'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'—A Spoiled Review

If you have not seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, then I don't know what the hell you're doing here. The title of this article is, "A Spoiled Review," which is my new series for whenever I want to do spoiler reviews.

So if you haven't already been warned enough, then I'm gonna warn you now that this review will have MAJOR SPOILERS for The Rise of Skywalker. For my spoiler-free review, click here.

Here are my spoiled thoughts...

The new Star Wars is out and this is a movie that a lot of people really don't like for reasons that seem to be very different from why people didn't like The Last Jedi. As someone who loves this whole sequel trilogy, I wanted to go scene-by-scene and share my thoughts on what worked and didn't work about this movie.

In our first scene, we have Kylo Ren killing Resistance members in slow-motion and it was so badass. I loved this opening, and apparently, this scene took place on Mustafar, which, as we all hopefully know, is where Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi had their fight in Revenge of the Sith.

He gets a Wayfinder from there, and finds Emperor Palpatine, who is still alive after getting thrown into the Death Star II. This decision may be a bit controversial, but the assumption is that he learned how to manipulate midi-chlorians from Darth Plagueis, and this allowed him to cheat death.

I don't love or hate this decision. Because on one hand, the idea that Palpatine has been pulling the strings the whole time and created Snoke as a puppet answers some questions about the creation of the First Order, it also feels like a bit of a last-ditch idea thrown into the series after The Last Jedi.

This decision also undoes the prophecy that said Anakin was the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith, but since he didn't destroy Palpatine, the prophecy wasn't actually fulfilled.

And that's why for me, this idea is a mixed bag. It doesn't bother me too much but I can understand why some people wouldn't like this idea. But then again, he also says, "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural," which is what he said in Sith.

I loved hearing The Imperial March when the Emperor pulled the Stardestroyers out of the ground, but I also don't quite get why it took him over thirty years to do this, and this Emperor decision didn't seem properly set up in Force Awakens or Last Jedi.

After this, we have an action sequence on the Millennium Falcon where Poe pilots the Falcon with Chewie. Given that Poe is a pilot, I liked seeing him as a bit of a new Han Solo type of character flying the Falcon with Chewie.

Poe then begins lightspeed skipping with the Falcon, a new idea that's actually pretty cool. The planets he goes to are the Typhonic Nebula, Ivexia, and Cardovyte, which are all planets we haven't yet seen in the franchise. I felt like this scene would have been more crowd-pleasing had they gone to more familiar locations such as Coruscant, Bespin, Hoth, or Naboo.

We then get to see Rey practicing the Force, and we get to see Leia. I personally think the editors and writers did a fantastic job of incorporating Leia into the film using archival footage, but with the knowledge that Fisher died before filming, you can tell that her lines are a bit vague and they wrote Rey's dialogue around deleted scenes of Leia.

Afterwards, Rey does a training course, and she struggles with it, which I feel makes her character a bit more compelling; many have criticized her character as being a "Mary Sue" and while I disagree with that sentiment, scenes like this do a good job of showing her imperfections.

I liked how she wanted to earn Luke's lightsaber instead of just taking it, even though I felt like this movie kind of forgot the fact that the lightsaber broke in Last Jedi. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the lightsaber was fixed, but the fact that it was broken could have been alluded to.

Now, this movie tends to use some ideas from Last Jedi and throw out some others. For example, Rey uses a Jedi text she got from Ahch-to to get information on the Wayfinder, but this movie also has Kylo fix his mask which he destroyed in the previous film, and there isn't a real reason for this.

I did like how the Knights of Ren appeared in this movie and they got a larger role in the story. Another return to the franchise that I loved was the return of Lando Calrissian, and I loved seeing him on screen again.

The desert chase is a really exciting action sequence that I had a ton of fun with and when they are all sinking, Finn tells Rey there's something he never told her. This is referenced a couple times throughout the film, but it was never resolved, as he never told Rey what he was gonna say.

When I first watched the scene, I thought he was gonna confess his love for her, but apparently, what he was actually gonna tell her was that he's Force-sensitive.

This is a good idea, and it is referenced throughout the film, but I felt like this was a very underdeveloped idea that wasn't taken advantage of. I felt as if there should have been a scene where Finn was able to surprise Rey by demonstrating his Force ability but it wasn't a fully explored idea.

I loved when Rey used the Force to heal the creature, and I felt like there was an intentional tie-in here to The Mandalorian, as the most recent episode that premiered two days before Rise of Skywalker also featured Force healing.

Rey's flip over the TIE fighter was absolutely badass even though it seems a bit out of place, as if Abrams or Terrio was like, "You know what would be an epic idea? Let's have Rey do a backflip over a TIE fighter!" And then they just threw it into the film.

I loved how they foreshadowed Rey's connection to Palpatine with her accidental usage of Force lightning, as the only other person to do it was Palpatine.

Di-O was a nice little addition, though he is a bit forgettable. I liked the characters of Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik, and how they connected to Poe Dameron's past. Poe's past was a bit obscure in the last two movies, and I liked how we found out he used to be a spice runner (which is such a cool job title, by the way).

The supporting characters in this movie are, in my opinion, more likable and fun to watch than the supporting characters in Last Jedi (Rose, Holdo, etc.). I didn't hate those characters, but I just personally thought the supporting characters in this film were superior.

One of my absolute favorite scenes in this movie is the lightsaber battle between Kylo and Rey that takes place in two different locations. Given that they are connected through the Force and can see each other, this was a really great idea that I loved seeing; personally, I found it to be very well-executed.

We then have two revelations; the first one is that Palpatine is Rey's grandfather, and Rey's father is the son of Palpatine. This isn't a bad idea but it felt like Abrams heard about this long-running fan theory and made it canon to give the fans what they wanted.

It also felt like a redaction of the explanation we received in Last Jedi about Rey's past. Because while her parents were nobodies, it contradicts Kylo's line, "You come from nothing. You are nothing." Yes, this would mean Kylo was lying, but ideas like this make the conflicting visions between Abrams and Johnson clear.

But I do like how this explains how Rey was born with so much power and a natural ability with the Force. It also connects to a scene in Last Jedi when he was testing Rey and she, "went straight to the dark."

The other revelation was that General Hux was a spy who was giving information to the Resistance in order to make Kylo lose. This idea felt a bit out of left field, but it does make a bit of sense given the abuse and disagreements he has had with Kylo in the previous films.

Rey wanted to kill Palpatine for killing her parents, and I liked how this movie planted the seeds for a possible turn to the Dark Side, like what happened with Luke in Return of the Jedi. Jedi don't practice revenge, so this film kept us guessing as to whether her fate would be more like Anakin's or more like Luke's.

I loved how our heroes went to Endor to visit the Death Star II. It was definitely fan service, kind of like the Avengers going to previous movies in Avengers: Endgame, but I'm a sucker for good fan service.

We also meet Jannah in this movie, and I liked her character enough. I enjoyed the idea that there were other Stormtrooper deserters besides Finn. And we then have a lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo that I liked, but it was a bit stale.

Leia dies later in this scene. I thought it was a good idea to have Leia die at the middle of the film because the original plan was to have Episode VII be Han's story, Episode VIII be Luke's story, and Episode IX be Leia's story.

I expected them to have Leia die at the beginning, but they kept her alive and they gave her a meaningful death, as R2, the droid who she started her journey with at the beginning of A New Hope, was by her side as she died. And later, I'll write more about how this ended up being Leia's journey.

We then see Han Solo come back. Now, when I first watched this scene, I was so shocked because since he died and he wasn't Force-sensitive, I assumed that we would never see that character again, but he came back for this scene in Ben's mind, and their dialogue was very similar to their scene in Force Awakens.

This is one of the rare times in a movie where I've come so close to crying. It was so great to see Ben and Han get another chance to talk to each other again. It also mirrors Luke's story, as Luke was able to save his father from the Dark Side, and Han was able to save his son.

Our next scene takes us to the planet of Ahch-to, where Rey is ready to exile herself there to stop herself from succumbing to Palpatine. She is about to burn the Skywalker lightsaber, but Luke's Force ghost catches it, and I'm so glad that we saw his return.

He tells Rey that a Jedi's weapon should be treated with more respect, and this was able to show his growth from his infamous lightsaber toss at the beginning of Last Jedi. He says fear kept him on this island, and while it felt a bit like, "let's give the fans an explanation for Luke," it was an explanation I was okay with.

He shows Rey a lightsaber that Leia made. We have a flashback scene where Luke and Leia are practicing their lightsaber dueling, and on the one hand, the CGI in the scene is iffy, but on the other hand, I loved seeing a young Leia and Luke train together.

Luke tells Rey that Leia's lightsaber would be picked up one day by someone who could complete her journey. And I really like this idea; Rey picks up her lightsaber and uses it to help Leia's Resistance win, thus completing her journey.

And we then have one of my favorite scenes where Luke lifts his X-wing out of the water so that Rey can have a mode of transport to Exegol for our final battle. This scene has the same music as the scene in Empire when Yoda lifted the X-wing out of the water, and it was amazing to see Luke do what he failed to do all those years ago.

It was at this point in my rewatch of the film when I sloppily jotted down, "Rose could be taken out without change." Some have noted that the character of Rose Tico was only given a minute and 16 seconds of screen time, and in my trailer analysis, I predicted her reduced role.

But I felt like at the very least, she could have been given a role that could have an effect on the story. She felt almost like an extra in this film, like her scenes could have been removed from the film and it would have no bearing on the story, which is a bit disappointing given she was the first Asian-American lead character in Star Wars.

After this, the remaining Rebels gear up for the final showdown with the First Order. When all big franchises come to an end, they should always have a major final battle that ends up being better than anything we've seen so far, and Abrams understood that clearly because with a montage and a speech, the Battle of Exegol begins.

This was it. This was THE Star Wars battle, and it was freaking epic. We had people riding on animals, we had TIE fighters and X-wings shooting at each other, we had blasters, and some lightsaber dueling. Every type of Star Wars action is present in this high-spectacle battle, and it made me super happy.

I loved watching it; it truly felt like the big finale that everything had been building towards. Ben returns to the Light Side of the Force and defeats the Knights of Ren. He even gets a no-look shot like his father did in Force Awakens.

One of my absolute favorite scenes is when Rey puts the Skywalker lightsaber behind her back and it looks like she's about to kill Palpatine, but then she lifts her hand and it's gone. AND THEN KYLO HAS IT! AND HE WIELDS HIS GRANDFATHER'S LIGHTSABER AS REY USES LEIA'S!

Pretty soon, the Resistance begins to lose. Their ships are getting destroyed and Poe begins to lose hope, saying there's too many First Order ships. But we hear a voice coming out of his comlink–Lando's voice. And he says, "There are more of us."

We then see ships all over Exegol–people from all over the galaxy rising up against the First Order, with a new spark of hope after Luke Skywalker's heroics at the Battle of Crait. Wedge Antilles comes back as well, and it was amazing to see him again.

But back to Rey–she has almost been destroyed by Palpatine, and she looks into the stars. "Be with me," she says, and she hears the voices of Jedi past—Yoda, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, Qui-Gon Jihn, and more—all telling her to rise.

In the first film, we heard Obi-Wan tell Rey, "These are your first steps." And in this film, he says, "These are your final steps." Luke then tells Rey, "The Force will be with you. Always," before she stands and faces off with Palpatine for the final time.

It was amazing to hear the return of so many Star Wars cast members, and I was so happy when Palpatine was sending Force lightning towards Rey and he says, "I am all the Sith," and Rey takes the lightsaber of the Skywalkers and says, "And I'm all the Jedi."

That was one hell of a moment, and it mirrors another takedown from another film that came out earlier this year. Not gonna say which film, but the comparison was inevitable.

Palpatine dies again (at least until the next sequel trilogy comes out) and Rey dies. Ben then transfers his own life to hers, reviving her at the cost of his own life. And I love the redemption of Ben, how he was able to become one with the Force, and how he saved Rey.

But the kiss? I don't know. I don't hate it, but I think it was a bit much. I felt like Rey caressing him on the face was emotional enough, and while it did please the Reylo shippers, it didn't fully work for me.

He becomes one with the Force at the same time as his mother, and we have our big happy ending where we get to see Wicket, Chewie finally gets his medal, and Rey, Poe, and Finn hug.

Our final scene takes place at the Skywalker home on Tatooine. Rey arrives there to bury Luke and Leia's lightsabers, and she now has her own yellow-bladed lightsaber. A woman asks her for her name, and after seeing Luke and Leia's Force ghosts smiling at her, she responds, "Rey Skywalker," before staring at the twin suns of Tatooine.

What a film! If I have to say some of my issues, I'd say the overall story of the trilogy doesn't seem fully planned out, and Rey, Finn, and Poe aren't an incredibly interesting set of main characters compared to Luke, Leia, and Han.

And we still have some unanswered questions, like how did Maz get the Skywalker lightsaber? There are some ideas that don't work and even as I write all of this, I still loved the movie.

It's upsetting that not everyone was able to find as much enjoyment in this film as I did. I overlook the minor issues with this film because, well, I had a great time with it. It made me really happy, and while I could probably pull it apart and grow to hate it, I don't really want to. I'm fine with loving this movie.

Personally, I don't like to look at the negatives of a film unless they really bother me. I love movies and I love Star Wars, and the flaws with this trilogy don't bother me as much as they've bothered others. I wish most people loved this trilogy. I really do.

But as for "The Rise of Skywalker"? What does that title mean? People went into this with a lot of theories; I personally thought Anakin would return from the dead, but as it turns out, Rey is the Skywalker who rises. The voices of the Jedi tell her to rise, and by the end of the film, the name she takes for herself is Skywalker.

This was a great end to the Skywalker saga, and I found it to be quite a satisfying conclusion. It gave me what I wanted to see, and it's in my top fifteen favorite films of the year.

Thank you so much for reading, and may the Force be with you.