Creating the perfect ending to a series is always difficult, especially when that series began forty years prior and has since garnered millions of fans; however, ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ manages to successfully tie in nostalgic pieces from the previous movies while also keeping true to the current story line in order to create a wildly entertaining and satisfying finale. 

The fast paced plot keeps viewers on the edge of their seat while the message of hope and friendship carries throughout the film. ‘Rise’ was easy to follow and could make sense as an individual film to those who know relatively little about the Star Wars universe. By making the big villian of the finale movie Emperor Palpatine, the main villain of the previous six movies, Star Wars writers were able to raise the stakes and bring a sense of completeness to what has become the, “the Skywalker Saga”. 

The film found new and interesting ways to explore the continuous and complicated relationship between Rey, Jedi in training and the main protagonist of the series, and Kylo Ren, conflicted Sith lord and son of Princess Leya and Han Solo  (a relationship that was highlighted in the previous Star Wars film: “The Last Jedi.”). Also, as typical for most Star Wars movies, the high speed chases and light saber battles were well shot and exciting to watch. One such being shown at the very beginning of the movie as Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) evade enemy ships as they race the Millennium Falcon back from an Intel mission. Special effects have always helped give Star Wars its magic and the special effects team really stepped up in ‘Rise of Skywalker’ in order to satisfy all science fiction fanatics. 

‘Rise’ is an emotional roller coaster as characters we’ve come to love race against the clock to save the universe. The movie keeps viewers invested as old friendships are tested, a new romance is sparked, and the film appeals to older fans as past characters, such as Lando Calrissian, are reintroduced in this epic finale. While the film had its predictable moments, overall it was a well rounded, well shot, and fun to watch finale to a series long in the making.