Very disappointing

Rating: 2/10 (25 May 2020)

I never thought I would have to rate a Star Wars movie this low, but here we are. After seeing it for the second time, my conclusion is that this film is actually very bad. What a sad ending to "my" Star Wars career. My first movie memory was seeing episode 4 in an amphitheater in Greece beneath the starlit sky, around 1978. I just wish that the final film could have ended with grace. But no.
The opening sequences are confusing, and that confusion lingers on for the rest of the film. It was really hard to comprehend, even for a die hard fan like myself, and still after watching it two times, I still don't understand most of it! The story kind of rushes on without taking the time to explain, never going deep, never engaging for the viewer, pushing on to the next scene with fast edits, never taking a breath. The first time the "gang" was reunited after various missions (again, never explained properly), I thought I was watching an episode of "Friends". It was so shallow, and instead of laying the ground of the story, it was just flimsy, almost hysterical nonsense chatter.
Another flaw in the story is the emphasis on the connection between Rey and Ben. It gets tedious. It doesn't explain much. It would have been more interesting if Rey was tormented not by Ben, but by the dark connection she has to that other person. I never really liked the Kylo Ren character - it's too much of an overgrown teenager in Adam Driver. He never feels dangerous, just annoying.
The "cramped" scenes is also not good. Why gather every singel character in every scen all the time? It feels like that throughout the film. It's like a bad frat party film from the 80s.
The locations are also bad. To much studio feeling, even when they actually are out in the desert or in the forest. I want to feel and see the dust, the grit, the moist air, the little indigenous creatures scattering along. The ocean world does seem wet, but still unreal for some reason.
Besides the badly written story, I don't like the excessive "mumbo jumbo" scenes. Rey and Ben using the force to prevent a starship from taking off? Come on. It's like watching a bad sorcery film for kids.
I don't think I ever want to see this film again. And that makes me a bit sad.