"The Force Awakens" fans get their sequel, and If you liked Rian Johnson's "The Last Jedi," this film is not for you.

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2020)

Did J.J. Abrams mend the broken pieces from "The Last Jedi"? Well, he did have Kylo Ren reforge the mask he shattered in the previous movie. That was one of the many indicators of Abrams trying to rewrite the events from the "The Last Jedi."
Abrams "The Rise of Skywalker," erased the direction the previous film was going and went back to the nostalgia-driven style he used for "The Force Awakens." The film delivers when doing action scenes, and the performances from Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) were great. Daisy Ridley did the best in this film out of the trilogy for me, whereas I found her flat in "The Last Jedi." I imagine Abrams to be the reason behind the better acting in this film than the last. As a director, J.J. Abrams works well with young casts like these--- 2011's "Super 8" comes to mind.
There's undoubtedly a clunkiness to this film. A lot of world jumping and going from place to place, not sticking too much story in one location. "The Rise of Skywalker" brings us back to old locations and sets from the original trilogy. I could see many fans liking this to see familiar places and hear that familiar John Williams score.
For Composer John Williams, this marks his last 'Star Wars' film, where he will compose the score. As the final notes in "The Rise of Skywalker" played, I couldn't help but notice the music has been easily the best thing in the trilogy. As it was for the prequels, John Williams' work has always been top-notch.
Visually, I enjoyed the look of the film. The watery lightsaber battle fought on the remains of the death star in the ocean looked great. The large scale landscapes reminded me of what George Lucas would do in the prequel films. I never enjoyed the 'Star Wars' prequel films storytelling, but visually and technically, they did deliver. I never got the big-budget blockbuster feeling from "The Last Jedi," but I did from "The Rise of Skywalker."
If you're a die-hard 'Star War' fan, well of course, "The Rise of Skywalker" is a must-watch. But, if you like, "The Last Jedi" this film is may not be for you. Many of that film's characters and themes were all but completely removed or only subtly used in "The Rise of Skywalker." As for general moviegoers, I can't see them enjoying this film. It's the third of a series, and obviously, those usually require prerequisite films to understand everything that's happening.