A Good Movie with Some Bad Executions

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2019)

As a start I would like to say that I'm a fan of The Last Jedi and I think it's one of the best Star Wars movies. However, I anticipated that The Rise of Skywalker would retcon the ideas and themes of its predecessor in order to appeal to the fans who, to say the least, have problems with it, and that disturbs me a little bit. I wrote what I liked the most about that movie and then some other thoughts I have.
Ben Solo - Oh My God, I LOVE this character so much! His arc in this trilogy is absolutely amazing. In the beginning of the film we find him protecting the one thing he has left: power, but his heart is full with guilt and doubt. I was so hoping for his redemption in this movie, and oh boy it delivered it. I took Liea's sacrifice and Rey's healing to make Ben realize that there's is still good in the galaxy, that there is still good in HIM. But only when he has his conversation with his memory of Han, he finally ACCEPTS the good in him. When the threw his lightsaber to the ocean, I screamed with joy. His sacrifice to save Rey and the disappearance of his body felt so earned, truly the ultimate closure in my opinion. Great story of a great character.
My ONLY problem with it, however, is the execution. There is not enough time with him after Ben's return to the Light. We only see him killing the Knights of Ren, getting thrown into a pit and saving Rey's life. I wish we have more time to see him. Ah, and also, why Ben and Rey had to kiss? It didn't fit to their story at all.
I also enjoyed the plot a lot, I thought the returning of Palpatin was cool, I only wish they would have setting it earlier so it wouldn't feel like out of place. The action was very nice, I liked the long takes they made, the characters were even more interesting and seeing them all together was very enjoyable. The expansion of the Force Teleportation was brilliant, Rey and Ben relationship was, as in The Last Jedi, a powerful aspect. Overall I liked most of the things in that movie and I returned home from the theater satisfied.
However, there were some things that bothered me. As I said, I loved The Last Jedi, I loved that Rey was a nobody and I didn't care who Snoke was. So by telling us that Rey was the Emperor's granddaughter and Snoke was some kind of a clone or whatever, makes The Last Jedi, overall, unimportant. The Snoke reveal didn't effect the story so I could live with that, but making Rey's a Palpatin just disappointed me. The great thing about her was she was a nobody, a proof that you could become great even though we came from noting, as a contrast to Ben who came from greatness and became evil. The right to choose your identity theme is nice but it's not like we haven't seen it before, so that just sad.
In conclusion, as a long time fan of Star Wars, a series that has a special place in my heart, I enjoyed the film. It has a satisfying end and I can't wait to watch it again. Sure it has problems, but that's what makes Star Wars so great. Like our loved ones, we have issues with them when they disappoint us, but that's because we see them as inspiration. That is Star Wars for me.