Disappointing end to the trilogy

Rating: 4/10 (24 December 2019)

J. J. Abrams' "The Rise of Skywalker" spends most of it's runtime either course-correcting the decisions taken in "The Last Jedi", or veering off to different planets to find the MacGuffin, without giving any of its characters any space to breathe. It also takes the safest route with each plot or character development. While its visuals are stunning, the film mostly feels like a calculated, robotic blockbuster. The big moments feel unearned, the side characters are given no time to develop, and the chaotic and plot-hole filled plot hangs by a thread.
The lack of a single unifying vision for the trilogy is painfully apparent. The film goes a million directions, and each decision made feels like it is borne of fear and not fun. By that, I mean that each decision taken feels like it was calculated by Disney to 'satisfy most fans', rather than to actually get creative with the plot, and deliver shocking moments.
Granted, the previous film's stubbornness to 'be different' leaves "Rise of Skywalker" with little to work with. The film completely tosses aside those little things in favour of introducing and developing completely new plots and characters without any hints from the previous two films. This makes "Rise of Skywalker" feel like multiple films stretched to one. The film itself is rather entertaining, but as a 'Part 3 of 3' in the trilogy, it feels overwhelming and hopelessly disconnected from the last two films.