In the defence of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (Warning: Contains Spoilers)

Hi Everyone.

Hope you are having an amazing day!

The movie I would like to review today is Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Now before I get into this review I have to warn all the readers that it contains major spoilers about the plot of this movie.

 I went to see this movie at the beginning of this year, and I would like to say that it has been one of my favourite movies I have seen so far. And that is why I was genuinely shocked when I saw a lot of negative reviews about it, and people saying that it was one of the worst of the Star Wars movies, when I thought it was actually one of the best. Full disclaimer I am not very learned in Star Wars lore, and I am not a mega fan, but I have seen episodes IV-IX. I would like to at least let you look at it  from the point of view of someone who loves this movie, instead of someone who doesn't.

The first thing I enjoyed about this movie was the plot. I think that this movie stepped up from "The Last Jedi" in terms of the construction of the plot. One element of the movie that I liked was the whole Rey/Ben Solo story. It was interesting to see characters on both the Light and Dark sides fight with themselves about who they are, and where they belong.

 Adam Driver did an exceptional job playing Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. It's amazing how even in "The Force Awakens" you can already see the conflict in Kylo. I love how it progresses throughout "The Last Jedi" as well and that moment when you think he turned, but didn't. I think it is so interesting because it kind of makes you like him in a different sort of way. You really root for him to turn to the Light. And I don't think I have seen any other movies that have made me feel like that.

 Speaking of amazing acting, can we just take a minute of silence for how awesome Rey is! I mean Daisy Ridley NAILED IT! She portrayed an amazing amount of courage. She went into the darkest and scariest places and was just so courageous! It was great to see her learn more about the force and learn what she could do with that much power.

I think it was really cool to see the connection between Rey and Ben and how they would often appear to each other.  I know this began in "The Last Jedi" but it is cool to see how it comes to a climax in TROS. The connection between them is so evident, and this is a plot line that does great things for the movie.

 I love the messages in this movie. And I think if I could summarise the movie in one word it would be sacrifice. Leia sacrifices her life so that her son could see the truth, that truth being that she loved and forgave him for everything that he did. And then Ben sacrificed his life for Rey because of his love for her. It truly was heartwarming.

 Now my favourite part of the movie was when Ben and Rey united to take a stand against Palpatine. It was interesting how he actually wanted Rey to kill him out of hatred, because then she would become empress. I don't know whether he was lying or telling the truth, but he probably was. I think that the overall theme of the Star Wars movies is that hate leads you to the dark side, and love leads you to the light.

 Anyway I'm really off topic right now so let me get back on track. I love the part where Ben and Rey unite because I know that Ben really will turn this time, unlike in TLJ when you realise that even though he kills Snoke he didn't even turn. Ugh! But I love it because I had been rooting for him for the entire three movies and it was really great to see my dreams come true.

 In the middle of this section of the movie is that awesome scene where Rey hears the voices of past Jedi telling her that they are with her. That was awesome! And I got chills down my spine when Palpatine says that he has all the power of the Sith, and she replies that she has all the power of the Jedi.

 And of course the final scene in which my emotions went from ecstatic to despairing in the space of about 20 seconds. I was so excited that Ben had finally turned! And I couldn't wait to see Ben and Rey save the galaxy together! And then when he smiled it was the most beautiful thing ever! I don't think Ben smiled over the entire course of the three movies, so to see that smile was AWESOME! But when he fell down and died I was confused at first, but then I realised that he had sacrificed his life for Rey which made me so sad!

 Of course there were so many other parts of the movie that were awesome and I could literally write 5 blog posts about this movie! But in the title I promised a defence of the movie. And I will deliver.

 I've seen what people have said about this movie, and I think that people expected this trilogy to somehow be better than episodes I-VI combined!  Some people think it wasn't true to the originals, and some people think that it should've been closer to the originals! I think you should just take the movie at face value and enjoy it! It's really beautiful and heartwarming, but it also has you on the edge of your seat. What more could you want? I also don't like that a lot of people have said that the only good thing about the trilogy is Adam Driver and his portrayal of Kylo Ren. Of course it was exceptional, and the acting was brilliant, but why only him? I thought Daisy Ridley was incredible!
Also John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and of course Carrie Fisher; as Finn, Poe and Leia respectively. This movie had incredible actors who each did a brilliant job portraying their characters.

 I understand that this movie is not everyone's cup of tea, but that's ok. Some people will like it, and others won't. But I just wanted to talk about the reasons that I liked it.

I give this movie a 10/10 and would recommend it for anyone who loves Star Wars or Disney in general.