Some flaws, but overall my favorite film in 2016

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2016)

Twelve days after the premiere, and everyone and their mothers has written a review, so I'll keep this one short and only address what I think should be mentioned.
Firstly, this is as close to an action film anything in the franchise has ever been, so you have to keep in mind that once the characters have been properly introduced, they'll either kill or be killed, and it won't stop once it starts.
Secondly, and this was a major annoyance, the MUSIC was butchered for the first third of the film. There were interesting variations on the themes and some competent rearranging of the known themes, as a pointer to this film being somewhat a separate story to the true trilogy, however, in one of those moments a snippet of the Imperial March is played inside of one of the rearranged themes, just as a Rebel ship flies off into space. THIS IS A NO GO, it was the most confusing moment in the movie, and had me wondering if someone was switching sides or if I'd gotten the characters wrong. Childish mistake on a series of films built on leitmotifs.
Thirdly, once you get past the bloopers with the soundtrack (which returns to Williams' themes for the last third of the film) and this or that detail that has been failed to be properly considered, the movie wraps up towards a final act of incredible proportions. There's a mind-blowing crescendo towards the end, to a measure very seldom seen in modern productions. Vader's end scenes reach a high note, just as you see the story unfolding towards our known plot points, and delivers the final blow in a way that makes it hard for fans to hold back a tear here and there. The editing and directing here is a masterpiece, very faithful to Episodes V and VI.
Completely worth the watch, and I'd watch the whole trilogy, plus this and The Force Awakens again, anytime. Episodes 1-2-3 are BS, these last two were on point.
Oh yeah, and memberberries. They taste oh so great.