Review by RCR entertainment reporter, Eric Szymanski, follow him on Twitter at @ecmanski

I’ve been a Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember. My first movie in an actual theater was the original Star Wars before it was referred to as A New Hope. Opening nights, fan conventions and annual tree trimmings with the Star Wars Holiday Special playing in the background are all part of my love for this franchise. That being said, I feel Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a love letter to fans of the saga who have been there from the beginning. I loved it and make no apologies about it.

Don’t think this reviewer is just drinking the blue milk either.

There is Star Wars content out there I loathe (Anakin and Padme’s chemistry, the casino sequence in Last Jedi, Jar Jar and Boss Nass in Phantom Menace). Even some of my most beloved franchises drop the ball sometimes. I’m looking at you Indiana Jones. But Rise of Skywalker reminded me why I love Star Wars. Plot holes? Some as big as Jabba the Hutt. Questionable choices? Of course there are. A solid 2 hour and 21 minutes of action, surprises and jaw dropping moments? Yes! Movies are meant for escapism. Particularly a franchise such as Star Wars. We go to these for fun and have been since 1977 and frankly that’s what I think a lot of “critics” and toxic fanboy trolls have forgotten. The casual viewer is not going to go in and look to critique everything. On the contrary, if you’re a Star Wars fan, you’re going to have a blast.

This is a total spoiler free review so I’m not going to go into details. Let me just say that if you loved The Last Jedi and loved the direction Rian Johnson took the franchise, you may be disappointed. This feels more like a sequel to The Force Awakens than it does a continuation of the trilogy. I pointed out a handful of events and actual lines spoken by characters that totally erase or retcon actions taken in Episode VIII. It was almost like director JJ Abrams said “nope, we’re doing this my way”. That might be my number one criticism of this latest Disney owned trilogy. No plan was put into place. No blueprint from where this trilogy was going to start and where it was going to end up. Abrams had the unenviable task of tying up not just the last two films but the entire 9 film saga. Given with what he had I feel he knocked it out of the park. This particularly goes for advancing Princess Leia’s story by relying on unused footage of the late Carrie Fisher. Knowing what we know, you can see the seams in those scenes but it had to be done as opposed to recasting or digitally inserting Leia’s image.

I truly loved the chemistry between the three leads in this film. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Issac just look like they’re having fun. The dialogue wasn’t forced and the humor was very Marvel like but still felt like Star Wars. Look, we’re never gonna get Luke, Han and Leia again but this new guard brings their own charm and style. Poe Dameron is the 2019 Han Solo. Adam Driver, as usual, delivers an impressive performance. One thing that I loved here is that they put the helmet back on Kylo Ren for a majority of his scenes. It makes his character more menacing and less whiny emo.

The classic characters did not disappoint either. Chewbacca’s first scene was a laugh out loud riot that made me feel like I was playing with my Kenner action figures again in my Millennium Falcon. C3-PO and R2-D2 don’t just serve as background props either. This might be the most action 3-PO has seen in any of the nine movie he’s been in and the funniest he’s been since Empire Strikes Back. And Lando….. oh Lando, you old scoundrel, you. Billy Dee Williams was fantastic. Whoever did his hair and makeup deserves a shout out as well. He IS the Lando we all remembered and loved in this movie. Every scene he was in brought an immense smile to my face and his closing line reminded me, like Colt 45, he works every time. Then we come to the Emperor. Some may be annoyed with his zombie like appearance but I was on board right from the beginning. Aside from Vader, Ian McDairmid shows us why his character is the greatest villain in the history of Star Wars. Snoke was an appetizer and Palpatine is the entrée our heroes must face.

Rise of Skywalker ends a nine-part story that started more than 42 years ago. We can pinpoint chapters in our own life where we were when the different episodes debuted in theaters. No matter how you’ll react or how much you will love or hate The Rise of Skywalker, you have to appreciate the moments this franchise has given us. From seeing the movies in the theater as a kid to being a grown-up raiding the toy aisles when a Toys R Us midnight sale was still a thing, Star Wars has always provided fans and filmgoers with fond memories. Is this the end? Of course not, we got Baby Yoda bringing us into the roaring ’20s and a new trilogy in the works with new characters and timelines. But the Skywalker journey, for now, has ended. This Rise was a fitting fan service filled conclusion.

4.8/5 stars

Watch the final trailer for #StarWars: #TheRiseOfSkywalker in theaters December 20