I LOVED IT. It was everything The Force Awakens wasn't.
Everything I was going over in my head that could come off as a rip off of ESB didn't happen in this ****ing movie. A hamfisted I am your *relative* scene? Someone getting captured or frozen in carbonite? That goofy bullshit about Snoke being a force vampire? NONE OF IT HAPPENED.
This was even better than Rogue One. It was just FILLED with pure moments of Star Wars joy and emotion.
Leia using the force in a way that didn't come off as goofy, but was instead graceful and a nod to Carrie Fisher IRL? YES.
Luke talking to R2-D2 like it was 1980 again? YES.
YODA looking and ACTING like a CG version of the puppet from ESB? Lecturing Luke one last time? Frank Oz perfectly delivering lines like he stepped out of a time machine? HOLY **** I CRIED. HE HIT HIM WITH A GHOSTLY GIMER STICK.
The Falcon showing up to save the ****ing day, and then burrowing through Crait's caverns
WHILE THE ****ING MUSIC FROM RETURN OF THE JEDI PLAYED? NERD BONER.
BB-8 PILOTING AN AT-ST WALKER AND ****ING SHIT UP?
LUKE DRINKING GREEN MILK?
And the climax....my god...the climax. Handled perfectly. I was feeling bummed when I heard the rumors of Luke's death, but it didn't come the way I thought it would at all. I thought he was going to show up and take out Snoke at the end, sacrificing himself in the process. This was perfect, right down to him staring into twin suns as he becomes one with the force. Totally punking that little bitch Kylo on his way out.
I was sad, and yet really happy, because Luke Skywalker was just handled so perfectly in this movie.
And Rey. Really worried when I saw that shot of her with Kylo's saber in the trailer that she was going to be way too overpowered in this. But they handled her character progression and conflict about what to do perfectly. I actually thought she was going to turn in this movie, but it would have been completely unbelievable. They really wrote her well in this movie.
I ****ing loved it.
Don't **** this up in IX, JJ.
The Force is with us.