Most impressive: Abrams brought balance again!

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2019)

This being a Star Wars film, there will (of course) be extreme reactions on this review page, ranging from abysmal 1s to towering 10s. It is a sign of the times, when expectations go into unrealistic ranges. With every franchise that has such a dedicated fanbase, there will also come a sense of ownership about the direction that it will have to go in, followed by a lot of disappointment mixed with applause. But I don't own the franchise and am happy to let others take me to where they bring it.
Much has been said by how Disney handled the Star Wars franchise after buying LucasFilm, and to say that they may have bitten off more than they could chew on occassion (like releasing more than one film within a year) is fair. But I have nothing but praise for bringing in J.J. Abrams. I had my issues with the Force Awakens (or Force Recycled), but it did an excellent job in bringing back the good-old Original Trilogy feeling to the franchise, as well as introducing a fresh new group of characters to take us on their journey. I am still conflicted about Rian Johnson's nihilistic Last Jedi, which was a strange mix of bold ideas and poor decisions. A decent film, but perhaps too dark and too eager to think outside the box than we were comfortable with.
Of course, we later learned that Johnson had sort of carte blanche with his movie, and Disney's biggest mistake was that they didn't tell him to align his ideas with the other directors first, for consistency's sake. So when Colin Trevorrow left RoS, Abrams fortunately stepped back in, and he managed to do the unthinkable: finish the story on his terms, ending the trilogy and the whole saga on a high note, while incorporating most of The Last Jedi's mood swings in a logical way.
Abrams fortunately knows his stuff. As usual in his body of work, he re-uses old elements, but mixes them with enough mystery so that it at least tastes good and feels fresh. Bringing back Emperor Palpatine (not a spoiler; the movie literally opens with this) initially felt like nostalgia-recycling again, but if you think about it, he has been the Man behind the Curtain throughout episodes 1-6, so it makes sense to make him the alpha and omega villain of the entire saga. And let's face it: no one plays a better villain than Ian McDiarmid (perhaps James Earl Jones).
Abrams manages to place Palpatine's return within a greater exploration of the franchise mythology, which is something that I think all good sequels do or should strive to. I am not a connaisseur, but it feels like something coming from the rich extended universe stories that were released after Return of the Jedi, or ideas that George Lucas once had. Whatever the case, it all felt quite naturally, and bringing in the characters, both good and bad, into this exploration is the best way to pull your audience into the narrative.
RoS luckily brings back a lot of the adventurous joy and spontaneity that we've come to love in the series, and was a bit lacking from The Last Jedi, which was rigidly plotted with social commentary. As per tradition of the Star Wars threequel, we visit lots of diverse and colorful places, meet new and old characters, unearth old mysterious, and learn a few new truths, and realize that the divide between good and bad is blurred. Some years seem to have passed since Last Jedi, so our characters are older and wiser now, and more familar with one another. They are faced with an old threat that has intensified, and it is planning a decisive strike, so they must trust the Force, but more importantly, each other to survive.
It is great to see how Abrams gets this story going like a proper adventure with a race against time, while giving the previous events a proper context or closure. There is at least a minimal amount of much-needed backstory for Supreme Leader Snoke (who was little more than a plot device), although Abrams is smart enough to leave enough room for mystery, and not get bogged down in overexplanation. I hope that he finally managed to steer into his and Trevorrow's original vision for the trilogy (the latter retaining a story credit on this film), which retroactively makes more sense of what we experienced in The Last Jedi . It's still not my favorite, but I feel that its place in the middle of the trilogy is a bit more solidified. And let's not forget, the grim darkness of The Empire Strikes Back probably also made better sense in hindsight, after we saw Return of the Jedi.
Of course it is not a perfect film. The late Carrie Fisher is used in the movie in a surprisingly convincing way through archive footage, but you can sense from some dialogues and set-ups that they had to work with what they had. The pace is hurried or even rushed at times. Decisions are made, alliances are forged, and even romances bloom at a faster pace than what would feel natural. It is noticeable that Abrams had to struggle to get his own Force Awakens plot back on track, while also tying the loose ends of The Last Jedi AND create a follow up to Return of the Jedi. He comes a long way, but lets just say that the much maligned Canto Bight subplot from Last Jedi is pretty much left hanging, and I think that is more Johnson's responsibility than Abrams'. Fortunately gone as well is much of the forced goofiness. There is lots of (droid) humor, and only at occassion did it make me roll my eyes this time.
RoS just feels like a well-balanced Star Wars experience, with violent clashes and epic battles to pump our adrenalin, but also calm moments that tug our heartstrings, as it should be. The finale is a great emotional pay-off for over 40 years and 9 movies full of Star Wars moments. Sure, there are enough divisive moments. Events and character decisions that may feel left-field or poorly motivated to some, but cathartic to others. We re-visit decisive places and important people from the older movies, which may be dangerously close to fan-pleasing for some. Others will claim it is too diverse or inclusive for diversity's and inclusiveness' sake. Haters gonna hate.
All I can say is that it worked for me, in surprisisingly natural ways even. I couldn't have hoped for anything better.