Today we are traveling at light speed to a galaxy far away because what I want to talk about is Star Wars. That’s right. I finally, finally, saw The Rise of Skywalker. Spoilers ahead for the movie and one for The Mandalorian. You have been warned, Journeyers.

I know this movie got shit on a lot with a lot of the angles they went with and some choices they made for the final installment. A lot of people are tired of hearing about it all, but I really wanted to get my thoughts down in a cohesive manner before it was all said and done so bear with me.

The beginning of the movie was slow. I’m talking women’s bathroom lines at Christmas time tedious. It was a slow burn and while I did like it, it didn’t thrill me the way it usually would until things started kind of picking up closer to the last half of the movie. There were several things in the movie that were kind of slapdash. The force healing thing, which is technically canon in that irritating way that anything Disney decided to keep dubiously is, was a highlight in the Mandalorian episode that aired the day after the press screening of Rise of Skywalker occurred. Some critics, such as the wonderful Jason Gorber (slashfilms.com), have stated it to be a pretty big power play to make in the last installment of a trilogy and I have to say I can’t agree more.

Also where the hekkin hell did that Pryde dude come in? Sorry, “Allegiant General” Pryde. He was just such a random throw in. I liked his whole zombie minion schtick but the addition of him just seemed very last minute. It came off feeling like they just threw him in to cement the whole Palpatine angle.

Moving on.

I felt like the trilogy as a whole was just as much about Kylo Ren and his development as a character as it was about Rey and her story. I thought it was cool back when the first movie came out and everyone was theorizing about who Rey’s parents really were. One of the biggest theories, and a personal favorite of mine, was how she might be a Palpatine. However, the writers then put in that her parents were just were just no bodies, just junk traders and scavengers like her, and that the force chose her more or less.

Everyone got pretty comfortable with that and, as a whole I think, came to appreciate that angle over time. It sort of expanded the story in a way so that the entire universe far far away didn’t solely revolve around these two families for once. So whenever they revealed that all the theorists were right all along it felt rather disappointing.

Darkside Rey was so badass though. I loved it. When Rey stumbled upon her Sith-self in the remains of the Death Star, it was very much a call back to the “Cave-of-mysteries-Bad-Place” back on her Jedi training island. I would have loved to see this scene go on a little longer. It almost felt like there was more in it that maybe got cut for time. So I’m really interested to see when this comes out on DVD what the deleted scenes are going to look like. I’m a sucker for a good deleted scene.

I really enjoyed how when Rey and Kylo were fighting on Kijimi, in the midst of the fallen Death Star, the more the two of them fought, the more worn down Rey became. She began to lose that controlled Jedi style of fighting that she had been taught and revert back to the style of combat that had come so natural to her when they battled in the forest. It looked very similar to the stance and form that Kylo favored actually. The style that reminded me of a scorpion, all stabbing and slashing.

The style that was so very Palpatine.

Another scene that seemed like it got cut was the end scene between Poe and Finn. It really seemed like their whole congratulatory exchange maybe went on longer but was cut for time. Can anyone say bromance there?

Now let’s talk about the Reylo.

That’s right. It’s there. It’s officially canon and, well, I have a confession to make.

I’m a big, fat, nerdy Reylo fangirl. Unabashed and unashamed, I adore it to the pit of my fandom-filled center.

I loved loved that Kylo Ren had a redemption arc. I thought, “Yes! He got his kiss, he got the girl!”

Then he got dead.

And then I got dead inside.

It does seem kind of like this trilogy was a retelling of the original trilogy and that’s probably what the directors were going for. After all Star Wars mirrors itself in a lot of ways. Inevitably it became, just like in the first trilogy, a battle between the Skywalker and Palpatine bloodlines. At first it was between Kylo Ren and Rey but then after her discovery as a Palpatine, they were able to team up and take on the Emperor Palpatine together.

Discounting the fact that Rey is sort of spirit adopted by Luke and Leia in the end scene, Ben Solo is still a Skywalker through his mother. There were a lot of themes of the sins of the older generation being passed down onto the next in the original trilogy and this second trilogy (because we all know the prequels don’t exist) mirror that pattern. Unlike many viewers, I didn’t really mind that Rey took on the Skywalker name at the end. It didn’t bother me in the least, honestly.

I was pretty sad that Finn didn’t end up with anyone and they didn’t really fully finish flushing out his Force sensitivity sub-plot in a satisfying way. That was a little disappointing but I suppose there is so much you can fit in a single movie. I really would have liked to see that expanded on a little bit more than it was though.

Overall I liked it.

It was a slow burn for the third movie, and with Kylo Ren’s death the ending was unsatisfying but as a whole I enjoyed it. However, I have decided to head cannon the idea that he doesn’t really die and they disappear during the celebrations with rumors popping up later that the two of them establish a new temple, training little gray, gold saber Force users.

Kylo dying is fake news.

Now bring me those fix-it fics, baby!

With Peace and Passion.

Ta!