Best Star Wars made yet.

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2017)

This is a movie for fans who understand the force and that most of Luke's actions were dark and that this was his saving grace to make up for all his attacks and killings in the past (ep6 on the barge), (attacking Vader 1st twice in two different movies, his hate and rage and dark side he used to disable Vader on the Death Star before his light side choice to sacrifice himself for his father and allow Anakin to actually defeat the Emperor as it was always said that he would and defeat the Dark Side.
I have never been a fan of Luke because when things got tough he left, after the battle of Hoth he ran away, during the battle of the DS shield on Endor he ran away to confront his father abandoning his friends to whatever fate awaited them so in direct disagreement with Mark Hamill I think this Luke did exactly what he would do when some as strong rose to oppose him and he couldn't deal with it. Run away and hide away and wait for someone to deal with it.
To be honest I wasn't expecting him to show up at the end to confront Kylo, I was expecting Wedge or Hoping maybe even Thrawn or someone else to come in and save the rebellion but it was Luke in a twist of fate and that wow he finally got up the courage to over come his fear of what he had created and took responsibility for his error in trying to murder a child.
For the rest of the movie, there hints of Zahn masterful writing of Thrawn's thought process in both Leia and her next in command and if you have questions about the force there are so many references to Karpyshyn's writing of Bane and the basis for the force were scattered throughout and if you have read them then they explained the force so elegantly and beautifully.
It is a movie about characters trying to find out who they are, where do they fit while being a relay with the older characters handing off the baton to the next group with the Death of Ackbar and the Rise of Poe and the lessons in subtly and bravery and surviving that he needs to learn in order to take the place as leader of the rebellion (my hope at least) and become the next General. Finn finding out that he is so much more than he thinks he is and his struggle to find out that he is brave, he can stand up to those stronger than him because he needs those around him and they make him strong.
The baton has been passed, Leia (we will miss her) doesn't need to make an appearance in the next segment as she isn't needed anymore, the old stories have fallen into legend and new legends, new heroes have risen for a galaxy under the reign of the First Order both Evil and Good and it was exciting.
The fight scenes were wonderful, it seems like they had a person who had actually been in a bar fight or dare I say it to war and fought to survive and know that an honest person to person battle lasts a minute maybe less and then you either move or something else intervenes. For a moment if you read the books you see hints of the Jason and Jaina that we all love in the duet battle on Snoke's chamber that makes anyone who read books to feel that twelve year old child giddy from their fights throughout the galaxy back to back against evil and then they spin it rather wonderfully in a way that you know things are going to change.
I actually can't give this movie credit enough especially since I went in reading reviews of how terrible it was and a let down but I came out cheering and thanking Disney that finally got a SW right and made a beautiful movie in the background and forefront and opened up the possibility of really good dare I say epic books to follow.