If the next one is this confusing stars will be lost

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2017)

There is no doubt that fans will recognise and relate to the Star Wars universe and be happy about it. However, I find the story confusing. The story lines of all the Star Wars movies up to now have been crystal clear and pertinent to the title. E.g. A new hope - the empire has taken over and the rebellion gets organised. This one does not seem to have sense of purpose. Is it the end of the Jedi? Is it the begging of a new Jedi order? The contours of the new order are fuzzy and so are that of the rebellion.
Don't get me wrong, there a many positives for which I have given a rating of 7. But sometimes you get a feeling that the motive of was essentially commercial - to create a transition from the old to the new and lay the foundations for a new number Star Wars movies including television series and spinoffs. In the process they forget to tell a good, old fashioned story - which I believe film making should be about.
I also do not understand the need to have broken the flow of everything that was set in motion in the episode, The Force Awakens. It feels like the producers, directors and script writers have had a good fight about where to take the franchise thereon.
The promise of a new lead that takes over Luke in the first series and Anakin in the second is not fulfilled. Rey, that was such a powerful character in The Force Awakens seems to have lost her clout. The attempt to pick it up in the end, to me was not enough. The most exciting question after The Force Awakens was her origins which had a very lukewarm treatment in the sequel. The love plot fizzles out. We see no remnants of the Republic that was supposed to have flourished after return of the Jedi. The training of Rey is nothing compared to that of Luke in the Empire strikes back and lacks the many spiritual layers of Yoda and his Dagobah refuge.
On top of that, The Last Jedi introduces so many elements that do not deliver, the code breaker, the dark level of Luke's planet, the vestige of the Jedi heritage, Snoke's death, the planet promised to be special where the rebellion goes to take refuge.
On a positive note, it is the Star Wars universe all right and leaves a good aftertaste for a fans like myself. But a feeling of incompleteness and a flawed attempt to make a film with the DNA of the Empire strikes back just as The Force Awakens was made of the DNA of a New Hope.
Let's say I found the film good in form but lacking in substance. I would agree with the critic who said "I am not sure if I saw a good film or a bad one."