D

Much of the beginning feels like watching an extended recap for a movie we haven't seen. But the vision that Abrams had for a trilogy shines through, and it's one that I prefer to TLJ. The plot made sense. It addressed the mysteries of TFA without tripping too much over their TLJ implosion. We got some solid answers that I wasn't expecting, given TLJ's unceremonious disposal of Snoke, etc. The visuals were spectacular. There was decent and engaging action throughout. Kylo Ren really developed and shined. Finn finally became a functional character. Poe improved vastly from TLJ. Rey had some incredible action. Most importantly, it felt like Star Wars to me, with just a little bit of cheese on top (as there should be).

Fun, funny, action-packed, jolly good fantasy ride.