What Star Wars has always been about...

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2019)

"Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker" is a 2019 science fiction film directed by J.J. Abrams starring Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. Before I went to the cinema, I heard how many fans and critics complained about the last installment of the Skywalker saga. But the older I get, the more I understand that people complain even about the smallest things and it didn't demoralised me to make an opinion myself. Especially when it comes to Star Wars. The screening I attended perfectly mirrored who SW is actually made for: There were a lot of teenagers and twenty-somethings as well as elder generations present. Doesn't sound quite extraordinary, but what fascinated me was that all of them shared the same experience, we all watched ecstatically and I could see in their reactions that we all felt the same. I made no exception. The film is everything else but bad. It's tight and action packed and didn't lack any suspense. Of course it also had minor flaws, but they weren't as catastrophic as all other fans were stating. The fact that Rey is the granddaughter of Imperor Palpatine is undeniably random and comes out of thin air, but it's elaborated in the story and hence bearable. They should have reworked the opening titles of pure cringe, that's for sure. But things like these don't make a film a disaster. In the same manner of the other films it told a story about the balance of the force. It didn't try to achieve anything else. Even more, I think it's sad that J.J. Abrams tried to apologize for what Rian Johnson supposedly did wrong (what he didn't, in my humble opinion). Either way, there we have it again. What bugs me the most about the fans is the general hypocrisy: TLJ did something that was unusual for SW, TROS used the same old pattern and fans raged because the film offered to much fan service and didn't even try to show some originality. Apparently, whatever you do, someone will always complain. The most important thing of all is the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this popcorn flick. I'm not so deep in this toxic fandom and as I already said about the previous installment, that's my biggest advantage. I sat in the cinema and had two and a half hours of a phenomenal time that made me feel like a child again. It's about fun and excitement, nothing else. If people can't sit back and simply relax, I'm sorry for that. I though, consider this as magical experience. It offered everything I asked for, because my expectations weren't so extremely high. Leia's death played a significant role, so did Ben Solo's sacrifice in the end. The most interesting character of the new trilogy, brilliantly played by one of my favourite newcomer actors, Adam Driver, got the perfect ending to his arc. He literally brought to an end what his grandfather Vader started. If he had survived it would not have made his character justice. I heard that many people criticised the "force heal" thing that, admittedly, created a few continuity errors, but even that could be logically explained by simply stating that her ancestor is the most powerful Sith lord of all time. Just saying. Furthermore, it had enough epic moments, cool lightsaber battles and an atmosphere that a part deep inside of me has missed for so long. It all worked well for me, someone who basically criticises the smallest details in any film. This time I shut off my mind and simply enjoyed a decent flick. Iit didn't bother me at all. It doesn't matter what others say, the fact that she calls herself Rey Skywalker in the end after burying the lightsabers at the place where it all began was neither cheesy or undeserved, I consider it as a respectful gesture and a well done homage to the original trilogy. The same counts for the scene in which she talks to the Jedi of the past. Call me a madman, but I liked it a lot. All in all, the final entry of the Skywalker saga is a flawed but still well done farewell to a glorious story of iconic characters, with a reputation worse than it actually is. As I already stated, no one hates Star Wars more than a Star Wars fan. If you're open minded an wanna have a good time, ignore the hate of the "fans", don't expect to much and you'll be rewarded with a great experience. I can see why people may not like it, but these are minor inconveniences that don't affect how great it is. It's not as dramatic as everyone says, in the end it's only a movie, made to entertain. Whether you like it or not, the force is strong with this trilogy that, honestly, is way better than the prequel trilogy. Since the first film premiered 42 years ago there have been people hating on it and it will never change. I'm glad that I can say that I find pleasure in all of them. No matter what others say, Star Wars films are watched with the heart and not with the mind. Remember that. If you hated it, it's okay, but please don't try to ruin it for the minority of people who actually enjoyed it. Thank you!