I've reimagined a lot of this in my head, because the plot is just well, pretty terrible.

Rating: 4/10 (16 December 2017)

Visually, a nice film. However, I'm actually really surprised they went this way with the movie. I actually liked The Force Awakens, I thought it was a good reintroduction of Star Wars to a new generation, while reminding us all why we liked it first time around.
This movie just didn't make sense. It tries to be far too clever for it's own good. It tries so hard to NOT be one of the other Star Wars films it almost misses the point of Star Wars. Most of the entire movie is spent setting up pointless events to make sure you don't guess what happens next, in what is ultimately a film about one spaceship, moving very slowly away from another spaceship that is firing guns on it, for most of the film.
Finn's whole storyline was pointless, it added nothing to the film. What was the point of the live action stream from Maz... and it was like the whole middle of the film dedicated to something that ultimately had no meaning to the plot, and afterwards we never see Del Toros character again... Phasma, what an absolute waste. Hux, how did he ever become so high up in command when he's such a bufoon in this film? He should have been more like Moff, unbreakable, unflappable.
Here's what should have happened (and how I am imagining from now on):
Finn's plotline - they could have gotten rid of that altogether. Bring the dreadnaught in a bit later in the movie, say when the resistance think they're going to escape a whole lot of regular star destroyers. Suddenly a Dreadnaught flies in and scuppers the plan. Then Poe, aided by Finn sneaking onto the ship in order to help with his storm trooper knowledge, can do his one man mission to destroy it (and sacrifice a bunch of characters we've maybe grown to care about a bit first).
Finn still has a face off with Phasma, but she is seriously epic and he narrowly escapes.
Snoke should have been revealed as Darth Plageous the wise (who could create and extend life using the force - but was murdered by his own apprentice) - we should have had his backstory, and how years later Kylo Ren found him, groping out with the force from some distant planet, using the force to still cling to life, not dead after all because of his unique force power.
Kylo finds him secretly and helps him back to full power, ultimately becoming seduced and apprenticed as a Sith. Later in the film Kylo murders him sure... (in a mirror of Plageous's original storyline), but at the end of the film we see Plageous once again, not dead, but able to use his force power to stay alive... In order to set up his revenge on Ren in the next film.
Luke Skywalker should have taken the lightsaber from Rey on the Island, and said something funny but WISE, not just toss it in bad comedy style. He should have basically be Yoda for real from the original trilogy, and train her, but without her really knowing at first like Yoda did for him.
He should NOT have tried to kill Kylo Ren for having dark thoughts. But he merely fled to the Island to protect the last remaining Jedi temple and the Jedi knowledge after Ren betrays him.
At the end of the film, he should have arrived at the resistance base for real, used his actual mastery of the force to shield from the gun fire, fought Ren for real in a way more epic duel and died properly to save everyone after knowing they're safe in Obi Wan fashion, happy that he has passed on enough knowledge to Rey.
Rey should have found out that she not only Luke's daughter but was a partially trained Padawan at Luke's Jedi temple (explaining her force dreams, awesome moves she already has and her powers) but she had her memory altered by him using the force and she was hidden on Jaku because Ren vowed to kill all remaining Jedi.
Just my opinion, but that helps me re-imagine it to something bearable.