Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - John Williams

Best Achievement in Visual Effects - Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach, Dominic Tuohy, Roger Guyett

Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Matthew Wood, David Acord

Let's give you a little context as to why I already loved Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker before I even saw it.
1. Even seen every single film.
2. I've loved every single film (even 1, 2, and 3) and I'm not annoyed by Jar Jar Binks.
3. I went to an 8:30 a.m. screening of this film before I got on a 16 hour flight.  Did I need more sitting on that day?  No I did not.  Was there any chance I would miss opening week?  No, there was not.
4. I am a tried and true Star Wars fan.  I have nail stickers with Princess Leia on them.  This is not a drill, people.
5. In my first conversation with my now husband, we confirmed that we both were Star Wars fans, and now we are married.

Ok, have I undermined my own credibility on this film enough?  I believe I have.

So this installment puts a lovely little bow on the most recent of the Star Wars iterations.  There were so many easter eggs and just out and out references for the original films that I cried multiple times while watching it.  Ewoks! Tatooine! The X-wing Fighter!  Impressive CGI reproductions of Carrie Fisher, young and old! Surrounded by a really beautiful and compelling story, there was so much bloody red meat in the water for Star Wars fans that there was no chance I wouldn't love it.  It's an against all odds battle of the resistance versus the First Order, and the good guys win, the bad guys lose, and we still have a glimmer of hope that a door was left just open enough for us to hope that there will continue to be more films ever after.

By the way, John Williams is nominated for his 52nd Oscar, 6 of which have been for Star Wars films.  He won for the very first Star Wars and it is likely that he won't win for this one, but his score is magnificent, as always.  I believe only Walt Disney has been nominated for more Oscars than Williams has (59), but John is a very young 88 years old, so let's not count him out.

That's as many spoilers as you're gonna get.  See the movie.  It's awesome.  (Trust me.)

If you loved Star Wars, obviously you have to see them from the beginning.  There is no substitute.

Here's the trailer: