Nostalgia value for baby boomers--no story

Rating: 7/10 (31 December 2017)

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi is full of space battles done with quality special effects, nostalgic moments with characters from the original trilogy, and some well-cast, fresh-blood, star warriors. This two-and-a-half movie is filled to the brim, but it all comes out to me as, not enough.
Under Disney's wing, the Star Wars saga has become corporate and storytelling has given place to gaming the franchise for profit. Hence, the first two movies in the third trilogy are rehashes of the first trilogy (Episodes 4-6). This movie (Episode 8) is a warm-over of The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. I suppose the excuse is that it is for the nostalgia factor-bringing back the cast of the original trilogy, passing the torch, and saying goodbye. That happens, but it's not done well enough and there's absolutely no story told beyond that. I'm just glad they didn't destroy the Death Star, yet again.
The Last Jedi is very much Luke and Leia's story. They are the dominant characters, especially Luke Skywalker. This is very much a "What happens to Luke" story, as it needed to be. I did like the twist of character they made in Luke, taking him from the idealistic young hero of the original trilogy to a jaded Jedi master. It's probably the best thought-out aspect of the movie, and though it ended satisfactorily, it should have been played out better.
This is a nostalgia piece but the nostalgia comes mostly in just seeing the old characters more than from the interactions among them. There should have been touching, tear-jerking reunions between Luke, Chewbacca, R2D2, C3PO, and especially with Leia. They were there, but were mostly perfunctory. A storyteller would have woven the heartwarming elements of these reunions with an original story that propelled the new characters forward upon the base of farewells to the old. But such is beyond the capabilities of a corporation.
Now for all those gripes, there are moments in the movie that do touch those of us who were enthralled by the ground-breaking original movie in 1977. It was great to see Princess Leia in her command center again, worrying over the status of her rebels as they fight overwhelming odds. The moment of the all-too-brief reunion of Luke with R2D2 was punctuated with an apt replaying by the droid of the Princess Leia hologram that hooked Luke into his initial quest. And there is a "sunset moment" for Luke, reflecting that of the first movie where he contemplated his future, and now, perhaps, his past. These are touching moments, but they should have been supported with drama.
As for the new characters, they have potential and are well-acted, but their story (such as it is) is not progressed at all. I take it that the character Rey (Daisey Ridley) is supposed to be this new trilogy's Luke Skywalker. In The Force Awakens she showed much promise of fufilling that role. It would be interesting, since I believe George Lucas originally conceived of his young protagonist as female. John Boyega's "Finn" character also began with promise, being a "converted" storm trooper in The Force Awakens. Boyega does a stellar task with his part here, especially in those scenes with Kelly Marie Tran (Rose). Oscar Isaac does a fine job as the impulsive, brave, warrior type that's the bread-and-butter of Star Wars movies. So we have a good new trio of characters to carry a story, if one is ever given to them.
The one new character that shows some movement is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) whom I didn't think much of in The Force Awakens. In this movie, he does move from a Darth Vader "wannabee" to a heavy in his own right, though once again, it is in following the same plot line as in the original trilogy.
While the special effects in The Last Jedi are state-of-the-art, they are used in action scenes that not only break no new ground, they are rehashes of the previous movies. That was obviously deliberate, but still lacking. The original Star Wars movie was done with special effects that were ground-breaking for the time. In the succeeding movies, they were pushed ever further to the edge of state-of-the-art to make for some thrilling moments in the theatre. At this point, such effects have not progressed enough since the last movie to make for an experience new in some way. So the action scenes feel stale. That would not be an issue for me if there had been a new story to follow.
The stars I give this movie are out of nostalgia. After forty years, I wanted to see what happens to the characters in the amazing space saga that inspired me when I was twenty. I suspect that is the biggest draw for trailing edge baby-boomers. It is only for that reason and for that generation, that can I recommend this movie.