Unfortunately, it's probably the most disappointing Star Wars yet

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 2019)

I'll make this known right off the bat, potentially losing many of you in the process- I was a fan of both Episode 7 and 8, but for vastly different reasons. Each have their flaws, but with The Force Awakens, I felt it to be an immensely satisfying reintroduction into the world of Star Wars, effectively balancing the old and the new. Then in the case of The Last Jedi, more risks were taken that divided the fan-base more than any other film in the franchise, but it was stunningly shot, intensely emotional in parts, and with enough highs that enabled me to overlook most of the lows.
The vastly different approaches taken by these two prior films left Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker in a difficult, awkward position. Episode 7 and 9 feel like part of the same trilogy, but Episode 8 does not fit into that equation so well. Had JJ Abrams directed or at least had a hand in writing Episode 8, I feel like the whole thing would flow better, and enable Episode 9 to feel less rushed and more satisfying.
Oh sure, it's a Star Wars movie, so there's spectacle. Most of the actions scenes are satisfying (except for the biggest one, in the film's climax, given that a lot of it was shot in fairly murky darkness). The whole thing moves at such a speed that for all my frustrations I couldn't say it was ever boring. In the moment it was serviceable entertainment. This might be enough for a good deal of blockbusters, but not so for Star Wars, in my opinion.
There were parts I knew were meant to be emotional, but for whatever reason, I just never really felt it. I could read those scenes on paper and think to myself: 'wow, if you put that on film I'm sure I'd tear up.' But sitting in the theatre, watching it unfold on screen... I didn't tear up. I don't think I even got goosebumps once, which I know is a strange comment to make, but Episodes 7 and 8 had moments that affected me in that way.
If we want to look at some more positives for a brief moment, the cast is uniformly solid. There's clearly a lot of money thrown into a movie like this and so the special effects do impress, and the music is as good as ever. A few attempts at humour landed, but I'd say close to half don't, and the audience responded to the comedy far less than they had for both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
Just like the comedy, all the fan service in here is inconsistent in terms of how often it works too. There's a lot of it, and sometimes it hits, but then a good deal of the time, it really doesn't. Palpatine is brought back, but in a haphazard and awkward manner, and he never really gels with the rest of the movie, despite being somewhat entertaining. Though again, his inclusion is only entertaining on a surface level, and is diminished once you realise how much more effective his reappearance could have been if foreshadowed or somehow established in a previous film.
On the topic of old characters... look, they try to include Leia, even after Carrie Fisher's passing, and it breaks my heart to say it but it just doesn't work. It may have been better off if she'd been offscreen, making her presence felt without being shown as much as they tried to show her. Similarly, Lando's inclusion is disappointing. He's not given nearly as much to do as Han Solo or Luke Skywalker were given in Episodes 7 and 8 respectively.
Ultimately, it's well-paced and satisfying on a broad, visceral level, and is far from dull when you're in the moment... it's just incredibly disappointing that it was unable to get me emotional, or connect the very different past two Episodes together for one final, exciting chapter.
Broadly speaking, The Force Awakens is a movie that's liked by many, for the most part, while fans are more divided with The Last Jedi, with some who love it and some who hate it. I might be wrong, but I don't think this one is going to have as many fans as either of those last two movies- once the dust settles, if the consensus is not that this is the lowest of the three, I'll be surprised.
It genuinely might be best to give this franchise a rest for a while now. I doubt it'll be done, but while this is far from absolutely awful (and as a side note, I would say it exceeds at least Episode 1 and 2 in terms of quality), it's not great at all. I wanted to love this, but go ahead and count me among the disappointed. It's really not a group I wanted to be in, but here we are.