Better than the aggregate reviews

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2019)

Back in 1999, I watched the Phantom Menace on a late night screening, the 1st night of its widespread US theatrical release. Twenty years later, in 2019, I went back to the same theater and watched the Rise of Skywalker, on the first night of its release.
Based on the early reviews, I was expecting this movie to be a real mess. Thankfully, it was not. I enjoyed the climatic, transformative scene with Rey, Ren and Palpatine. Part of me really wanted to see Rey and Kylo have that romantic union. I can't lie, it was satisfying.
There were parts of the story and plot itself that were admittedly far-fetched, odd and unexpected. Still, I didn't really mind them too much. I thought that the characters of Poe, Finn, and Rose were actually quite weak. I don't think these new heroes came anywhere close to achieving the cool, lovable underdog status of a Han Solo, for example. Poe felt totally one-dimensional and somewhat pointless. Finn was worse. Something is missing in the essence of these cardboard characters. Rey, on the other hand, I felt had a realized character arc and transformation. She felt substantive and I thought Daisy Ridley looked perfect as the heroine.
This movie did not attempt to reinvent the wheel. It was a reiteration of what we've seen before, in many ways. I enjoyed it, and I'm sure I'll see it again.