Liked it but not everything

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2019)

There are plenty of SW Trolls leaving reviews here, so don't let them decide for you. Make up your own mind. On to the review:
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker is a "dense" film and packs a lot of information in 2.5 hours, which leads one to wonder if given the scope of the ambition it should not have been planned into a two part film like Avengers and Harry Potter.
The lack of available time and Carrier Fisher worked against the more character driven moments.
I did not like the reveal that Rey was a Palpatine, however that is a personal position as I liked the idea set forth in TLJ that a Jedi could be a nobody and come from nowhere to be the instrument of the light against the most powerful darkness. However, the fact Rey was a Palpatine changed that narrative to "Your focus determines your fate" not your bloodline. It created a juxtoposition, a "rebalancing" if you will, that the force's "chosen one" who fell to the dark side was replaced by another light side "chosen one" from the bloodline of the dark sith lord. The "chosen one" became an archetype of the ancient prophesy. As Snoke said to Kylo, "as the dark rises, so does the light to meet it", balance.
I was annoyed by Luke's dismissal of his own exile as a "mistake". it really wasn't. Luke the Arthur of legend, he fell into a depression and self pity, so abandoned his role in the galaxy as its living legend. A beacon of hope in a time of delicate transition. His exile gave him wisdom, but also left the galaxy vulnerable to dark influences, very much like Arthur left Camelot to fall into darkness. Had he simply said, "I let self pity and despondency overtake me", that would have been sufficient.
The missing reason why General Hux was demoted in the chain of command was noticable and the reasons why he wanted Ren to fail also didn't make the final cut.
The lack of the Knights of Ren were a disappointment, likely due to time constraints. These were former Jedi students who never showed any force abilities and not one fired up a lightsaber. Many, including me, were hoping to see dark knights show their stuff, but we got very little and what we did see was not what we had hoped for. Missed opportunity.
The lack of vintage ships in shown in the final battle was also noticeable. Granted they may well have been there, but few were showcased in the foreground to give us a sense that this was an ode to the 42 years of Star Wars films.
Ben Solo's return to the light felt rushed, having Harrison return as a vision to his son was nice, but you could see where Carrie Fisher must have been the intended one to turn Ben back initially, but with her absence, those scenes were impossible which in itself is another trajedy of losing her in 2016. There wasn't enough available time to see Ben's conflict and final epiphany moment when he chose to abandon the dark side.
Ben Solo's passing into the force was a nice moment, but I, personally, felt that his fading into the ether would have been more dramatic "while" Rey was holding him still. It would have been as much a surprise to the audience as it would Rey.
I liked how the dangling threads from TFA & TLJ were handled for the most part. Leah's training with Luke and her choice not to follow him in the order.
The visual revelation that Snoke was a clone and an avatar of Palpatine himself. It explained Snoke's remarkably strong force abilities. The throw away line, that cloning had become a "forbidden technology" by the New Republic which is why the First Order had to "harvest" children to fill their ranks.
Lando bringing the cavalry to save the day and Finn (echos of him saving Luke 30 years before on Bespin).
The thousands of Sith worshipers in Palpatine's throne room was very nice to see. They brought into focus that not who everyone believes in the Force follows the light side. Again reinforcing the idea that the galaxy has balance between the light and the dark.
I liked that Rey took on the name Skywalker at the end. It showed she understood the necessity of keeping the "legend" of the Skywalker name alive.
All in All, for a film that really should have been split into two parts (had Carrie survived it may well have become a two parter), it was a satisfying ride. Worth the money to see it at least twice. To absorb all of what was in it, twice would be a minimum I would recommend anyone seeing it.