Tragically, a Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2019)

Don't misunderstand the 10 I've given this film.
Often reviewers rate highly to compensate for low ratings, or vice versa. As much as I'd like to improve the image of this behemoth of a film, I rate it 10/10 because it is, for all intents and purposes, perfect.
I've followed Star Wars all my life. Despite the common consensus that Originals = Good and Prequels = Bad, I've always held every film in high regard. When The Force Awakens was released, I found that although it held tight to the formula of A New Hope and didn't meet every daydreaming fan's obsessive speculations and expectations, it was an entertaining and intriguing start to a trilogy that offered mystery and character.
This mystery and character was snuffed out in one fell swoop with The Last Jedi. I enjoyed it enough on release but hated it in retrospect, along with the global criticism bandwagon. It was a mess that can only be hoped against when wild ambition takes the reins. Despite this, it was a fun mess. A well made cinematographic achievement, a kind of beautiful disaster.
After this troubling start, I was worried about the final Star Wars film. I couldn't see how they would come back after two films that raised so many questions and left so many paths untrodden. What would come out of Disney's doors at the end of a beloved 40-year saga would likely be underwhelming at best. Defying that, though, my hopes were high, and I'd like to emphasise this:
My hopes could not have been high enough.
The Rise of Skywalker does not answer every question. It hasn't pleased a great amount of reviewers. These are minor offences. Let me tell you why.
Start to finish, it is awesomely tense and thrilling. The plot twists and turns, but it is never hard to follow, and never is there 'too much going on'. We are led through the film by series-defining arcs that are necessary and indeed essential. It is paced exquisitely, covering everything that needed to be covered without dragging any of it out or cutting it short. You are taken on a climactic journey that is surprisingly dark, insightful and truly groundbreaking.
Characters that were beginning to feel misrepresented and underdone are hugely developed and are all at their best. The cast are consistent and thorough with their performances, and at last, this new group of strangers feels like a family. The antagonists are more menacing and unsettling than ever, instilling the same sense of isolation and hopelessness that the Original trilogy pulled off so well. The greatest parts of each character, good or evil, are expanded and showcased for pure enjoyment and to strengthen the narrative.
The score is, of course, delivered to the experience expertly. John Williams brings us climbing crescendos, crashing climaxes and quiet lows, a reminder that the grand scale and distant setting of these films is representative of a story that is much closer to home; you and me, us and them, hatred and love, anger and peace, despair and hope. The dark and the light.
These themes are carried beautifully across a finale with a deep gravity that so far has, tragically, failed to move many of the series' fans. For this film to be executed so perfectly and still be attacked relentlessly and overwhelmingly is truly a tragedy. However, I hope the majority will be like me and stand up for the film that saved a trilogy, and even the saga. There's still hope that the fair and considered opinions will overpower the harsh and cynical responses that dominate the scene at the moment. After all, there's always hope. After all....
"Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you can see it, you'll never make it through the night."