*MINOR SPOILERS* Very mixed and rushed, but there are some redeeming features...

Rating: 5/10 (21 December 2019)

The Rise of Skywalker has its moments but suffers from sloppy dialogue, overblown story and predictable plot points. The characters are quite bland and uninteresting and it really shows during pivotal scenes, with use of extremely basic expressions and empty deliveries. There is very little chemistry between the main trio of the film, it is not believable that they appear to have such a strong bond with each other, it feels very forced. We are supposed to be taking a dreaded and epic voyage with these characters but the scale isn't quite there and the audience can't get immersed. The sense of danger or threat is nowhere to be found even when characters are in extreme situations or death in the face. There is little to no use of mystery or imagination that some of the most visually stunning locations become very boring rather quickly. There is virtually no substance so we are left with almost no relative connection to things that are happening. Time flashes by so fast that in many scenes we are devoid of the emotional depth or connection we need to be able to feel anything. There are plenty of times where I thought I'd like to see more of this or that explored, but it's as if there was no time to waste and the movie had to move on. It was like being a child walking around a huge toy shop for the first time only to be pulled along by a frustrated parent.
The first half an hour or so feels like somebody boiled a load of different vegetables and threw them in a blender while somebody else poured in a bottle of vinegar and then somebody else poured in a jug of orange juice. It's so fast paced and way too much happens in such short bursts that it's exhausting and quite frankly, boring. The whole group mission thing feels very unnatural and it's also very by the numbers, all the little confrontations or escapades they get into are quite dull and forgetful. The choppy editing doesn't help, which is consistent throughout the majority of the movie, especially during the bigger action scenes, there is a lot going on at times and you simply don't have chance to take it in. The movie would have benefited a lot from more long lasting shots and longer scenes that capture and savour the moment, for example the desert scene between Rey and Kylo is executed very well.
Most of the movie is very offbeat and disjointed and scenes do not transition well between each other, there's no flow. There is no longevity in the huge moments, characters are in peril while surrounding characters barely acknowledge what is happening or they quickly move on to telling jokes or making witty comments.
The story between Rey and Kylo is easily the most intriguing and engaging aspect of the movie. Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver are enjoyable actors to watch and their chemistry shines through the screen. Every time one of their scenes comes up it's almost a relief because you know you're going to get chance to breathe and process and take in what's going on.
Too much C-3PO. I'm not sure why they felt the need to include him so much, but a lot of lines felt very out of character, he seems to have something to say about everything, he's constantly commenting on things and interrupting people, it gets very annoying. It's a very exaggerated version of the character. Also the relationship between him and R2D2 isn't there. They have a few scenes together but their exchanges feel very empty. It feels like they barely know each other.
Carrie Fisher. The use of Leia in the movie was okay considering the circumstances, but you can very much tell what they're doing during her scenes so it takes you out of the moment. A lot of the dialogue that is written around her lines doesn't quite work and feels a bit awkward. Her final moment however, is perfect.
Palpatine. Some of it is good some of it is horrible. Ian Mcdormand does a good job reprising his role, his voice is as sinister and ugly as ever and you can tell he is putting in the effort with every line. The plot around him is a bit unnecessary and the reveal is predictable and cringe worthy. There is a lot of repetition with his dialogue too, I found myself just wanting it to be over and done with because you know exactly what is going to happen. It also feels a lot like he was added in last minute, it's like he's just come out of nowhere. It would have been nice if they'd planned his return ahead of the movie and given hints throughout the force awakens and the last jedi, but that obviously wasn't the plan. There was no plan for this movie, clearly.
It's things like that this which really let the movie down. You can really tell that it's a completely separate production to the The Last Jedi even though it's the next chapter in the story. They knew they wanted to make a new trilogy when they made The Force Awakens. It would have made way more sense to have the same team write all three movies or at least give an plan outline instead of doing one at a time with different writers. There would have been so much more time for development and corrections of any mistakes etc. It might have been a bigger gamble but the pay off would have been stronger and I think people would appreciate the effort a lot more. The fact that there are multiple visions of the story present on screen is extremely toxic to the overall tone. Re watching this sequel trilogy from start to finish is going to be an extremely convoluted and mixed experience. It's going to be impossible to not pick out all the problems that occurred throughout the productions every time you watch it. By the end of The Rise of Skywalker, you feel like they got there in the end, in a way, but is it completely satisfying? And is it worth putting yourself through the journey again and again to get to this conclusion?
Right now, I can't imagine myself wanting to revisit the sequel trilogy like I do with the originals and even the prequels. Maybe just re watch the highlights.
There are some very nice memorable moments but they are few and far between. I personally liked the ending, the final scene especially is moving and done with care and respect and feels like a star wars ending.
Nostalgia plays a tremendous part in the movie, sometimes a bit too much and at the wrong times, some of the references feel out of place, but some fit very well.
There's decent enough cameo which is one of the things I was hoping for, it is nice to see. The other thing I wanted to happen did not happen and I can't quite understand why because it would have been so fitting, but never mind.
John Williams score is solid enough but doesn't always work, some of the themes seem like they're just thrown in there and don't quite fit with the scene they're going with, but you have to also bare in mind he had to keep up with the lightning speed pacing throughout most of the film. So those iconic themes you'll want to hear are sometimes very quick or they only use bits of them before cutting to something else. Other times they are used with strong impact but overall the score falls a bit flat considering how grand it has the potential to be.
JJ Abrahms direction leaves a lot to be desired, he has a lot of potential with his signature style and it is there but it's not used to its full effect. It feels like he's holding back a lot of the time because he didn't have the time or freedom to consider how to shoot specific scenes. You can imagine Kathleen Kennedy calling him up midway through a set up and telling him to get a move on. There is also a lot of the same and nothing really new or fresh in his direction. It also feels like there was a checklist of things he had to focus on or include and considering the size of the crew, it'd be interesting to see just how much of what he had in mind was the final result of a lot of scenes.
The Rise of Skywalker has a lot of problems and they are very much on display, but the special moments do come through strong and it's surprising that they were able to pull through to some type of conclusion. It's satisfying in its own way but there is definitely a lot missing and it's hard to pin point exactly what that is.