Well, after the 4th viewing. I still like it!!!

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2020)

The day that i saw this film for the first time i came out of it feeling that i saw some great things and some bad things in it. Since the Disney Star Wars trilogy came out it has become almost a sport to hate them. Just like it was when the prequels came out. The vitriol against these films is I think so outrageous that I think some people just want to hate them. Now, the same people that despised George Lucas for Episodes 1-3 now suddenly like them in favor of these new episodes. I said in my previous reviews that I LOVE all of these films. I live the universe that George Lucas created. When the prequels came out I was disappointed a little just like most people were because they just felt different than the original trilogy. But I enjoyed them, and over the years I have grown to appreciate them. They are nearly as bad as some have said. They were different, but it was Star Wars.
Then came the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm and they made The Force Awakens. There was a lot of hype obviously and it blew alot of people away. JJ Abrams had brought back the Star Wars that we loved so much. I was ecstatic. It was a very nostalgic film that gave the audience what it lacked in the prequels. But no, there was a very loud faction of Star Wars fans that said that it was too much like Star Wars Episode 4. That is precisely what I loved about it!!! It was a great mix of old and new. The new characters of Rey, Finn, and Poe were good. Especially Rey. But the presence of the the old characters made it better. But no, some people just didn't like it. Unbelievable.
Then a couple of years later we got The Last Jedi directed by Rian Johnson. And he did what JJ Abrams didn't. He took some chances with his film. He made certain choices that were viewed as heresy by the alot of fanboys!!! It is hated by many. Again, I just dont get it? The Force Awakens was panned by many for being safe and nostalgic. Rian Johnson tried to take some real chances, and I have to admit I didnt like alot of them but it was great to see something different. I have grown to.like the film more with every viewing. Again, I get some of the objections to the choices that he made but the film is really good. I think some people hate just for the sake of hating.
So now we get The Rise of Skywalker. And the hate seems even worse!!! Disney brought back JJ after Lasr Jedi underperformed. And he does more of what he did in Force Awakens, and it is good and bad. This film has the disadvantage of being the 3rd installment of a trilogy. It is overstuffed and at times a mess. But to me so much is done well that again I don't get the hatred? I will say that it does seems as though JJ and Rian were not on the same page in that this film changes or ignores alot of what was done in Last Jedi. So there is some disconnect in the trilogy.
The film had alot against it, starting with the death of Carrie Fisher. She was supposed to be a much bigger focus in this film. She appears in the film, with very little dialogue because here scenes taken from Force Awakens and edited for this one. It is done as well as at could have been. Rey is presented again as she is training to be a Jedi but is haunted by not knowing who her parents were. Her interaction with Kylo Ren is here as in Last Jedi but they can actually inhabit there spaces. It is really good. Daisy Ridley is good as Rey again. She sells her duality very well. The relationship between Rey, Finn, and Poe is very good and played mostly for laughs. They have good chemistry. The non spoiler spoiler is that Emperor Palpatine is back. From the trailer it was shown that he was back so his being in this film was no surprise. Alot of people are also complaining about Palpatine being alive, thus reducing the role of Darth Vader/ Anakin Skywalker in the saga. I think he was brought back because JJ and Disney wanted to get fans excited. And as usual Ian Mcdormand is really good as the villian. Is it sort of lazy to not present a new threat? Maybe but this is Star Wars. There have been 3 planet destroying space stations in this universe! It's fiction!!!! The film is filled with callbacks and touching moments, some don't hit as much as intended but others do. There is one in particular that was just perfect. I teared up. Overall, after seeing this film 4 TIMES mey opinion is unchanged. It is not perfect, but it has enough Star Wars moments that resonate that satisfied me. To.me it is the weakest in the new trilogy. Force Awakens and Last Jedi I think were more focused. This one is all over the place at times. But again, the 3rd installment almost always is somewhat of a mess because it is s conclusion. Return of the Jedi is the weakest in the original trilogy suffers a little from that also. I feel.that a singular vision would have helped these new films and they did feel like Disney wanted to please such a wide audience that there was no real plan. Ypu can dislike the Star Wars prequels all you want but George Lucas at least had a clear vision. Even though the original trilogy is more beloved. I really love this universe, so I am happy with this new trilogy. Could they have been better? Yes. Are they horrible like so many say? No.
Grade: B