Marvel Star Wars: Spoiler-Free

Rating: 1/10 (16 December 2017)

Powerful force abilities and kicking ass with a light saber is awesome for on screen imagery and marketing. It's not what truly defines a Jedi to me, or makes their characters and stories so intriguing, magical, and awesome. Their unfailing characteristic is a certain noble way of being about them. They are calm, courageous, and clear-minded. Self-sacrificing. Committed to making the galaxy safe and peaceful. This movie has characters using the Force and light sabers to great visual effect, but (despite the title) there are NO JEDI.
The character Luke Skywalker was clearly developed prior to this film. He shows up to help his friends and family when in need at any cost. He repeatedly makes selfless, morally sound decisions. He sees goodness in people when nobody else does, even in Darth Vader. Be warned: The character Mark Hamill plays in this movie embodies none of this, and for this viewer, the explanation given was unclear and unsatisfying.
As for the villains, we have incompetent and bickering rage-a-holics who consistently fail despite unlimited and awesome resources. They are sure good at screaming, though. Like most characters in this movie, they have no real confidence, clarity, or purpose, let alone the sheer presence of a Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, or Count Dooku for that matter.
I enjoyed and was surprised and entertained by many parts of the movie, for sure. The effects and some of the themes and plot twists were great. I liked the diversity in the actors and the development of new characters, especially Rey and Poe. I liked some of the new things done with the Force. There was some less than ideal storytelling and pacing, but that's forgivable. A lot of it was really funny, although often at the cost of the tone and feel, and some of the humor felt like mockery of the Star Wars universe, even testing the 4th wall, a-la a Marvel movie.
In the end, I walked out of the theater feeling... tired. Hollow and sad at the turn they've taken. Without the heart and soul of powerful, riveting characters and adherence to the basics of the universe George Lucas created, I'm far less emotionally invested in the future of this movie franchise. This movie "lets the past die, kills it if it must" and takes us down a new path I'm not really interested in.