I left the theater disillusioned and sad

Rating: Null/10 (7 January 2020)

Rian Johnson didn't leave J.J. Abrams much to work with, that much is true. All the things Abrams had tried to set up in The Force Awakens, Johnson simply tossed over his shoulder like Luke with his lightsaber.
However, what Abrams did with this last film in the whole nine film saga, is about the worst thing he could have done. Johnson's actions were not those of a team player, but at least he tried something new. He wanted to take Star Wars into a new direction. So what did Abrams do? He grabbed the wheel, derailed the whole plot and forced it back to those same old tracks they've always traveled. Because why try something new when you can simply bring Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) back and do the whole shtick with him wanting to rule the galaxy all over again.
It's painfully clear that they didn't have an overarching plot for this trilogy. They flew by the seat of their pants and that shows. So now the Skywalker saga is complete and it ended as a shallow rehashing of old clichÃ©s, already seen plots and recycled characters. Which makes it easily the worst film in the whole saga. You heard me correct.
Now, objectively speaking, this is a very good-looking film. It's a bit grey and grainy compared to its two predecessors, but the locations are still grandeur, it feels and looks like Star Wars, and the score is nice.
I also have to admit I really like the connection between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo (Adam Driver). Which also happens to be the only thing from The Last Jedi that Abrams carried over to this film. But it just works, allows for some of the best scenes in the whole film and is simply intriguing to watch.
Overall, as a film, Episode IX has its ups and downs. If you're not that passionate about Star Wars, you're going to enjoy yourself just fine. But if you are, I'm predicting you're not going to like what you see here.