This was a phenomenal ending to the saga...

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2020)

Right, well I am an avid fan of "Star Wars", and have been ever since I was introduced to "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" back in the 1980s some time. And yes, the expectations were great for this movie to bring to closure the Skywalker saga.
While I am by no means a particular fan of director J.J. Abrams and his lense flares, then this movie was one that needed to be seen in the cinema. It is a "Star Wars" movie after all. And yeah, it definitely got a lot of grief from the elitist former "Star Wars" fans that were angered by their fandom not being served in the manner they wanted and expected with the previous movies. But still, to me, those fanboys' opinions hardly matter. If you dislike something, leave it alone and move along - this isn't the movie you're looking for!
With pretty high expectations I went to watch "Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker" and I must admit that when I left the cinema, it was with a very overwhelming sense of a proper closure to this part of the "Star Wars" saga. This movie definitely worked for me, and it brought together a lot of ends and managed to wrap it up quite nicely in a manner that was more than satisfactory to me.
"Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker" definitely feels and looks like a "Star Wars" movie should, from start to end. Lots of action, character driven story and lots of attention to the "Star Wars" galaxy in greater and smaller detail.
I am not going to delve into the storyline, but I was impressed and I was entertained. Boy, how I was entertained. There were a lot of grand moments throughout the course of this last chapter in the Skywalker saga. The return of some iconic heroes and villains, which definitely worked out so well for me and it was a nice way of wrapping things up with these characters.
It should be said that the movie had me dangerously close to shedding a tear two or three times, because of my affection for the "Star Wars" universe and the connection that there is to the characters that I grew up with, admiring, wanting to be, playing with by the Kenner action figures, and so forth.
Of the last three chapters in the Skywalker saga, then "Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker" is miles ahead of parts VII and VIII, both in terms of story, action and entertainment.
I am rating "Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker" a solid nine out of ten stars, as this is very close to being as good as the original trilogy - that being parts IV, V and VI. This is well worth taking the time to sit down and watch, more than once even. Watch it for the story the first time, then watch it for all the little details and such the next time.