John C

For starters, I have followed Star Wars for as long as I can remember (~28 years). The Rise of Skywalker had me very pessimistic after reading some of the harsh reviews after opening night. I was worried... After watching, I find myself in a state of indifference between agreeing with the critics, and not. Although the film has many “over the top” scenes and cliché moments, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I shook my head a couple times in disbelief over impossible physics, and; “why the **** are there horses riding on a spaceship?” But if you can transcend the ridiculousness and absorb the genuine story for what it is, it can take you by surprise. I seriously liked the plot buildup and the ending. It seemed to loosely build off some of the emotional conflicts found in the previous sequels. Albeit, not perfectly. The acting was good in general - Driver was superb. Rey has also grown on me - but she still appears to have “God status”. It would’ve been nice to see some more deeply crafted character development scenes for her. Nonetheless, I’m impressed. Go out, give it a watch, and enjoy yourself!