Could have been so much better

Rating: Null/10 (18 August 2018)

I finally watched this movie last night after months of hearing and reading mixed reviews online and in real life. I watched the entire saga this summer so I could better judge this movie. I am sad to say that this is my least favourite movie in the Star Wars franchise (note: I haven't seen Solo yet). I was bored and found myself looking at the clock throughout the movie. My issues with the movie have already been touched by so many other reviewers here. I think it would have been much more interesting to have the Empir...sorry, I mean "First Order" rise to power in Ep 7, take over in Ep 8, and be defeated (or something) by the rebelli...sorry, "resistance" in Ep 9.
And I'm sorry, but to me, Ep 1-9 is about the Skywalkers. If you don't want the movies to be about them, then don't make a movie that takes place when the Skywalkers are alive (yes, I know Ben/Kylo is a Skywalker). The sequel trilogy could easily have taken place 100 years after ANH. If they really, really wanted Hamill and Fischer back, they could have made Luke and Leia appear as force ghosts, leading and instructing the resistance and new force users like Rey though the force. Them being alive in the sequels adds nothing. Luke was my favourite character (along with Obi-Wan) and I am disappointed with how his character was developed. Leia, too (but not as much).
There were so much potential in this movie and the sequel trilogy. New characters, new worlds, new conflicts. I feel like much of it was thrown away. So much could have been done better.
Some things I found OK:

Benicio del Toro's character
Ignoring that they shouldn't suddenly be able to ram ships when they go to light speed: the cinematography of Holdo ramming FO's ships. The silence made it extra powerful.
Luke on Crait. I'm ambivalent about Luke being a force projection and the brushing of the shoulder was unnecessary. I liked that this scene showed him as powerful and I liked that he was just toying with Kylo.
Throne room fight between Kylo and Rey was ok.

Overall, I'm very disappointed with how this movie, and the sequels as a whole, have turned out. Sadly, I'm giving this movie only 1,5/10 (rounding it up to 2/10).
This turned out to be a rambling review. I just had to get some things out of me.