Despite the fact that this film would bring to a close a story that began over 40 years ago, I can’t say that I was really excited to go see it. Plus, it didn’t help that early reviews panned the finale to the Skywalker saga so thoroughly. Nevertheless, having taken great pains to enjoy all the other Star Wars films (except maybe Solo, which is still only half-watched in my Netflix queue) — I’m talking long, snowy line-ups in Toronto, attempting to watch while abroad in Hong Kong (fail!), and Denver (success!). Forty-two years ago, my dad even brought my 2-year old little brother (though he fell asleep mid-movie) with us to see Star Wars. So much has come full-circle that it’s only fitting that I enjoy the last film on opening weekend.

One of the best elements of a franchise finale is seeing old characters and story elements returned. Already in the previous two films, original trilogy characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Yoda, C3-PO, R2-D2, and Princess Leia have all made appearances big and small. It was great because the actors and characters have aged, so the audience (who have also aged, obviously) really feel the passage of time and the sense of nostalgia. A good OG Star Wars fan will spot many scenes that are (hopefully) meant to be tributes to the original, plus there are a few moving farewells to be had. I was equally excited to see others come back for this last installment, including worst-kept-secret and it’s-not-a-spoiler-if-it’s-in-the-opening-text-crawl Ian McDermid as evil emperor Palpatine. Between all the cameos, they still found the time to wrap up the story arc around new trio Finn, Poe, and Rey, plus the Anakin-esque redemption-or-descent of Kylo Ren. I admit to being a bit disappointed in the last trilogy being so much an echo of previous movies, but maybe there’s some value to the cyclical concept — I’m not going to over-think it.

Once again, a looming threat of destruction has been constructed and is gearing up to be launched on all the good planets by the First Order (and other evil forces), and once again the rebel forces need to get their act together so that they can stop it right at the eleventh hour. Again, our heroes need to work together or work separately to retrieve various McGuffins around the galaxy in order to fulfill their crazy long-shot-that-always-succeeds plans. Plot-wise there are a few surprises, but not really.

Some characters I have enjoyed progressively more each movie: I’m thinking of Finn, who went from a mostly-confused runaway to a smart, capable hero (though I don’t like his always yelling, “Rey!!” at the top of his lungs. I feel like yelling back, “She can’t hear you!”). On the other hand, I think some characters, like Rose Tico, are completely wasted. From a politically-correct angle, the only Asian character being one who is constantly sacrificing herself for her unrequited love (i.e. Finn) is not the best. Even with that, her screentime is virtually nothing in this last film. What was surprising, however, was how much screentime was given to Princess Leia. It’s surprising not because she’s not an important character — in fact I like her more as the aged general than as the spunky princess — but since actor Carrie Fisher had already passed away, it’s incredible how they were able to cobble together previously-filmed footage to give her a number of important moments in this film.

Thankfully, I am a big enough Star Wars fan that I’ll enjoy all the movies, shows, etc., enthusiastically, but not so big that I get enraged by character arcs going off-course, or filmmakers not staying true to the spirit of the franchise. There’s been a lot of bad press about this movie, and from what I can tell, a lot of the negativity is around those politically-correct issues, or expectations the story should be wrapped up in a particular way. There have been narrative gaps, poor acting, and ridiculous romantic misfires (not to mention inappropriate kisses — you’ll see what I mean) throughout the movies, so why should it end any differently? No one has been saying that the action sequences and planetary backdrops are not spectacular, or that the dogfights and space battles are not thrilling. Sure, the Jedi and Sith mythology is a porg’s-breakfast of inconsistent concepts, but so what? The biggest space-opera has drawn to a close. In the 70s it was like nothing we’d seen before, and in the end it’s still unmatched by any other sci-fi franchise out there. (4 out of 5)