There wasn’t a lot of optimism for Star Wars fans heading into the ninth film. Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker, was set up for ultimate failure. After the eighth film in the saga, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, there wasn’t much to be excited for. Director JJ Abrams had the task of doing a complete 180 to will episode nine to success, and that’s exactly what he did. 

In the episode, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the rebels seek out the sith compass in order to locate Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). They are chased down by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and are constantly jumping from planet to planet. Rey and Ren meet multiple times, both physically and through the force. 

This movie was really good. From the “experienced” movie critics though, it has become one of the lowest-rated Star Wars movies, with just 52% on rotten tomatoes. It really is a head scratcher. A lot of critics believe that it was “recycled,” but I think it was more refreshing to Star Wars than anything. 

But nevertheless, I thought it was great. It had everything. From a Han Solo (Harrison Ford) cameo, to multiple voices from Star Wars’ past. It had a lot of action, a lot of fanservice, and a lot of touching moments that closed out the Star Wars saga. 

My favorite part was on the island of Skellig Michael, when Rey is lost. She tries to find herself and her purpose…when Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) returns in ghost form. It was not only fan service, but a huge example of how Abrams turned this movie around following Episode VIII. After the infamous scene of Luke throwing away a lightsaber in Episode VIII, Abrams combated that scene by showing Rey throwing her lightsaber into a fire. Just before it landed, Skywalker appeared in ghost form to catch her lightsaber, telling her that a Jedi’s weapon is not to be taken for granted.

The bounceback was exhilarating. The entire time viewers felt like they were really watching the conclusion. It is a completely different vibe than Episode VIII was. The small twists were smart and well planned, and it was all truly worth it.

The movie puts an amazing cap on the saga. It could have included a true appearance from Anakin (Hayden Christensen), but it didn’t, only including his voice. There really isn’t anything truly bad I can say about the movie. It was entertaining the entire way through and it never gets slow at any point in the movie. It is one of my personal favorite movies of 2019. 

Despite how sad it is to see the Skywalker saga end, it is exciting knowing there will be a new Star Wars trilogy soon, taking place 400 years before the Skywalker saga. This movie is emotional, exciting, thrilling and everything that the sequel trilogy was supposed to be. I give it 4.5/5 and would recommend anybody to see this movie.