Aren't you a little short of ideas for a stormtrooper?

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2020)

Nearly two weeks on, I'd hoped I would have a better handle on my opinion of Episode IX by now, but frankly... I'm not sure I do.
Let's do the plot bit first. The Emperor has returned. Angered by the threat to his control, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) hunts him down, but before he can strike, the Emperor offers him a fleet for Star Destroyers to lead. Rey (Daisy Ridley) leads her group of friends on a mission to discover a key to finding The Emperor's location.
So how do I feel. Underwhelmed, I guess. I'm not massively disappointed and I don't think the film was unduly horrible, but there's definitely a feeling of "is that it?", with notes of relief that the "Skywalker Saga" is over and we can now (hopefully) start exploring new stories with new elements set in this Universe. I really didn't like bringing back The Emperor in the way they did as, has been mentioned in lots of places now, it undermines the central thrust of Vader's redemption from the original trilogy. I also didn't care for bringing back Lando. I feel like the decision to bring him back, and it's indicative of the whole film, is a decision made for "the fans" rather than because it serves the plot of the film. The elements where it reacts to "The Last Jedi" really feel forced, or perhaps where it reacts to the reactions to "The Last Jedi" is a better description. Fans liked the Kylo Ren mask, glue it back together. Fans didn't like Rose, quick get me Charlie from LOST and copy and paste her lines to him.
It still looks good and some of the action scenes are great. I like the new cast, they do well and I wish that the filmmakers had more faith in them. There's isn't a lightsabre battle to match "Last Jedi" though, or a space battle to match "A New Hope".
It's better than any of the prequels, I'll say that. It's just lacking in good ideas.