Solid though familiar end to the series

Rating: 7/10 (30 March 2020)

It seems that with every sequel to a film, the odds of infuriating series fans grows exponentially. Episode VII was lambasted for being a retread, Episode VIII was slammed for going too far astray from Star Wars' mythology, and IX has been eviscerated for going back to the VII retread approach. So you could say Star Wars sequels are a lose-lose proposition if not that they all make tons of money and are thus, ultimately, a win-win.
IX continues on with the story of conflicted chosen one Rey and conflicted evil one Kylo Ren against the backdrop of the approach of a final, obliterating Sith attack. The characters wander here and there seeking this and that and fighting this one and that one until they reach the big finish. Which is pretty much the description for every Star Wars movie.
The path of the conflicted duo is interesting, as are their long-distance battles. There are some nifty action scenes and the last half hour is big and exciting and dramatic.
On the downside, the movie's determination to include all the iconic characters from the original trilogy is nothing but strained and awkward fan service. And using cast-off footage of Leia to shoehorn her into the film doesn't work that well, since her responses are controlled not by the logic of the story or the character but by what footage they had on hand.
While I would have preferred the fresher approach of VIII, I understand the appeal of ending the series as mindlessly as it started, and of erring on the side of sentimentality; this series has been a big part of a lot of people's lives, after all.
While there were weak moments, overall I enjoyed this movie, and thought it was a solid ending for a series that has gone on forever. And with that story finally done, offshoots like The Mandalorian TV series can take the Star Wars world in all sorts of interesting directions.