The Star Wars movie that is going to divide the fanbase

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2017)

I am a big Star Wars fan, who watched all the movies multiple times. The expectation for this movie was set high after "The Force Awakens". That movie took the safe route and looked a lot like "A New Hope" building up the beginning for the next Star Wars trilogy on tested ground.
Instead of recycling the original trilogy again I wanted to see a new Star Wars movie, something different and innovative while still keeping the core elements the Star Wars franchise is all about. For the most part I got exactly that and I walked out of the premiere with quite positive feelings. I do mostly like this movie but it has some glaring weak points which i have to adress. I will try to be as critical and honest as possible.
"The Last Jedi" is a new, refreshing story which seems at parts a little dragged out with its rather long runtime of 2h 32min but it never gets boring, far from that. Generally speaking the movie has a solid main plot. It is a visually stunning experience with great action sequences. However on the other side it has some plot issues, unanswered questions left from The Force Awakens and weaker subplots which could easily be taken out without harming the main storyline. The movie has a lot of humour, jokes and one-liners in it. Sometimes they are great and offer a good laugh but on the other hand can also feel forced and unnecessary during serious moments of the movie.
The story you are going to see is vastly different than anything seen before in Star Wars. Rian Johnson takes us on a new adventure and redefines aspects of the franchise to a large extend but keeps the core intact. It feels like watching a Star Wars movie but it also brings big amounts of innovation which is not to everyone's liking. The problem with this lies in the fact that this Star Wars is going to divide the fanbase in halfs.
The first group of people will be mostly consisted of older fans (of the original trilogy) which will see this movie as a disgrace and blame Disney for ruining the franchise. The second group is either the younger audience or people who want to see changes, something new in this instalment. They want to leave the safe and familiar zone the originals created and established. The point is you will either adore the movie or hate it. Sadly there is no middle ground but each side is fine and reasonable so go on and see for yourself.
Positives:
+ good performances by most lead actors
+ unexpected plot twists
+ original story with core SW elements still in tact
+ visually stunning and very impressive
+ the action is epic, space fights and land battles looked never better
Negatives:

character development is lacking for some lead characters
unanswered questions left from "The Force Awakens"
subplot is unintersting and the middle part of the movie drags on
too much humour and forced jokes in serious parts of the movie