Might have been mediocre if not for the continuity errors and the weak subplots that basically served to shove propaganda down my throat

Rating: 2/10 (27 December 2017)

Following the Force Awakens, which was largely a rehash of Episode IV, one might have thought that The Last Jedi would be a lot like Empire. While that is somewhat true, The Last Jedi also clearly attempts to take the series in a bold new direction. However, this move leads to two main problems: a) the movie shows a total lack of respect for the previous movies as well as the universe they constructed and therefore has several continuity errors and b) the 'new direction' is not very exciting, nor very new.
For one, Star Wars has always had deeply Manichean themes, so the switch to a more grey morality in this movie was not very necessary, nor was it executed well enough. Instead, it just serves to tarnish your old heroes. The new direction for Luke is not very welcome either, as it goes completely against his old character.
Other than that I don't really know what new direction all the critics are talking about. The main plot is the same old bad guys have a new secret weapon with a very blatant flaw that can be exploited. However, even this cliche plot was executed horribly. For one, the bad guys have, seemingly, suddenly conquered the entire galaxy, whereas in the previous movie (which was just one day ago) they were a relatively small group of fanatics. Also, way too much time is devoted to two subplots that are just there to shove leftist propaganda down your throat. Don't get me wrong, I am all for subtle commentary in films, even in a Star Wars film, but this was remarkably blatant and a lot of time was dedicated to it.
Rey's character remains a Mary Sue. I have yet to see any depth in her character or see any reason to be invested. Kylo Ren on the other hand is the one bright spot in this new trilogy. His character's backstory was developed further here, even though the character still comes across as far too whiny and angsty to be fondly memorable.
Overall, this was definitely not an Empire reboot. But it wasn't a very good film either. The plot was uninteresting AND convoluted. Add to that a bunch of continuity errors and little respect for the universe the previous movies had created and it's not surprising so many Star Wars fans dislike this movie.
I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe a few years down the road we will look back on this movie and think, hey this was a great film! But right now, I just can't see it.