Well directed, well acted, but pretty poorly written

Rating: 6/10 (21 December 2017)

The biggest letdown of this movie is easily its story, but not because the plot did not go the way many fans predicted, but because the story they chose was handled rather poorly.
While all other Star Wars films allow a chronological time skip inbetween them, The Last Jedi takes place immediately after The Force Awakens. I.E. the same day. This was the story's biggest mistake. Because of the lack of time between movies, and even worse that the film's story occupies a fairly short amount of time, the main characters (Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose) appear to have not reached a point of growth they should have by the end of the film.
They could have had the story take place at least one year after The Force Awakens, and still have nearly the same outcomes as this film. The relationships between the old and new characters, I.E. the mentors and students, would have been a stronger one by the end of the film, when it's finally time for the younger heroes to take the lead roles full time. The younger characters would have been more experienced, have stronger relationships with each other, and ultimately be more self-established. And learning how the characters, both old and new, have changed and grown during the timeskip can easily be discovered during the film itself, just like all other Star Wars films.
Unfortunately, as a result of the immediate transition between films, while the older Star Wars heroes are in the process of "passing their torch" to the newer generation, the new characters for the most part, barely changed from who they were since the first film. And by the end of The Last Jedi, they almost appear as if they are still being introduced and still establishing themselves in the franchise.
So how much did the characters themselves suffer from the lack of timeskip?
By far the most compelling characters, along with the best acting performances, are Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren. Due in no small part to the the fact that they already benefit from their own timeskip, hence why they display such a powerful transition from an unclear start in history to the conclusion of the film. All of the most significant character development in the film appears to follow only these two.
Rey is just about the same as she was in The Force Awakens. She is still charming and idealistic, yet childish and gullible, often believing in good outcomes that don't happen her way. Her personal stakes take a back seat to Luke and Kylo Ren, and her reason/desire to become a Jedi is rather unclear. And for those people who accuse her of being an overpowered Mary Sue, I regret to say that this film will definitely NOT change their minds. Another mistake that can be blamed by the lack of timeskip, and lack of time for Master Luke to train her.
Finn does experience a slight change since The Force Awakens. While his first immediate initiative is still to protect Rey, the resolve to help the Resistance, whether he intended it or not, gradually sinks into him, making him appear more self-motivated and heroic, but also makes his personal goals just as unclear.
Poe Dameron, on the other hand, is just about the same. While he does grow out of recklessness and impatience, this character development appears to barely ave a major effect on the story as a whole. Much like in TFA, his status as a main character is still unclear, and he mostly serves little more than giving the real main characters something to do.
New character Rose is difficult to judge. The significance of her character is her friendship with Finn. And their development together by the end of the film was not at all seamless, with almost no establishing moment that would lead up to that conclusion. Another reason why these two characters would have benefited from knowing each other before the start of the film.
The film's direction, action sequences, and performances, are all up to par, and Star Wars legend, Mark Hamill brings his best to the movie. Unfortunately, due to the small amount of time passed within two movies, the story leaves too much undone, and the new heroes barely finished their introductions.
In addition, this also leaves the next film (the expected FINAL film of the trilogy), to have far more unresolved questions to cover and conclude within its own running time. What will happen to the main characters? What happened leading up to The Force Awakens? Who are the Knights of Ren? Who was Supreme Leader Snoke? What will become of the Jedi, Sith, and Force-users in general?
Can the final film even be its own great film, while it also has a lot of jobs that should have been done by the two films before it?
As for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, its story simply did not manage to accomplish the many goals that it set out for itself, and it's too glaring to ignore.