A satisfactory curtain call to my favourite entertainment franchise of all time

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2019)

JJ, the cast and beyond did a fantastic job with the final instalment of the 42-year Star Wars saga in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Early opening scenes of Leia training Rey on Ajan Kloss bare a strong resemblance to the backdrop or LucasArts' Knights of the Old Republic and BioWare's The Old Republic games. The characterisation was embodied at maximum throughout, with passion and conviction in every actor's performance. Introduction to new world settings was plentiful and cinematography at a high standard. Fisher's role, following her untimely death, brings an essential and emotional development to the plot. McDiarmid's reprisal adds a greater depth to the underlying backstory, with no shortage of surprising reveals and an unexpected homage paid to the expanded universe material. Themes are abundant yet none overshadowing another, entwined with a careful balance of light and dark; love and family ultimately being at the heart of the story. Episode IX pays numerous tributes to previous Star Wars movies, notably drawing inspiration from sequences such as the Tatooine Podrace and the Battle of Mustafar. Old allies such as Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Luminara Unduli and other Jedi make a cameo with their voiceovers, aiding the last Jedi in her stand against the Emperor. A slight disappointment being that no physical appearances were delivered to say a definitive goodbye to some integral pieces of the Star Wars puzzle, such as Obi-Wan or Anakin - though understandable when considering the climax of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the avoidance of history repeating itself.
One issue I have is the concept of the secretive planet Exogal - seemingly unnecessary given that Moraband (formerly Korriban) was already long established as the ancient home world of the Sith, canonised in the animated series Clone Wars and perhaps a more logical choice to include on the big screen as Palpatine's hideout. That said, the introduction of a new and elusive dark side planet certainly drives a layer of fear and edge into the narrative. Williams returns to "A Galaxy Far, Far Away" one last time to score the final chapter of the saga, and does not disappoint with his nostalgic revival of iconic themes from both the original and prequel trilogies.
While fan and critic responses have been generally negative, The Rise of Skywalker is an exceptional piece of story-telling with careful execution in all areas of the finished motion picture, and a satisfactory curtain call to my favourite entertainment franchise of all time.