The original Star Wars (what it was actually called before it became A New Hope and then simple Episode IV) was released just before I hit four years old, so I obviously didn’t see it in the theater. But by the time Empire Strikes Back came out, I was almost seven and a seasoned movie goer at that point, so I have a vague recollection of seeing it on the big screen. And now, all these years later, we’ve finally made it to Episode IX and the conclusion of the original Star Wars saga with Rise of Skywalker.  

Now, I am not a Star Wars superfan – I wouldn’t even include it in one of my fandoms. Though when asked the typical geek question of “Trek or Wars”, I always choose Star Wars because I actually dislike many aspects of Star Trek. But, like millions of people, I have watched these movies from the beginning, so I had to see it through. That being said, Rise is a good movie and a decent conclusion to the story that has, at times, dragged along for more than 40 years.

Ask any fan and they’ll likely tell you this is a great movie and they’re going to watch it again and again. But we all know that fan reviews can’t be trusted – as long as they get most of what they expect in a movie, they’ll be thrilled. (I’m not putting down SW fans here – I’m the same way with Marvel!) As such, Rise is full of fan service. Random characters pop up, places are mentioned, little things happen that all have little to nothing to do with plot progression, but it makes the fanboys/girls squee (and cry… I definitely heard sniffles). And if you don’t get the references, you don’t miss anything.

Without getting into spoilers, I will say that the general plot and character arcs were predictable considering where things were meant to head. I was, however, disappointed (as I typically am) with “the Force” winning out over “the Dark Side” (and if you’ve watched any SW movies, that’s no spoiler!). But I did love the new character, Babu Frik, who popped in like a Russian grandmother telling you to eat more and worry less! Norms are more likely to spot the plot holes and feel that some points drag on a little long, plus certain story choices may change how you view earlier films in the series (if you rewatch them at all). But overall, Rise fits well with the rest of the saga and wrapped the Skywalker story up quite well.