So its no secret that I hated ep8. I respect that Johnson was trying to tell a different story and create a different world, but the Skywalker Saga was not the time for it. With that said, here is an abbreviated review.
Visually, top of its game. Everything looks really great.
Audio was fantastic. Williams' soundtrack was spot on as usual.
The story was somewhat a mess. It felt more like an Indiana Jones movie than SW. A lot of the plot was go here, find this solve the puzzle...it just gave me an Indy vibe most of the movie. Palp being brought back did not feel organic and despite what JJ says, it didn't feel planned at all and kind of ruins the previous two stories. A lot of this is because ep 7 and 8 were almost self contained, not an over arching story. This trilogy was very disjointed. Say what you will about the prequels, but at least they had a story that flowed and made sense. Oh, also, Palp returning kind of ruined Vaders redemption in Jedi.
The ending was awful, just plain awful. It further solidifies that the Empire / First Order / Final Order are the worst bunch of bad guys in all of cinema. Yet another "we have an unstoppable army" that gets easily stopped. Also, a large majority of the climax SCREAMED Return of the Jedi....mostly because it was damn near a shot for shot remake.
There was 100% a really shady dig at Johnson during the 3rd act...like didnt even try to hide it. I'm rather shocked that it was allowed.
Adam Driver did a fantastic job with Kylo / Ben - his dialog was shit but he sold it for the audience. Its my belief that he is the true star of this trilogy. His presence on screen alway demanded attention...from the way he walked, his body movements and his bling aggression, it was always believable. Unfortunately his redemption was lame (mainly what caused it). Finn finally got the screen time he actually deserved, meaning he had a plot, kind of, but too little too late. Poe still had his dumb humor but it was presented in a more elegant way (no your momma jokes) - also, they essentially made him the new Solo in this film, once you learn his background. Rey was ridiculously overpowered....and they introduced a new force power that was just so dumb. Her ass was looking nice tho in a lot of shots.
Chewy finally got the recognition he deserved - you'll see.
Overall, it wasnt a "bad" movie (I wouldnt call it good either). It was better than 8 but a shit conclusion to this story. Ep 7 should have handed the baton to the new cast and the old characters should have been in the background. Instead, all 3 movies (7 and 8 especially) had to devote enough time to this monster cast, and it was just sloppy. This trilogy should have been about Rey, Poe, Finn and Kylo.
I was sad that this entire story was over, but relieved that this trilogy was put to bed. I'll give it a 5/10.