Shockingly, Surprisingly Good

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2017)

First, know that I am a gigantic Star Wars fan but I had no plans to see this movie at the theater. I just knew my heart could not handle another disappointment, and it has been decades of disappointment for me, from the prequels to Episode VII and Rogue One. However, my 11 year old son begged me to take him on opening night. I couldn't be happier that he did.
Unlike VII, it does a nice job of developing interesting characters. Whereas Poe was a paper thin fighter pilot, now he's a fledgling leader driven to success despite (or because) of his personality flaws. I disliked Kylo and Rey in VII, but here an interesting relationship is developed between them that I found realistic and compelling. Luke's back story had me emotionally engaged throughout the movie.
I would have given this movie a higher score if it weren't for it's many flaws. I thought Flynn's storyline was poorly done and I still don't find him to be an interesting or necessary character. I would have liked to have seen them do more with him than just chasing McGuffins. There's a few small plot holes, too, but I'm willing to forgive them because I enjoyed the movie so much.
All things considered, I must admit that I haven't been this excited after watching a movie in a long, long time, and the fact that it's a Star Wars movie couldn't make me happier. It's a shame that Disney has brought Jar Jar Abrams back to do IX, but oh well, at least we got one good episode out of them before they screw things up again.