How many stars? no idea. I like the number 4

Rating: 4/10 (25 August 2019)

I like reading bad reviews but I wish folks would be specific. I'll bet the stuff I wanted to change were details most folks had no problems with. I see lots are not happy with Luke. Was it his reluctance to recommit? His choice to live a hermit? I hear from older folks myself too who have lost their idealism and have turned misanthropic so I'd say Luke's character change seems pretty realistic to me. The claims about powerful women and lousy men doesn't wash, I don't think although I could see their viewpoint. Just today I heard a lady on NPR say she wanted to work with people who look like her and not the white men on a scientific panel. not that they did anything neg at all to her. They were merely white men. Period. So I can see how Last Jedi might be a teeny bit vulnerable to that sort of interpretation.
I blame bloated budgets and CGI. Fight scenes go on too long. There are too many characters. So many special effects they're not at all special anymore. So many spills and near death misses that one feels nothing.
I'l take a rubber Yoda and a rubber Jabba any day over the CGI creations.
The scripts of '77 '80 and '83 aren't great lit, but there's a simplicity to most of the scenes so that when there's a crowd or noisy scene, one appreciates the change. The CGI era episodes are so often cluttered with characters, droids, chase scenes, fights. one longs for a simple 2 or 3 person low key scene.
I noticed in Last Jedi the main characters hardly ever are in the same scene together. That's not a Last Jedi problem, that's a lesson from TV. Sure, characters separate for adventures, but they come together and form an ensemble at some point. Imagine if George, Elaine, Kramer, and Jerrry never even were in the same room. 3po, R2, Leia and the boys (chew, Han, Luke) belong together like Dorothy Gale and her 3 buds. Having said that, could be audiences like a nice mix in their ensembles. Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo all seem about the same height and fitness level , look 25-35 yrs old. All feisty and confident.
I could see a director exchanging their roles before filming with little problem.
You couldn't do that with the Scooby team, The Clampetts nor the castaways on Gilligan's Island. Each is a distinct character in personality and form.