Wasted potential ruined by its predecessor

Rating: 4/10 (19 December 2019)

I'm not going to make this review about TLJ, because that topic has been shredded to bits many times over, but I can't help but notice how much this film suffers from the reckless decisions made by the writers of Episode VIII.
A good lot of time in this film is dedicated to turning back the clock and reversing many plot points etc. and the rest of the movie suffers for it.
Now exactly what I'm saying here is that while ROS is far from a satisfying ending, I don't believe it's entirely its fault. That does not mean that similar, or worse story decisions weren't made in this film. Because on many occasions it was very apparent.
I went in to this film with two friends, ready to have a good laugh at the movie's expense.
Yes, that is what TLJ did to me... It made me see Star Wars as a joke, and I have loved this franchise for almost all of my life.
However, I remember entering the theatre and sitting down before I glimpsed a smaller man with what I assume were his friends enter. The man was dressed as an X-wing pilot and I remember in that moment thinking that I would try and give this movie a chance. So I and the rest of the audience sat in silence and then 30 minutes in, the movie started to fall apart.
I specifically think of the Hux-scene because in that moment, the entire audience laughed - and from that moment on, the laughter never really stopped.
I feel so bad for this man all dressed up in his outfit, going to the theatre, wanting to be amazed, and then the audience laughs at the movie just as you would laugh at a person tripping and falling on an ice covered sidewalk.
But as I feel bad for laughing, I wholeheartedly believe that the movie is to blame, because it's a mess. It's embarrassing and its deus ex machina plot solutions are pathetic.
Don't go see this movie, don't go and give away your money for something this embarrassing.
I give this movie a score of 4, and here's why:
Everyone's notion of what numbers mean in this context differ in some capacity and to me, a 5 or anything higher is a movie that I quite enjoyed, for one reason or another. I hold Star Wars movies to a higher standard than say, The Hangover, and therefore I could not enjoy this movie for what it was.