The Rise of Skywalker - Wraps the saga well!

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2019)

I first saw Star Wars in 1977 as a 9-year old in Wellington, New Zealand. I saw Star Wars another 24 times at the cinema before the Special Edition came out in 1997. I have hundreds of toys, books, posters and love it. I am Darth Hans. I saw Empire over a dozen times, loved that immensely. Return of the Jedi is my least favourite. The story and theme changed dramatically.
I love the world and characters of the Prequels. The Prequel world is incredible to me I like the setting more than the Originals, however the storytelling and dialogue was very average. The Revenge of the Sith was an excellent conclusion to the 1-3 saga.
The new Sequels have brought a different angle. I enjoyed the visual style and new characters of The Force Awakens, although the story did not push the boundaries enough. The Last Jedi in my view was strong and challenging. I enjoyed the surprises and although some scenes were not ideal, in my view the film took the story in a surprising direction. I loved the fact that Luke's story did not go to my plan. In fact, I don't have a plan for how the stories should pan out, I let the filmmakers tell their story.
The Rise of Skywalker is a rollercoaster conclusion with a scale unseen in Star Wars. The film is truly epic. The characters are tested, things go wrong and the momentum towards the massive finale was fun, relentless and exciting. Sure there are flaws, most films have many. The film drops you in from the opening crawl. The first scene presents the main antagonist in a fresh angle. The new characters go on a journey of discovery at a breathtaking pace. I thoroughly enjoyed the interwoven scenes, dialogues, plots as it leaped through hyperspace to its massive conclusion. Rey, Leia, Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, 3PO, R2, Chewie, Lando, D-O, Hux and some "returning" characters presented a Star Wars film in its largest scale ever.
I absolutely loved it. Bravo JJ and team! Thank you. Darth Hans