It’s finally here: "Star Wars Episode VIII- The Last Jedi" has arrived, complete with a high score from critics and an unfortunately divided fanbase. Some absolutely loved it, some absolutely hated it, and some just felt “meh.”

What I found hard to believe after seeing the movie and letting myself see the reviews I’d been avoiding was that some had downright hated the movie. I thought to myself, “How!? How could you not be amazed at what they did here!?” Some railed about the casino scene, some claimed it was nonsensical, and some complained about "getting the middle finger."

Me? I loved it. So... let me gush about a movie that made my little nerd heart explode.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

One thing I absolutely loved about the movie was the change in perspective. There are several ways this played out.

The most obvious change was the near-absolute destruction of old tropes. The movie sets up very obvious conflicts I thought would result in equally obvious resolutions. Each one was obliterated.

What’s that? We need to find a person who will fix the problem so we win the day!? Okay! *Person does the thing but sells out the heroes and the alternative plan.*

I thought this was fantastic- rather than follow expectations, the plot moved in a completely different direction, successfully doing what films should do: play with the audience. What is art if it doesn’t evoke some sort of response or subvert the expectations of the beholder?

Then there was the general who temporarily took over for Leia. She… well, she seemed, at first, to be standoffish, a bit stubborn, and unprepared. She didn’t seem willing to listen or have the Resistance’s best interests in mind. So, when Poe almost took over, we cheered.

Then we found that she DID have a plan (though it didn’t completely work out thanks to our dear friend, the hacker). It was fairly well thought out, too- it would have worked otherwise. Not only that, we got probably one of the most awe-inspiring scenes in Star Wars cinematic history.

The general sacrifices herself, taking the Resistance ship and jumping to lightspeed DIRECTLY THROUGH SNOKE’S SHIP. The idea, the visual, and the silence as we watch the most formidable ship in play get torn apart in a single moment all combined for a geek-out moment we can scarcely dream of.

A similar path was taken regarding the “Big Bad Guy” of the movie- Supreme Leader Snoke. He made himself appear larger than life (much more effectively Palpatine) and displayed immense power beyond oft-used Force Lightning. We actually see him physically manipulate officers of the Order and Rey herself, who we know is incredibly powerful in the Force.

But rather than keep him or have Kylo Ren turn good and join Rey in defeating him, thus mirroring "Return of the Jedi," the movie took a different path. Snoke was at the height of power and close to absolute victory over the Resistance. Kylo seemed all but prepared to kill Rey. A lightsaber ignites- directly into Snoke. Just like that, the big baddie is dead. What does Kylo do- die? Join Rey? No. He takes his place as the Supreme Leader. Things did not go the way anyone thought they would.

This was a geek out moment for me- Kylo’s now signature move used to kill who we thought would be the most powerful villain we’d seen!? That ignition, the pure look of surprise on Snoke’s face (and mine!), and just like that he’s dead, split in two just when he thought he’d won. The Sith is strong in Kylo Ren.

Then there was Leia’s almost-death. A lot of hate sprouted around this- Leia basically magic-ing herself out from space back into the damaged ship. We’d never seen it before nor have we ever heard a hint of her being able to use the Force.

Except, there’s a lot we don’t know about the Force, and I’m not sure we’ve actually been told Leia is incapable of using it. And this is yet another geek out moment- Leia, aka Carrie Fisher, floating so elegantly, with a power we’d never seen before. Sorry, angry fans, but I am loving it.

Even more than this, we got to see even more construction of the Star Wars universe (or galaxy, I suppose). The casino scenes provided a contrast and a part of Star Wars society we haven’t really seen before- the rich who’d profited from wartime in a luxurious gambling setting (as opposed to the cantinas and bars we’ve previously seen).

Alongside this, especially thanks to a new and rather bright character, Rose, we get to see the flipside of that coin- the people who are forgotten who oppressed for the benefit to the high-rollers as well as the kind of hope and power they wield. This part of the story served as a refreshing reminder of why the heroes are the heroes and of the galactic problems that persist.

Which leads us to next week, when I’ll dig into the messages and themes the movie presents. For now, I’m done gushing. May the Force be with you!