Missed the mark

Rating: 6/10 (16 January 2019)

This film didn't miss the mark because it's different. It missed it because it had no clear vision, and Rian Johnson just clearly didn't know who the Star Wars characters are.
First, the attempt at humor was AWFUL. No one in the theater laughed at any of the jokes. The actors didn't know how to deliver the and they didn't fit with the characters AT ALL. SOOO awkward.
The B story with Finn and Rose is totally not needed. Doesn't add anything to the story. The characters have no chemistry. It's almost as if you can tell both of the actors don't know who they're supposed to be in this story and who they are to each other. Their chemistry is just awkward.
In defense of Kelly Marie Tran, she just didn't have a character to work with. She seems like a fine actress. She's actually very pretty. But for some bizarre reason, they went out of their way to try to make her a nerdy tomboy, as little feminine as they could make her. Rian...what were you thinking? How are we supposed to buy this love story between them when they seem like, at best, awkward friends? It just doesn't work.
Finn's character is just going nowhere. At the beginning of Force Awakens, he seemed like he was going to be pivotal to the whole story. Nope.
Luke's character was a debacle. Total debacle. Everyone knows it except Rian Johnson.
Besides the Luke debacle, you know what the biggest problem is? The First Order isn't threatening. It's hard to take them seriously. The only villain with any promise is Kilo Ren. But even he isn't threatening anymore. Vader was in control, calculated, powerful, and merciless. Ren is a whiny brat now. So who else are we supposed to be scared of? The dark side is just a bunch of bumbling idiots who we can prank call and make mom jokes to.
Unless they do something fast to the story, they probably only have one more successful box office film in the franchise. If they don't pull it off by the next sequel, people are going to lose interest.
The classic Star Wars characters are all gone now. No threatening villain. And our main characters are pointless.
I gave the film a 6/10 because, with all of its flaws, there are moments of beauty and, I don't care what anybody says, a pretty tense climax.