You might be wondering why the newest Star Warsfilm stands at a sad 52 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, or why the movie hasn’t been given as much praise as Baby Yoda has received.

The last chapter of the outer space saga, “The Rise of Skywalker,” hit theaters on Dec. 20. Although critics made it out to be a big disappointment as an ending to the saga, to me, it was a satisfying conclusion to a series that has been such a vital part of my childhood.

Cameos from the original actors like Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher playing their iconic roles once again were enough to make the whole movie and wait worthwhile. But these weren’t the only striking roles. Supporting characters like C-3PO had a new emotional side that we’ve never seen before.

The movie had a lot of notable aspects to offer, such as a perfect balance between the good and evil characters, or forces with such a drive that make you want to become a Jedi Master yourself. Returning director J.J. Abrams did a wonderful job as well with the ups and downs of emotions felt throughout the audience.

John Williams’ score hit us hard, like always, this time with the unanticipated choice of revamping all the iconic Star Warssongs, which set the whole movie up for greatness from the start and created a feeling of nostalgia—especially geared towards the adult audience. The music took me back to watching the original trilogies and made me feel as if I’ve lived through the whole franchise. I felt this even more when they displayed the iconic starting scene and an even greater poetic ending shot to really capture it all.

As a die-hard fan, I was not disappointed by the cutting-edge thrills and the never-ending surprises that kept on coming. Not only was I surprised by the cameos and sentimental relationships between the characters, but also with the way the story played out in the end. Of course, I had some idea of the fate of select characters, but for the most part, everything was pretty unexpected.

I do admit there were some things that Disney and J.J. Abrams could have done better. There were some moments that just felt like unworked potential, wasted even. But maybe this was just because of the crazy theories brought on by fans that set my hopes up for a whole different outcome. However, these were minor differences that may have made fans feel slightly more satisfied with this new trilogy, but not something that would have changed the movie into something phenomenally better.
It’s sad to think that I sat through the last release of one of my all time favorite series with my fellow Star Warsfanatics at the theatre, for one last round of applause for the beloved characters of the galactic universe. With all this in mind, the movie was a refreshing finish to a beautifully-crafted film which I give a solid 7.8 out of 10, and if you still don’t agree with me, all arguments will soon be resolved with a resurgent Obi Wan series.