation inflicted by the First Order in The Last Jedi. There’s a lot of hopping around in the Falcon, some fake outs that could have broken me, and some appearances by old friends. There’s an evil presence (you’ll know who it is if you’ve seen the trailers) making things even worse, and Kylo Ren is hanging around again with the Knights of Ren. I think director J.J. Abrams did a great job tying up lots of threads. 

Here’s what I loved about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Will do my best to avoid spoilers!

Answers about Rey

We finally find out more about who Rey (Daisy Ridley) really is. I wasn’t happy with Kylo Ren’s reveal in the last movie. I found this to be an intriguing answer, and I’d like to see it explained more in a book or comic. Rey’s been training to use the Force and is more powerful than ever. Her story is everything. 

Spotlight on C-3P0

The droids are some of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe. R2 got the spotlight a lot in the prequels and in Clone Wars. The Rise of Skywalker gives Threepio his biggest role since the original trilogy and that made me so happy. He might be annoying and anxious, but his heroism shines, and Anthony Daniel’s performance deserves so much credit.

The Last Skywalkers? Leia and Luke

I thought I’d have a hard time seeing Carrie Fisher on screen. They pieced together her performance from outtakes and I think they did justice to Leia and Carrie. 

Luke (Mark Hamill) is also back. I thought he’d have been around more. But he’s there when the story needs him and I’m ok with that! 

Kylo Ren

This is also a story about Kylo Ren/Ben Skywalker (Adam Driver). He’s the supreme leader now. Too much that’s spoilable to talk about, but he’s still connected to Rey, and more to his past than he wants to admit. Lots lurking around the galaxy with his squad and epic fighting. 

Friendship is magic

Star Wars is all about the classic hero’s journey and good vs evil themes. But it’s also about friendship and teamwork. I loved all the bickering among Rey, Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Issac). They’ve really become a family. The rebels find some help in the return of Lando Calrissian (Billie Dee Williams) and newcomer Jannah (Naomi Ackie). And in Star Wars, you know not everyone is really gone. I got some Harry Potter vibes in the final battle. (If you’re a fan of the Star Wars cartoons, listen carefully and you’ll love this part even more.)

The Rise of Skywalker’s new characters

In addition to Jannah, Zorii Bliss is another new character and we don’t get to really see that she’s Kerri Russel under that mask! She and Poe have such great chemistry that I hope they get a Disney Plus series or at least a comic run. There’s also D-O, a new pal for BB-8.  

My favorite new character is Babu Frik, who’s just as cute as Baby Yoda or Porgs. And also hilarious. 

That ending

I’ve read a lot of complaints about how the movie is retconning The Last Jedi (which I also enjoyed!) or that it’s pandering, but if it’s not about pleasing fans what exactly has been the point or growing this franchise ?

I love the easter eggs, the used universe, the repeated themes, the familiar score, and the surprise cameos. I love that this movie honored the past. I’ve loved Star Wars since I was a little girl and it still fills me with excitement and hope. 

The movie was long and there was a lot of plot crammed in. Yes, some ideas might have been underdeveloped, but I think the movie was able to move along just fine.

The ending was just perfect. It might just be my favorite Star Wars moment from nine movies, three cartoon series, and lots of books and comics. I can’t wait to see it again. 

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Robin Cabana loves to nerd out about Star Wars, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Disney and so much more. She has a pug named Penny and lives in New Jersey.