Please Take a Risk...... Someone?......... Anyone?

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2017)

I'm struggling to understand the plethora of positive ratings and reviews for TLJ.
As a stand alone sci-fi movie, TLJ hits many marks and could be quite enjoyable if viewed objectively.
Therein lies the problem. The Star Wars saga is a very personal subject to so many people. It has spanned generations. It evokes childhood memories and family Christmases. It formed the platform for a whole life of 'Geek-dom' for many of us, and will never be replaced or replicated.
I just thought it was, quite frankly, dull. How much screen time was spent looking at Carrie Fisher's one and only facial expression? Her acting ability was limited to say the least and although we absolutely needed a concrete link to the past historic saga, why focus so much on her?
The whole movie was once again played out in a tried and tested format: Rebels are in the minority and on the brink, a few heroes step to the plate and risk all to prevent a major and irreversible tragedy. All the while, a story about the power between the light and dark is played out to various degrees of effectiveness. You've seen it all before.
I think my biggest complaint was the lack of a real menace with sinister edge. This aspect is what absolutely nailed the original movies. The Emporer and Vader would have me struggling to sleep at night. Snoke and Ren just don't hold the same level of darkness. They don't scare me. Their power doesn't leave me in awe.
We needed more Dark Side development in this second installment. Where's Snoke's back story? His Sith title? We barely saw him in FA and now's he's gone without hardly a whimper. Not good enough.
This movie has been 100% 'played safe'. After all, what director will risk their reputation on taking a risk with the biggest ever movie franchise? Their stock would plummet if a failure. We had this with FA.
This ranks as joint last with PM in order of ratings. At least PM was slightly redeemed with Darth Maul.
TLJ was cute and fluffy, clearly attempting to capture a junior fan base away from Marvel and DC.
Hardcore fans of the saga prepare to be disappointed.