The New Jedi!

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2017)

I have been a longtime Star Wars fan and I did not care for the prequels at all. I think this was a very satisfying entry in the Star Wars Saga. I have a few issues with the story and some of the plot choices, but overall, Luke's portrayal in this film is one of the best character arcs to take place in the whole Saga.
I also like the themes introduced in this film that upend a lot of assumed Star Wars ideas about the Force and the Jedi. I like how Luke has learned as a character from the failures of the past and discovers what he should be passing on to a younger generation of force sensitive persons.
My biggest issue with Star Wars has always been its skepticism about redemption. There is this fight between a view of persons who enter the dark side and can never be brought back and those who believe they can. I seems the default in this series is that characters cannot come back from the dark side, except in a rare occasion.
I will not talk about spoilers but I will say that my concern I mentioned above has to do with the direction they are going with the character of Kylo Ren.

IN SUMMARY:
I really enjoyed watching The Last Jedi. It takes the series in unexpected directions. Die hard fans may have a problem with some of these choices. But, I think in the long run, we are going to be glad the series opened itself up to some new and deeper ideas about the Star Wars mythos.
+One of the best lightsaber exchanges in the whole series of eight films.
+Lots of surprising story directions.
+The Force and the Jedi are taken in new directions.
-Kylo's story direction after this film and how people view him.
-Story execution for Finn's character and its effect on the overall pace of the film.
-How they handle the Snoke character.
-How they address the question about who are Rey's parents. (this one is more tentative because of how it is addressed and some ambiguity remains.)
As a piece of entertainment, The Force Awakens is better paced. But it doesn't take any major risks with the story and rehashes a lot of Star Wars movie tropes.
The Last Jedi is a more mature film that challenges you to think of things differently and opens up expansive possibilities for the Star Wars Galaxy!!!