I think it's likely a great plane, even a phenomenal airplane that will be around for a long time.
It's not the "big motor in a little body" hot rod pony car that the F-16 is, at least, not as far as we know.
It's more like a mid-size hot rod. Think big block GTO, Regal/Cutlass or Charger instead of a Camaro or Mustang.
It's a stealthy air frame tightly wrapped around a very BIG and powerful motor, but also with lots of interior room for the biggest, baddest computer brain and sensors available now and well into the future, plus the interior room for lots of special delivery gifts for the enemy,too!
The F-16 is a P-51 meets F-86 fully evolved in the 20th century.
The F-35 seems more like the 21st century love child of the P-47 and the F-105, with a little Harrier DNA thrown in just to make it interesting.
Personally, I think the F-35 will make its pilots, its maintainers and mission planners everywhere very happy.
The USA would not give the Israelis the choice of buying the F22. And Israel was not allowed to build the Lavi, which the Chinese stole the plans for and produced calling it something else.
So the F35 is a lemon that can’t stay with the Russian and maybe not even the French planes.