Fixes what The Last Jedi broke

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2019)

The split in Star Wars fandom won't heal as a result of this final episode of the nine movie series. That goal would be beyond the skill level of any director in history. But, what JJ Abrams did was fix the damage done to the Star Wars lore wrought by Rian Johnson's alternate universe effort The Last Jedi. And that goal was plenty ambitious.
For those who like to see heroes torn down, this movie will anger. Nothing else can be said for that.
For those who like to see odes to heroism overcoming great evil, and a message of hope to build upon, then this movie strikes the right balance.
That said, there are some cringe worthy lines in the script, as the syrupy rhetoric piles on a bit too thick in places. That truth, combined with the alteration of the true path of the Chosen One, and there is plenty here to upset a segment of the fandom, and the polarized movie reviews posted is plenty proof of that.
Still, judged on the merits that ultimately all movies should be judged upon, JJ Abrams does an admirable job here, correcting the deliberate efforts to destroy much of what George Lucas created, while at the same time reaching deep into the canon lore to bring out nuggets previously explored only in the deeper treatments of the novel series.
This is especially true in the climatic revelation of the Sith legend of what true eternal life for the Sith master looks like, and more importantly how it is carried out. Turns out that Palpatine's statements to Luke Skywalker that implied "striking him down" would secure Luke's path to the Dark Side, was not metaphorical after all!
Ultimately, the nine movie story arc is carried back to its very beginnings, and without question the effort was to send a valentine to the many fans who watched the story unfold over nearly five decades. In that, Abrams finished it off in likely the best way that was achievable.