Fails to cast the spell

Rating: 5/10 (24 December 2019)

The first and greatest failure is failing to cast the spell. There were too many distractions in the film that took the viewer out of the movie rather than pulling them into the movie. How is that Leia? Are they using CGI or archival footage or a combination? Wait, is that Charlie from Lost? Is he still running around a tropical jungle? I wonder if they filmed that scene in the same location as Lost? I bet this guy is Lando.. Wow that was a fast scene! It's almost like they're stuffing the film with every previous character (alive and dead) but they only appear on screen long enough to say "Remember me!?" and disappear. What's the point? And this failure makes it much easier to notice the film's other short comings.
There is a lack of engagement. It's hard to care for these pencil-thin characters. There is no suspense. You just find yourself just waiting for it to end. Not to mention massive gaps in logic, and characters making decisions solely to serve the mechanics of what happens next.. but it's not what the character would actually do. The viewer walks away not believing in it. It didn't happen. It didn't end that way. Very reminiscent of Lost in this regard. Maybe the appearance of Charlie was foreshadowing after all.
I know none of these negative reviews are going to keep Star Wars fans from seeing this movie. But when you finally do watch it, just know that you are not alone, that you are not crazy, and that J.J. Abrams has screwed us once again.