"Force"-d & rushed

Rating: 6/10 (2 January 2020)

This film felt forced and rushed, and I blame TLJ for that. It is clear throughout the movie Abrams is trying to course correct the issues from TLJ, and for the most part he did the best with what he had. I went in not expecting much, and admittedly it is better than TLJ. The film also does a good job throwing bones in an effort to tickle the nostalgia feathers of the Star Wars I loved as a child, but don't expect much more. These efforts are clearly just fan service - almost an apology for screwing up the franchise.
As stated, the movie felt extremely rushed. It almost feels like the original cut is a 4 hour movie trimmed down significantly because the characters jump around way too much and way too fast. It definitely could have been paced better, but again not something I'd blame Abrams for. It's unfortunate this was the last in the sequel trilogy as it seems like this story could have been separated into two films and paced a lot better. Also, after hearing rumors Disney cut a lot from this movie Abrams intended to be included gives me a little heartburn - it is just rumors though so maybe that's not true. Ultimately, is what it is.
I suppose the most disappointing fact is that this ending is all more of the same. While I love the Emperor, I left realizing that the true villain in all 3 Star Wars trilogies is always Palpatine. He is the master of being the man behind the curtain. There was nothing new here; it is just another Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith moment. The Emperor is always the main villain as he's the one always calling all the shots. I love Palpatine just thought this trilogy was going in another, new direction.
Final grade overall: 6/10. Better than the last, but not as good as The Force Awakens, and the sequel trilogy as a whole is not as good as the original trilogy, imo.