I really wish I didn't feel the way I do.

Rating: 3/10 (19 December 2017)

I've never been an overly critical moviegoer, and I'm very forgiving when it comes to Star Wars films. So much so that I genuinely have enjoyed every single one (despite the laundry list of problem that the prequels have).
I left The Last Jedi feeling disappointed, a little angry and betrayed.
If I could boil it down into a clear reason, it would be that this just did not feel like Star Wars.
One of the major issues that began to concern me was the humour. Starting with the 'On Hold' joke (which felt contemporary with our world, not Star Wars), it then quickly turned into parody - making Hux a mockery of the character that appeared in TFA. From that point onwards, he was a joke and couldn't be taken seriously.
If that were the only case, it would have been forgivable - but the whole movie was peppered with cheap laughs, many of which seemed completely inappropriate (and more suited to Spaceballs than Star Wars). I can understand that such a thematically bleak film needed to have some relief, but the judgement of Rian Johnson was way off base here.
Certain characters are suited to the comedy moments - BB8, Chewie (to some degree), and Finn. When they are on screen you know the tone of the scene. But
adding comedy moment to the scenes with Luke or Rey - scenes in which you're paying full attention for the drama that is unfolding, completely undermines the tension. It was so bad, it got to the point where during any dramatic scene, I was waiting for the throwaway gag.
Some jokes were in character and worked well enough (for example, when Leia told 3PO to take the worried look off his face). But others made me wonder what the hell I was watching, as well as constantly remind me I'm watching a film making fun of itself, rather than being immersed in the story of a sweeping space opera.
The tone was just all wrong.
This is further evidenced by the Canto Bight sequence, which made me wonder if I was watching a completely different movie entirely. It's clear that Rian Johnson just has no natural feel for the Star Wars universe.
While some reviewers have praised the movie for taking bold, new steps, there were several missed opportunities where the director just completely backtracked into safe territory:

The fake Leia death scene was one of the most powerful moments in the movie...until she did her goofy looking force-flying back to the ship. This would have been the perfect, quick shocking, moment for Leia to die. But instead, it was a worthless spectacle that lost all emotional impact.

The Kylo/Rey plotline itself was one of the better things the movie gave us. I'm not too critical of the choice to kill off Snoke they way they did as it provided the catalyst for a potentially powerful scene. However, just at the point where you thought that maybe Rey and Kylo could actually join together, perhaps form an intriguing combination of light and dark leading the First Order, Johnson again drops the ball and goes back to Kylo just being the bad guy and Rey being the good. The perfect chance for a unique and exciting plot to develop was wasted.

The whole theme moving to the point of resetting the series to Rebels vs First Order. There are so many stories that could be told, but it feels it's going back to the safe zone and giving what we already have, while pretending that it isn't.

It was also a great shame that Ridley and Boyega had pretty much no screen time together. Their chemistry in TFA was one of my favourite parts and to have Rey away on a deserted island for so long was just a waste, and caused them to have to invent a needless companion for Finn 'because'.

As noted by many other reviewers, Luke was handled very poorly in this movie. Now, I do understand the reasons for the 'grumpy old man' plotline and how it
ties in to the 'kill the past' theme (which was a bit too heavy handed in places and again felt like the movie was talking to the viewer directly). But it was just poorly handled.
I'm sure there must have been many takes of Luke discarding his old lightsaber - but the mind boggles as to why they chose the one that was a comedy lob.
If he had just dropped it, or turned and flug it away with all his might, that would have made a more dramatic moment and stronger character note for him.
The scene where he milks the alien cow's teat and drinks it is also quite bizarre and totally out of place.
Again, I understand that Rian Johnson was trying to subvert the established themes, but there are ways to do that without the movie feeling either stupid
or ultimately unsatisfying. Make bold choices! Do things differently! That's all great, but if the audience feels disenfranchised then what does that all achieve?
There are many other things wrong with The Last Jedi, but at this stage they are all nit-picks and might not have adversely affected my enjoyment if it were not for the accumulation of poor choices that just built up across the expansive run time. I don't mind the whole inclusivity thing. I don't even mind the obvious political statements or the other gaping plot holes that others have pointed out. I didn't even mind too much that Rey's parent are nobody - with the exception of that it was again poorly dealt with.
What I do mind is when Star Wars doesn't feel like Star Wars. Even if the (admittedly poor) script was the same, a different director with a better vision of the mythology could have made this work.
This movie made me sad and angry. And not for the reasons that the director intended. The fan division alone should be enough to tell Disney that this is the wrong direction to go.
Long time Star Wars fans should leave the cinema feeling excited, perhaps shocked, and eager for the next part of the story. Not cold, depressed and angry.
The whole thing felt disrespectful to the universe, the previous work of JJ Abrams, and the fans.
Shame on you.