Average. Just Average.

Rating: 6/10 (16 December 2017)

First of all, since I had such a low expectation going into the movie, I was not as disappointed as I'd expected. I thought the previous installment (Episode VII, not the Rogue One) was bad, and that this would be even worse. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but it just didn't feel so. Not that it was awesome or anything, it was just OK to watch. At least I did not roll my eyes so very much like I did two years ago.

Having said that, as The Force Awakens was a collage of all the previous movies, this was mainly a collage of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Nothing original was in there. Just some old gimmicks, familiar cliches, and all-around action. Despite all these, there were some spectacular scenes in there, mostly thanks to the CGI team and in some instances to the cinematographer(s). Otherwise, it was Episode V + Episode VI + CGI = Episode VIII - Originality + Plot Holes. And if you can get past all those magnificent CGI scenes, you could also see the shallow points in the plot. By that, I do not mean the use of excessive humor and many jokes in such an epic sci-fi drama. Contrary to many reviewers here, I was not that much offended by the humor since it was not delivered by the main characters (as was the case, for instance, in Thor: Ragnarok) but rather, by some of the side characters and accessories*.
Last but not least, if Disney thinks that to create dramatic effect, you have to sacrifice a character or two, then I can most confidently say that is certainly not the way to go about it. The original trilogy achieved what it achieved not only through loss and the triumph of fighting back, but through coherent story telling (something which the newest generation of Star Wars episodes lack).
I guess when Disney bought Lucas Arts and all the Star Wars licensing rights, we should have seen that coming. But from now on, it is only going to be a confusing mambo jumbo, sometimes more so, sometimes less.
Well, if they had done the reasonable thing and kept the extended universe instead of completely deleting it, you movie goers would have been much more delighted and pleased from the resulting source material that accumulated over the decades. That much, I am pretty sure of.
P.S. The chase scene was probably inspired by the similar chases in WW1 and WW2, specifically when the biggest assets of the German and Japanese Navy were chased and cornered and subsequently sunk. That part of the movie (in my opinion) borrows from that part of history and neglecting the fact it is space, is more or less plausible (again, in my humble opinion).
*EDIT #1: Well, having re-watched the movie in my mind's eye, I now remember: Actually, there are at least a couple (of misplaced and unnecessary jokes). Meaningless ones, as well. Pfffttt. Shame.