Adds Up To Far Less Than the Sum of its Parts

Rating: 2/10 (1 January 2018)

My first reaction while watching this film was that the detractors must be wrong. Hamill's acting is very good; the battle scenes have effective moments; I was fine with the level of humor (not particularly funny, but okay). The mystery of why Luke was acting the way he was, seemed like a mystery ... and I was intrigued to know the solution.
But the longer the film drags on, the more it seems that there would be no positive solutions to the any of the mysteries or plot elements it set up. Before I hit the 2 hour mark, I am losing interest and hoping for the film to end. But the film drags on; & each passing minute seems to bang further nails into the coffin of any sense of hope or positive feelings.
Luke (Hamill's character) ends up being one of the most disappointing things about this film, for reasons that are in no way Hamill's fault. Hamill could have brought much to the new trilogy, if used effectively, but not only has that opportunity been wasted, but it has seemingly been wasted with devastating finality.
Some critics have gone on about the film's gender politics. As to that, I will only say only that this might not be the film for young boys, because it offers them nearly nothing in terms of positive male role models. The overall effect matters more than the individual examples. The first and second time Poe Dameron got justly humiliated by the female authority figures, I was okay with it. But the continuing humiliation of Poe detracts not only from Poe, but also from Finn, and even from new spunky female Rose, by rendering their story arcs and their heroic efforts pointless and even counterproductive. Then Finn tries to be heroic in the finale, and Rose puts a stop to that too. Thus does the film seem to cut off its nose to spite its face. All this is part of a broader problem of a confusing array of story elements adding up to little or nothing.
But I suppose, for the girls, there's still Rey to root for. The filmmakers also give us a good look at brooding bad boy Kylo Ren's manly waxed chest, and quite evidently regard this as a treat. Not for me, sorry. I sense where this is going, and I don't find it particularly interesting. It remains to be seen if the new Star Wars will find its new audience; but I can definitely see why so much of the old guard feels let down.