Don't listen to the bad reviews, seriously.

Rating: 9/10 (23 December 2019)

Let me start by saying I am on the younger side of the Star Wars fans at 20, I wasn't around for the original trilogy. The first one I remember in theaters was Revenge of the Sith. I don't have a ton of nostalgia or connection to the original trilogy, but I enjoy it a lot and have since become a huge Star Wars nerd. I might be biased because I loved the sequel trilogy from the get go and I am easy to please, but honestly, Rise of Skywalker was a masterpiece of a movie. I can see how going in with a critical mindset could deter from the good in it, so go in with an open mind, just ready to enjoy a movie, because there is a lot of good. I was not necessarily a fan of the direction The Last Jedi was going and Rise of Skywalker really saved it. I did not find myself bored by story at any point; the story was strong and interesting with a ton of twists to boast as well. The action was well done and meaningful, intense and spectacular. And without saying, the special effects are absolutely breathtaking, as with any Star Wars film. It definitely has its cheesy/cringy moments, but JJ Abrams has done a magnificent job of capturing the essence of Star Wars and bringing it to a new generation. Where The Last Jedi fell short, Rise of Skywalker picks it up. I've seen a lot of complaints about it being fan appeasement and the production team doing damage control. In my opinion I thought the movie was really good, well done, and took it in a much better direction than I originally thought and really seemed like an epic conclusion. I took some time to read what some of the bad reviews had to say and most of it I saw was complaining for the sake of complaining, saying that it was just fan service after the last movie, and it seems that they can't do any right in the eyes of the viewer. They make their own story and fans complain and then when they release more, fans complain that it wasn't what they were originally complaining about. There are for sure flaws in the movie but it is without a doubt, in my opinion among the best of all Star Wars movies.