Much better than expected, still not perfect

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2020)

I went to see Episode 9 with fairly low expectations after seeing all the negative reviews on here and in the media. However I was pleasantly surprised by the entire film.
Granted, this is no Return of the Jedi, but it is a satisfying enough end to the weakest trilogy so far. The Last Jedi was a car crash of epic proportions, which I regard as the worst of all star wars films ever made. The plot and pacing are far better in TROS but that isn't to say there aren't issues. The return of Palpatine should have been done in an epic manner with a grand reveal, instead he gets shown in the first few minutes without any explanation. Sadly we get zero explanation as to how he survived other than a loose point about the force allowing unnatural things to occur.
Lando should have been a great addition to the film and yet he was there as more of a cameo than anything else. I get that he isn't the main focus of the series but for such a brilliant character from the original trilogy I expected them to do more with him.
Leia didn't get an amazing send off, however I understand that the great, late Carrie Fisher hadn't filmed too much for this film.
A new trilogy will begin in 2022, presumably with Rey building a new Jedi Order. Finn is seemingly force sensitive too so perhaps he will be a jedi also. I have a strong feeling that the new trilogy will tie into the Mandalorian tv show, which in all honesty I'd be happy to see. Season 1 was brilliant and there is a great deal they could do with merging the films and show!
Anyway, overall I would say The Rise of Skywalker is a good enough film. Nothing special but noway near as bad as critics and fans made it out to be.