You’ve seen the reviews, you’ve heard it’s a bad movie. And it is, but Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a great Star Wars film, and my favorite Star Wats movie, next to A New Hope. Rise of Skywalker is an incoherent mess. It has nonexistent pacing, a in-cohesive narrator, and events that probably could have taken up a whole movie are cramped into the iconic opening crawl. But through all of this, the latest Star Wars film is a masterpiece in its franchise. When I first watched A New Hope when I was 10, the shear site of the final battle to destroy the Death Star gave me a feeling inside my heart that I had never felt before. It was a feeling of epicness, one that made you fell a part of a bigger universe, whether that be on the side of the Rebellion, or of the Empire. I had relentlessly pursued this utter tingling joy I felt that time I first learned of the Jedi and the Rebel Alliance and the Empire for years. I watched every prequel, sequel, and spinoff made, even the Holiday Special, countless times in pursuit of this feeling. I read every novel I could get my hands on, played every game I could find, but no matter how deep I dug into George Lucas’ universe, my craving for this feeling was not quenched. That was, until today. Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker gives me that same feeling I felt all those years ago, and I love the film for that.