Fresh, exciting, innovative and yet, unfufilling and ultimately disappointing.

Rating: 6/10 (17 July 2018)

Like the reviews from fans, I'm split on TLJ.
Parts of it I loved.
It's visually stunning, with immense rich landscapes and characters that are developed well and paint a vivid picture of life in the universe following the collapse of the Empire. I liked the development of the Skywalker story, the interaction with the dark side of the force and the personal battle between Rey and anyone else who got in her way.
I liked the new characters, liked Rose and her relationship with Finn and was particularly impressed with Laura Dern's Admiral Holdo and Benecio Del Toro's self serving code breaker DJ. The film had potential.
But ultimately, it fell flat for me.
Not explaining the origin of Snoke was a huge, gaping flaw. I don't read fan fiction and don't care what's considered "canon" or not. I want the films to tell the story.
Snoke was a huge character, the new force running the universe yet there was no explanation as to how he replaced the Emperor, no filler to cover how the First Order took over from the Empire and not even any hint as to how the new, presumably Sith Lord, came to be. He just gets bumped off. Bsssst. Pierced by a light-saber and he's gone.
Yoda, a source of wisdom and comic joy in equal measure and arguable my favourite character of before was like a character from the Muppets. I know he was designed by Frank Oz but I didn't mean that as a compliment.
And the main thrust of the story was essentially a space chase, with a big ship running down some small ones. It just seemed so mundane. Even Poe's big introduction, where he faces down a First Order Dreadnought in his tiny fighter, no doubt designed to be a moment of early comedy and tension, fell completely flat for me.
Overall, there was much to like about the film and I'm trying really hard to be positive but the key for me is - compared to the 2 spin off films, Rogue One and Solo, the main franchise has not fared well. These have been vastly superior, in plot, tension and production.
I hope Episode IX in 2019 restores the franchise to its place at the top of my list but based on what's gone so far, I'm not sure my faith is well placed.