So, I've had time to process.
Rise and Solo are easily the two worst of the new Star Wars movies. But let's be clear here ... they are still functional movies, which is more than I can say about the prequels, so I find some of the hyperbole ... well, hyperbolic.
Now, there's a few things I quite liked about Rise ... and several I detested. And since I want to end on a positive note, let's start with the bad, while alternating points.
Bad: The plot is utterly stupid. It's an endless series of fetch-quests for Macguffins that just drove me bananas. And, because the plot was so frenetic and ... meaningless, a lot of the emotional beats just did not work. Like Leia's passing. Chewie's "death". Han's cameo got more of a "huh, Ford came back", instead of a more emotional reaction.
Good: Why none of these movies will ever be as bad as the prequels, is because the cast does a great job of selling this stupid plot. I love the work put in by all the main cast.
Bad, and by this I mean Infuriating: As a part Asian, getting a fantastic character like Rose Tico is one of the reasons I have such love and respect for The Last Jedi, and why I defend the movie so much. So to have the Hobbit have more lines and more presence than her is ...
Ambivalent: I didn't hate the Bendemption. Redeeming Ben Solo had moments that sucked (the kiss, getting thrown down the pit) and moments that really worked (renacting TFA, Ben vs. the Knights of Ren (seriously, that look Adam Driver gives when Rey sends him the lightsaber is cocky-son-of-Han-Solo-realness)).
Pointlessly Bad: Making Rey a secret Palpatine. It was an unnecessary retcon. You could've still had Rey have the same arc, the same struggles with the Dark Side, heck, her willingness to go towards it scared Luke in TLJ. There was no need to do this.
Insultingly Bad: I knew, I knew that JJ's assurance that there'd be a queer character in Rise was going to be a heap of BS, and I was right, and I'm still pissed off.
Well, that sucks: I liked Snap. They killed Snap. Okay, if I'm being honest, it's more that I like Greg Grunberg.
Seriously, stop it: The status of Droids is a part of the Star Wars universe that doesn't hold under any scrutiny. Are they sentient, are they slaves? Better not to get into it. It's why I hate the L3-37 plotline in Solo, because they pass it off for cheap jokes and then introduce a real mental horror show of putting the droid's consciousness into the Falcon. So, the new droid in Rise ... acts a lot like a victim of abuse, and it's something that freaks me right the eff out.
Okay, that was a grudgingly cool note to end on: Rey taking up the Skywalker name.