Better than Episodes 1-3 and 7, but Worse than the Originals

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2018)

There seems to be a general desire of these directors to destroy the Star Wars universe like Darth Vader in a Death Star. I can understand originality and Lucas' stilted dialogue hindered the originals, but the new direction these movies are taking is just ridiculous. If you removed Han, Leia, Luke and Chewey from the last two movies, you'd have a very boring space flick.
I absolutely cannot stand Daisy Ridley's portrayal of Rey. She might be a fine actress, but the delivery of her lines through clenched teeth in every scene is comical when it should be dramatic. There is something about her delivery and Emma Watson's in the first two Harry Potter movies. Their mouths move oddly to deliver the lines, like they're over exaggerating the dialogue.
I didn't mind the lighter tone to this movie as the one liners sometimes worked. But trying to make Poe come off as the new Han was amateurish at best. Laura Dern's character's motivations were dumb when you realize her true nature. Likewise, the main plot of the rebels' ship trying to stay ahead of the First Order's fleet was lame. That was the best they could come up with? Additionally, the manner in which they destroyed a starship made me laugh at the ludicrousness of it. It made no sense.
The biggest gripe most fans had was about the way Luke is portrayed. I didn't have an issue with Luke's character changing. 20+ years have passed since the events of Episode VI and people do change, especially those who have been isolated. I didn't care for it, but I didn't have an issue with it. I did have an issue with the suddenly changing dynamics of how the Force works. The Force became an ex machina that changed to fit the given need of a character. There was no continuity to it in relation to the rest of the movies. It reminded me of the gadgets in the Roger Moore Bonds. He always seemed to have the exact gadget he needed for that movie, but then it never appears again. It just was used as plot device like the Force was in this one.
Overall, I liked this "episode" better than Force Awakens. However, for a guy who was mesmorized at 11 years old by Star Wars: A New Hope, the five episodes made since 1999 have been a massive let down. Maybe that is expected, but gosh, they are really tearing down the fabric of the Star Wars mythos.