An excellent, exciting film - Ignore the haters

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2019)

Someone should someday write a sociological
or psychological treatise on why the Star Wars
films attracted so much immature rage among certain sections of the population. One common thread is the reactionary nature of most of the strong criticisms (those that go with unrealistic ratings between 1-5).
The film itself probably deserves an 8 or 9, but I've updated to 10 to try and undo some of the outrageous low ratings by the "haters," who evidently feel more powerful by getting their chance to dump on what is actually a very fine film.
The movie is exciting, perfectly intelligible, and beautifully realized. Being a fantasy film, there are some inevitable plot holes, but, hey, enjoyment of such a film demands suspension of disbelief in all cases anyway.
Music was great! Dialogue better than the originals! The story arcs were affecting and satisfying. The sets, editing, art direction and special effects were top notch.
I did think the Leia sections were somewhat awkward, as I couldn't help thinking how they did it and whether it worked. Given the other options the filmmakers had, given the untimely death of Carrie Fisher, included killing the character off-screen or recasting the character, neither a very satisfying alternative.
So sit back and watch an enjoyable close to the Star Wars Skywalker saga. And did I mention the great acting? All the leads were excellent, with special mention to the incredible Adam Driver and the underrated Daisy Ridley. Kudos to JJ.
Having a nice time at the movies is no small thing in this day and age. Enjoy!