Written By: Dan Geer

In order keep this as spoiler free as possible, this review will refrain from discussing details about anything that was not already in the trailers and TV spots.

“Breathe. Just… BREATHE. Now, reach out with your feelings….”

By “feelings,” I mean the way you felt growing up watching Star Wars films – with a wild-eyed, childlike sense of wonder in the beginning, who continued finding new and fascinating things to love and appreciate about these movies as you grew into adulthood. Everything from the exciting characters, action sequences, droids, ships and lightsaber battles – all the way deep down into the incredibly intriguing myth and lore of it all. Get ready to experience that entire fan journey all in one film with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Without getting into too much detail, the movie starts out with probably the best opening crawl in decades, and from there, the story moves at breakneck speed, introducing one exciting plot point after the next, leading us into pretty much all of the answers we’ve been seeking since The Force Awakens, as well as delivering on some of the best, most tear-jerking moments this Saga has ever seen – all the way through to the very end. Never in my life have I found a Star Wars film to be this thrilling or satisfying. Perhaps it is because this is the end, but man were my glasses fogged up.

Some critics have already knocked on the pacing of this film for not having enough time to breathe, but this reviewer, for one, never found it to be a problem at all. If anything, the pacing helps keep this film exciting all the way through. Sure, perhaps the film could’ve used an extra ten or twenty minutes, but the lack of that extra time never seemed to affect the story in any negative way. It simply propels the story forward at a thrilling rate, keeping the audience engaged.

Speaking of story, we finally get answers. Answers to not only Rey’s origins and why she’s incredibly strong in the Force (she has also had around a year of training since we last saw her as well), but also answers to the questions that have been posed merely by the trailers – such as how Emperor Palpatine managed to stay alive all this time (albeit a somewhat vague answer, definitely inspired by prequel-era lore). General audiences may be a bit lost on some of the details here and there, but fans will pick up on it right away.

The film does feel like it is trying to both acknowledge what The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson achieved with subverting fan expectations that arose from The Force Awakens, as well as fulfill what J.J. Abrams obviously was trying to do with his initial directorial effort in Episode VII. Even though this sequel trilogy basically made things up as it went along, J.J. did have some overall idea of where it could all go when he and Lawrence Kasdan originally came up with the story for The Force Awakens. So it was ultimately the right call to let Abrams finish what he started, and he and writer Chris Terrio manage to do this quite seamlessly.

One of the flaws of the first two Star Wars sequel films was that we never really got to see Rey (Daisey Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) together on an adventure. The Rise of Skywalker manages to finally bring them all together, never ceasing to make the audience smile. This was a much-needed element that works on every level. It was just so much fun to witness their camaraderie as they bantered back and forth, solved problems and moved forward into the next exciting thread. Yes, eventually they get separated again toward the end (and it feels right at that point), but the vast majority of this film sees them together, and it is glorious.

Of course, I’d be remiss if there were no mention in this review of the heroes still remaining from the legacy cast. Billy Dee Williams reprising his role as Lando Calrissian was a great call, and he is just as smooth at 82 years old as he was as the administrator of Cloud City in the prime of his youth. He not only brings us some much-needed fan service, but his role in the story really works. Of course, we need to also mention the wonderful handling of General Leia. It was simply amazing to see that, despite the unfortunate passing of Carrie Fisher back in late 2016, they managed to salvage what footage was left on the cutting room floor from The Force Awakens, combine it with clever editing and computer trickery, and insert Leia into the story in a very satisfying way. Even though she was in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi in a much greater capacity, it almost seems like her last arc here is even better.

In addition, Emperor Palpatine’s return seems all too natural for this story. Actor Ian McDiarmid returns in the role, and he is as menacing as he has ever been. The iconic cackling is still there, but turned down a couple notches since we last saw him in Revenge of the Sith. Ultimately, audiences will just have to wait and see why his return was necessary, but let us just say for now that he has been plotting since the beginning, and so it is very fitting that he be there for the end.

In my review of The Last Jedi, it was suggested that The Force Awakens was like comfort food – like a good steak you always order because not only does it taste good, but also because it’s a safe choice. The Last Jedi was more like that menu item you never tried before, and had to chew on a bit to acquire a taste for it. The Rise of Skywalker, however, is the best of both worlds, balancing out the familiarity and originality quite a bit better this time around. In other words, it’s a good cut of steak, but ordered from a great restaurant you’ve never been to before. And when you finish, you feel fully gratified in that you got what you came for, but at the same time it tasted new enough, as if you experienced it for the first time.

This film, while it will of course be divisive amongst hardcore fans (because that’s how it goes for Star Wars), it seems that The Rise of Skywalker is finally the film to give us everything we could possibly want. There were a couple of minor things that probably could have been done better (I’ll just say that this last trilogy doesn’t really seem to appreciate R2-D2 all that much), but in the end there is just so little to complain about that it would be completely wrong to go against how the movie makes this fan feel overall.

I feel thrilled. Giddy. Childlike. For the end of the Skywalker Saga, it feels absolutely right.

Rating:  (out of four).