Not Good. Not Bad. Just Meh

Rating: 5/10 (7 May 2020)

I gave this movie a 5 rating because its not terrible, but its not good either. As a science fiction movie, its okay. As a Star Wars movie, it is really underwhelming and uninspiring.
Horses running on the outside of space ships. That is the Jar Jar of this trilogy and will be ridiculed for years the way Jar Jar is.
The good: A decent plot. Really good music from John Williams. Poe Dameron was a poor man's Solo, but Oscar Isaac didn't quite pull it off. Lando's return. An almost intelligent resurrection of Kylo's soul. Almost. I did get goosebumps when Lando reappeared with his ragtag fleet.
The bad: The aforementioned space horses. Daisy Ridley's horrible acting (why does she say every sentence through clench teeth?). Ripping off previous entries and not improving on them or doing them justice. Wiping out the entire point of Episodes 1-6 by having the Emperor reappear. Nonsensical and inconceivable uses of the Force that makes everything in 1-6 obsolete. Too many characters who are just window dressing and don't advance the plot, taking up time that could have been used to develop central characters.
I have no idea what Disney was doing here. This move barely works as a straight science fiction movie and its an unabashed failure as a Star Wars movie AND as the concluding chapter. Everything that JJ Abrahms did in Episode VII, got wiped out by Rian Johnson in Episode VIII and then Abrahms wiped out Johnson's vision with this dreck. Its like two children fighting over a toy and breaking it so neither can have it. How did Disney let this happen? How was everyone asleep at the wheel while ruining a cherished movie series? Did any of them even watch Episodes 1-6? When you make Episodes 1-3 look like high art, you have really outdone yourself.