Not the Story I Expected And Better for It

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2017)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi wasn't the movie I expected, and I believe that this trilogy is better served for it. A lot of fan expectations were that this film would continue the call backs to the originals and fan service of Force Awakens, but these things don't make a lasting film franchise.
It's difficult to argue why I lived this movie so much without spoilers, but I'll simply say that this film managed to combine character growth, new character introduction, with some great action and world building. The story sets up a future for Star Wars that doesn't ignore it's past but also doesn't depend on it for a compelling narrative. I enjoyed the movie so much that I went to see it again within days and will probably go again before it leaves theaters.
--My only real critique is that the 3D picture quality was poor. (Though that may have been the fault of my local theater so I didn't bump down my rating for it.)