I previously gave this a bad review

Rating: 7/10 (17 December 2017)

Second time viewing was much better.
For my first viewing I went in blind, essentially, for some reason choosing not to watch the force awakens immediately prior to it. I had already seen the awakens, but it's been a year since I last saw it.
In hindsight, upon watching the Force Awakens again, today, after The Last Jedi, I noticed that some of the questions the 1st movie left us with had already been answered, such as Rey's lineage. The last Jedi in effect quite simple reinforcing something that was actually already clear. The abandonment of Rey in flash back in EpVII was given to us to tease us I guess but now, with additional context provided by the last Jedi, that particular scene didn't really beg the question.
Watching EpVII on this occasion, I started to give certain elements more truck, such as Fin fleeing the resistance and bumping into Rose in EpVIII. I had forgot that Fin had previously fled the first order when the going got tough, that particular scene in the last Jedi appearing somewhat reminiscent of that.
I also realised, upon seeing the Last Jedi a second time, that it begins moments after the Force Awakens.
So, in the Last Jedi...
I wasn't so bothered on this occasion with Fin's casino visit, however it was too long, and in some ways belonged to another film entirely.
All in all I don't think we really got a whole lot of Luke. I loved most of his stuff in this, but I could have done with a little more. I really liked how Luke died, post projection, loved that particular part of the movie, Luke's distraction, although I must say his death was spoiled a little by two people walking past my view to use the toilet just as Luke disappeared. I did feel the Rey and Laia's "oh, Luke's gone" moment was a bit weak, a little "ah well!" as they shrugged their shoulders, without much care, or so it seemed.
Other than that, concerning Leia, I also didn't particularly like that flying moment soon after she gets blasted out of the bridge of her ship, soon after the film began. For a moment I thought, ah they've killed her off, but no - back to the ship she flew. I've heard some reviewers refer to that moment as "The Mary Poppins" moment, and it is a bit like that.
Anyway, there were some very good scenes. I liked the force link that occurred between Rey and Ben (Kylo Ren), and although he picked her up and dropped her soon after getting rid of Snoak (which surprised me), I still think there is room for a more meaningful link to occur, which I think will be better cemented in the next film. That seems a reasonable assumption at the moment, at least I think so.
So, I've upped my original score (4 stars) to 7. It was better the second time round. I'd like to give it an 8, but that extended casino bit, and the lackluster response to Luke's death have knocked it down a peg.
No real cliff hanger on this occasion. I suppose the next installment would have seen Leia come face to face with her son, in some way or other, had Carrie Fisher not passed away. In any case there's now nothing obvious about the story's direction, no more Luke, Leia or Han. However I wonder if the appearance of Yoda was to remind us that Jedi's can appear again, as ghosts, and still be powerful, as demonstrated by Yoda when he struck the tree with lightning. I suppose if we see Luke again it will be in that form, and with a lot more power than we might otherwise have assumed, as based on previous Jedi ghost appearances. An additional Jedi layer.
Quite happy to wait a couple of years for the next one, due to the end this time round not leaving us hanging. They've a few story hurdles to encounter now, in the absence of Carrie Fisher. I'm interested to see what they do, but not desperate to see what they do.