'The Last Jedi' notably serves its purpose as the middle child in this latest trilogy

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2017)

'The Last Jedi' finds itself as perhaps the most polarizing installment of the Star Wars franchise since 'Return of the Jedi,' with die-hard fans either dwelling too much on the bad parts of the script, or obsessing too much on the good. The fact is, the film gets more right than wrong, and even features some of the best sequences of any Star Wars film, period.
It's largely the first half of the film that suffers. There are times when the comedic relief falls flat, or perhaps shouldn't have been attempted in the first place. It's also the first time that the "Disneyfication" of the franchise feels quite apparent, with softer storylines, muted violence, and cuddlier creatures. I, for one, could readily punt one of those Porgs off a cliff into the ocean and not feel guilty doing it.
However, there's good reason why Disney has decided to hand director Rian Johnson the keys to the next Star Wars trilogy. He's managed to successfully blend the commercialization of the 'The Last Jedi' with the tradition and lore of the larger franchise. Furthermore, his action sequences are quite riveting (and two in particular are insanely good), his color palettes throughout the movie are visually stunning, and the musical score is rather delightful.
As a result, 'The Last Jedi' notably serves its purpose as the middle child in this latest trilogy, tying up all of the loose ends from 'The Force Awakens' while setting up the next film for a fresh take on the Star Wars universe.