Very uneven in quality, but has some of the best moments yet seen in the franchise

Rating: Null/10 (5 January 2018)

We have had the newest Star Wars films for a few weeks now and it has become abundantly clear that this is the great divider of the whole saga. Some people absolutely love it, some despise it unlike anything else - including Jar Jar.
And when chips are down, it's actually pretty easy to see just why this is. It all comes down to a simple thing. Are you a glass half-full or half-empty kind of guy? Because this film has some of the worst things ever seen in Star Wars and it has some of the best.
Personally I'm a half-full guy. The second half of this film is amazing. The battle on salt plains, with vibrant reds and whites, the rusty old speeders, the upgraded AT-ATs, the doorbuster, the final confrontation between Luke and Kylo. It borders on perfection. And then that final scene. You know the one. The little child in me, the one who flailed madly around in our garden with a stick for a lightsaber. That kid wants for the whole saga, the whole thing, to end right there. To stay in that perfect moment for the rest of eternity.
Furthermore, there's the whole thing with Luke and Rey, with Mark Hamill absolutely killing it as a curmudgeon Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Master, while Daisy Ridley continues to impress as our new protagonist.
Also, that cameo!
But yeah, then there's the stuff we don't like. Such as the fact that the first half is not so hot. It has cool scenes, sure, and it feels like Star Wars, but the jokes don't quite land or there's just a few too many of them. Or that the plot doesn't have a clear direction. And then of course there's the subplot with Finn. Now, personally, I didn't mind the subplot while watching the film. But yeah, in hindsight it was more than a bit pointless.
Nevertheless, I do honestly think that the second half makes up for it. There is enough raw quality that you can focus on that and still get enough to satisfy your urge for a great film. I mean, if we could deal with ewoks, we can deal with this.