I am old enough to have seen every Star Wars movie in the theater on first run. However, I would not consider myself a “purist” in everything SW-related. I think Han is the kind of guy who would shoot first, but I also thought Jar Jar was amusing, and Starkiller Base was an entertaining (if derivative) set piece. Having said all that, I’m conflicted about “The Rise of Skywalker.” It’s great spectacle and pitch-perfect popcorn-fare, which is all George Lucas was ever really shooting for - well, that and money. However, as a satisfying cap to the entire franchise - and especially to the new trilogy - it comes up short. Granted, “The Last Jedi” set a really high bar that any film would have trouble topping, but it felt as if the filmmakers were playing more to nostalgia than to original (and cohesive) storytelling. Planet-killer weapons? Check. Fast and friendly banter? Check. Epic lightsaber battles? Check. But wait…. What about the Force rising in random kids around the galaxy? Dropped that. What about Rose and Finn’s awesome relationship? Dropped that too. (In fact, we pretty much dropped Rose off the map, likely due to whiny fanboys who harassed the actress after the last movie. Very sad.) And Palpatine - wait a second. Where did Palpatine come from? How was he shoehorned into this story? The whole thing felt very…safe. As for Rey, she kicks ass, which was great to see. However, this is far less a feminist film than “The Last Jedi.” This one scaled back the women (all minorities, actually) and their heroic roles, which was disappointing. Overall, the spectacle was certainly worth the Imax price, but the story was a letdown. It did not do justice to the power or character of Rey, and it played things too safe as a cap to 40+ years of great storytelling. As for Bechdels, well: 1) It had more than 2 women in it; 2) They spoke to each other (quite briefly); 3) and they discussed things other than the male protagonist (though again, it wasn’t of any real depth).