Why??!!

Rating: 1/10 (26 December 2017)

It is hard to write this review due the massive and honestly, this very perplexing new addition to the Star War universe. Before I begin, here is my history with Star Wars. I first saw Star Wars in the theater in 1977 and was completely mesmerized by what George Lucas had created. The cast not only had chemistry but both strong male and female characters working TOGETHER as equals (with some friction at times, which makes it all the more interesting). I was also enthralled by the canon of the Star War Universe which Lucas created. I read many of the books that followed as well and found many of them equally entertaining. So that is my "starting point" so to speak.
What I liked about "The Last Jedi"
Rey....A wonderfully directed and very compelling character that is both inspiring and humble at the same time. She is desperately seeking where she comes from and just as importantly, is humble enough to know the raw power she can wield is not only frightening but dangerous if she is not taught how to control it. This makes Rey and outstanding addition to the Star War Universe!
Finn...Great growth is seen in Finn in this installment. While he is still very afraid of the First Order to start out in this film, he realizes, with the help of Rose, he must face and confront his fear. This is a great addition to Star Wars.
Rose...a very down to earth character that shows that everyone can make a difference and the importance of working together as a team. I just would have liked to have seen a little more development with Rose in this film.
Yoda....Very good use of the Star Wars canon here. Yoda was introduced at the right time for Luke and his character and is critical to motivate Luke out of his over obsessive brooding funk induced from his prior failure (which in the canon of Star Wars, would have turned him dark but somehow didn't).
Leia...I loved the fact a director finally had the courage to show that Leia is Skywalker and has the ability to use her inherent Jedi power. However, I feel it was poorly executed. While I put this as a positive, I would have liked this to have been better. I always admired Leia's strong female character growing up.
Effects/CGI....Top notch with plenty of "eye candy". It is very apparent great effort and care was used to make this film visually stunning in larger scenes of the film.
What I didn't like about the film (why it got only 3 stars from me)
Luke....While I did not hear of Mark Hamill's misgivings about the direction the director, Rian Johnson, decided for his character until after I saw the film, I have to say I agree with Mark Hamill. Rian Johnson took this character off the deep end to the point where Luke would have become an agent of evil. How this did not happen is mystifying when you look at the Jedi lore. Guilt of past failure leads to fear of trying again which was shown in Luke many times in this film. Yoda said many times in past Star Wars films, "fear is a path to the dark side". This is a major break of the Star Wars canon that makes this film difficult to watch.
Snoke...By far one of the most interesting charters in the film but Rian Johnson just tossed him aside like trash as if he was unimportant. In this film, he is hugely important. Where did he come from? Who instructed him? Was he another "secret apprentice" that Palpatine had during the reign of the Empire like Mara Jade from the the book "Last Command" by Timothy Zahn? This book by the way, if you have not read it, is part of an incredible trilogy which I am now wishing Lucas had used for the basis of Episodes XII, XIII and IX.
Vice Admiral Holdo...This character seem forced, clunky and in some ways like a bull in a china shop. For a military commander, she does not act like one. I am prior military and have been in the presence of high ranking military leaders when making critical decisions. In close quarters when senior leaders are with other mid level leaders (like Poe's character) they always ensured their mid level leaders had a basic idea of the plan to ensure they believed it would work. Holdo showed none of this trust and was overly and unnecessarily secretive. Holdo character showed no trust in anyone which made her look very weak as a leader but this did make a good plot twist for Poe's rightly actions later (I found this twist distracting from the story). Rian Johnson, next time make sure you have a military advisor on your staff. It will make your film much better.
Poe....I was very disappointed with the direction this character went. Poe was established as valued and trusted member of the resistance. He has followers that respect him to the point they would follow him to their deaths if needed. While they do show him as a little bit of a "lose cannon" which Leia reels him in, the fact that he is callously ignored by other leadership clearly shows a lack of teamwork and disdain for what his character can provide (until Leia returns to command) is nearly shocking. Additionally, very bad for military morale (Rian, get a military advisor next time!)
Kylo Ren....This character has so much potential but is not explained well at all. We know where he came from and the source of his power, but we don't know why he is obsessed with the dark side. Rian seems to try to explain it with the retelling of Luke's mistake but Rian does not seem to give us the core reason. This is again very important in the Star Wars universe that Rian seems to ignore. The source of evil needs to identified to the light or good side so they have a target to eliminate.
The battle scene with the Dreadnought....Okay, this where the scientist in me nearly had a conniption! First the bombers are way to slow for a fast paced and advanced space battle. Bombers today make the bombers in this film look as maneuverable as hot air blimps. Second, you are in space, you don't "drop" bombs. They have to have some sort of propulsion to move. (again, you need a military advisor and in this case, a scientific advisor as well).
The utter disrespect for the Star War cannon....This can be summed up in Rian Johnson not really understanding what Jedi are. In all previous films, Jedi strength is passed down via genetics. Meaning you have to have either a father or mother with a preponderance of Jedi traits present. For the raw power which Rey possesses, you have to be descended from a very powerful Jedi line. In this point at time, that means she would need to be a Skywalker. The only other way would be for the force itself to create a "vergence" to create Rey as was the case with Anakin which was set in "The Phantom Menace" (I don't like this too much but it was the precedent set by George Lucas so it needs to be respected!). Rian Johnson blatantly thumbs his nose at this precedent indicating Rey's parents were unremarkable and insignificant to the story. This is an unforgivable break with the Star Wars cannon. This is disrespect for the canon is further shown by Rian Johnson with the death of Luke (which occurs due to, admittedly, one of the most incredible feats of Jedi power by anyone). However, Luke's passing leaves a massive problem for J.J. Abrams in the Episode IX. How does Rey learn to use her power? In all previous Star Wars films, there is ALWAYS a Master to teach the apprentice. A teacher, mentor and guide is absolutely required to guide Rey on her journey. One of the guiding principals Star Wars taught is EVERYONE needs a teacher, mentor and guide so they grow and learn to control their frightening power. So this leaves a very important question, how is Rey going to learn? Hopefully they will not imbue her with miraculous virtue. When one has this much power, it must be tempered with experience, otherwise, the wielder will become corrupted (just a fact of life, power corrupts without guidance!). It does not matter who you are. If this is the direction they take in Episode IX, the film with make Rey "god like" which would be the ultimate show of disrespect to the Star Wars canon. I do not envy the task J.J. Abrams has in cleaning up the mess Rian created.
All of these issues now cause some of the other issues with "The Force Awakens" which were relatively minor then but now look much more problematic. First; how did the First Order gain such a large army, navy, equipment and personnel under the New Republic's nose? How is that possible if the New Republic was the ruling body? Why would the New Republic let the First Order develop so much when they were such a threat? Second, why would the New Republic keep their entire fleet in the inner systems? This is foolish thinking many many levels worse than the mistakes made at Pearl Harbor in 1941. There has to be some significant remnants of the New Republic fleet out there. It make zero sense all the fleet would have been destroyed by Star Killer base in one shot.
I could go on for hours but I have hit the main points with this film. As a life time Star Wars fan, I have to say I was immensely disappointed and in many ways "crushed" by this film.