Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker 2019

     This is the ninth and final film in a four-decade-long saga.  The surviving members of the resistance face the First Order once again.  The legendary conflict between the Jedi and Sith reaches its peak.  The Skywalker saga is brought to its end.

     Sci-fi action violence is taken up a notch.  There are more major space battles, high stakes destruction, tense chases, crashes, peril, injury, fierce light saber duels.  Plus, more blasters, arrows, cannons and other weapons.  A little more intense and darker than the previous two films in the trilogy.  Creepy villains, unusual locations and more explicit deaths.  Language isn’t frequent, women hold strong positions in the Resistance.  Messages of courage, teamwork, hope and loyalty.  This movie is better than I expected.  It does seem strange to see the images of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.  The actions scenes are good and the light saber fights are good.  The characters are more likable than in previous films.  Seems like two camps in the reviews, loved it or hated it??  3 /12* (I liked this movie  

142 min, Action directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Chris Terrio, J.J Abrams, Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, J.J. Abrams, Chris Terrio, George Lucas with Carrie Fisher (archive footage) Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Sucotamo.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 1`0 with 337,913 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 51% with 487 critics 86% audience with 98,236 ratings, Roger Ebert 2 1/2* Brian Tallerico, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Mark Kermode, Common Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen, 3* out of 5*, age 11+, 4* positive messages,4*  role models, 4* violence, 2* sex, 2* language, 1*consumerism, 0 drinking drugs & smoking, Metacritic 53 out of 100 with 61 critic reviews (positive 19, mixed 37, 5 negative), 4.7  out of 10 with 4880 user scores (1855 positive, 848 mixed, 2,177 negative), Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 6804 reviews.

Special Note:  There is a massive crowd celebration scene and C-3PO says that this event happens once every 42 years.  This was the time span between the first Star Wars movie released in 1977 and this film.  The official time line in The Rise of Skywalker's visual Dictionary is 35 years after A New Hope.  Thirty tons of black beans were shipped to Jordan to use as sinking sand?  Unused footage of Carrie Fisher shot for Star Wars: Episode VII 2015 was incorporated by changing the background, her wardrobe and her hair to gray.  It is 36 years since Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles reprised their roles.  This is the longest time for any original actor to return.  John Williams has said that this would be the final film for which he would compose the music.