I love Star Wars, but this was a total mess

Rating: 5/10 (23 December 2019)

This is the perfect example of when CGI, effects, nostalgia, and poorly written characters take precedence over the script. The script is the most important tool when making a film, and with the Rise of Skywalker, it barely existed.
The plot is razor thin. Characters leap from one place to another within seconds in search of Palpatine and his fleet - an explanation for the origins of which is never provided.
The pacing is a disaster. With the Force Awakens and Last Jedi, the directors took their time to build up atmosphere and tension which played off incredibly well, but this time around it was so rushed that the audience had visited what felt like 5 world within the first 10 minutes of the film.
The film was saturated and overstuffed. Its difficult to explain - it felt simultaneously that too much happened yet nothing was accomplished, feeling like a bloated climax of a previous film. The script is evidently the issue: there is a non existent plot and the actors are given virtually nothing to work with. Such a shame what happened with Kylo Ren; I feel sorry for Adam Driver. He's by far the best actor of the new trilogy and had by far the most interesting character, yet it was thrown away in favour of fancy stunts and Rey's path to becoming a Jedi.
Other small things that were massively problematic -
Leia was a Jedi (??!!!)
Palpatine returning out of nowhere and not having it hinted at previously
Rose going from major to minor character
Poor dialogue and poor conflict between characters
Not having the balls to kill some characters, Snoke was just a puppet
General Hux receiving the worst death of the series
Badly timed comedy
Knights of Ren looking badass but doing virtually nothing
A truck load of other stuff
All these problems originate from one area - the script. The Rise of Skywalker (and GoT S8) show us that action and set pieces are taking precedence over the script in some of the most thought provoking and beloved series in pop culture. A massive red flag.