I love The Last Jedi.
I love The Last Jedi.
I love The Last Jedi.

I feel like I need to say it out loud multiple times to actually believe it. It feels almost embarrassing to say that I love this film. Mostly because of how ignorant I was to the fact that this is not nearly as bad as I said it is.

I promised I would write about how this went from my least favorite Star Wars to one of my favorites, and so here I am. If you want the answer for that question, just read this gigantic story I'm about to tell.

The year is 2017. One of the worst years of my life. Just about everything about that year sucked so much in my personal life.
It's December 14th. Star Wars might be the only thing that can lift me up. It's the first time my parents actually let me go to a movie theater all by myself. Pretty exciting, huh?
At the time, I wasn't thinking about lore, story cohesion, character development... none of that shit. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to feel that feeling that only Star Wars can provide me. I wanted to feel happiness.
The Last Jedi made me happy. It made my jaw-drop, it sent chivers down my spine. It made me laugh, cry, cheer, mourn. And most importantly, it gave me hope.
That's about it for my first viewing.

The year is 2018. Star Wars "fans" apparently now hate Star Wars. Ironic.
"Ruin Johnson r@ped my childhood" is among one of the many things being said about this film.
And yes, of course, I saw all those Last Jedi hate videos, because why not? Also, keep that in mind, I was very young (I still am). I was easily manipulated. And I started hating TLJ because I was told to. I thought everything about the movie sucked because the majority of people said so.

Now let's skip forward to 2019. The Rise of Skywalker trailer just dropped. I'm pumped. Every new Star Wars thing makes me pumped. Of course, after I watched the film twice and thought a lot about it, well, you guys know how I feel about that piece of... media.

Now it's late December, 2019. I rewatched The Last Jedi. It grew on me. I still don't think it's good, but it grew on me. Then I rewatched it again this year (2020). And again. And again. And, well, again. And I've finally came to a conclusion: this film is brilliant.

All the stuff with the Force, the Jedi Order, the continuation of Luke story, Rey and Kylo's relationship are top-tier Star Wars content. Yes, it's flawed, like most Star Wars films. A lot of scenes and plot-points feel like they come from a different movie. But I still enjoy watching it, that's what makes me want to watch it again. The film is filled with great ideas, concepts, and actual passion from the director and actors. This was made by a crew that cared, unlike what a huge part of the fanbase likes to say.

Star Wars fans will nitpick everything. I say that because I am one myself. And those "fans" that disliked this film are the same one saying that the prequels are underrated masterpieces.
Remember when the prequels were some of the most hated movies of all time?
When all those Original Trilogy fans said their childhoods were ruined because of those films? What about the kids that grew up WITH the prequels!?
Well, now they are older, and they are the ones defending their childhoods. And they hate the sequels. They say they are some of the worst movies of all time.

It's funny how history tends to repeat itself.

But the thing is, we will always be biased towards something new. Especially if it is with Star Wars, an universally loved franchise that has touched so many people around the world. If it is any different from what we liked, we'll complain about it. Maybe 10, 15 years from now, the kids that are growing up with the sequels will have a voice on the internet and will defend the films they grew up with.

In short, what I am trying to say is: I grew up, and I let go of my hate towards this film. I love Star Wars, and this is some great Star Wars. The Last Jedi is one of the best looking films of all time. It also has a very compelling story, expanding on themes that were barely explored on other Star Wars films. It gives new layers to new and old characters, and it makes me feel as good as Star Wars should make me feel.

The thing is, I love Star Wars.

And I love The Last Jedi.
(I like porgs too they're pretty cute)