Great Space Adventure with the words "Star Wars" in the title

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2019)

So partly a review of the Rise of Skywalker, partly the latest trilogy. I will try not to put in too many spoilers...
First, this IS a good movie, go see it!
But having had my Stars Wars dreams and hope's jaded by the Force Awakens and then destroyed by the Last Jedi, I began to dread Rise of Skywalker BUT I went in with an open mind and a new hope that it would at least not disappoint.
And disappoint it did not!!!
I enjoyed the fast paced adventure coming out satisfied and happy.
The movie starts by laying out the 3 main threads / character groups and races headlong down a path that leads to the darkest of threats being met by the greatest of powers, love.
The film nicely balances action with laughs, new worlds with a feel of the old vision that George Lucas gave us. We see old faces continue to support the new and new characters that actually add to and not detract from the whole:
The characters felt so much more real in Rise than in the Last Jedi (which as a stand alone movie I enjoyed watching, only on putting it into context did I fully realise how badly it had ruined the legacy); yes there are some plot holes in Rise of Skywalker, but none so big that they destroy the movie (or Kylo Ren) - I have seen it 3 times now and enjoyed it each time, this is a great sci-fi movie!
Is it really the conclusion to the Skywalker saga? No, it never could be after our beloved heros were sidelined from the start of Episode VII... we waited decades for a glorious follow up and finale to the original trilogy and what we got was people trying to force (no pun intended) their own vision and message on to us... it says it all that George Lucas was not at the world premiere.
I would have loved a movie (trilogy) where Han, Luke and Leia led us powerfully to the end of their story, while throughout, we saw the gradual rise of the next generation of heroes; sadly that will never be.
Rise of Skywalker was a great end to this trilogy and a really good movie in itself, but it was a terrible end to the Skywalker story with Luke having nothing but the smallest of parts, Leia reduced to careful edits and if you thought Han Solo would re-appear, well dream on, Ben!
Skywalker is dead, long live the Mandalorian!
Oh, and did you see what Rey had in the cockpit of the x-wing she lands near the end of the movie???