As soon as the lights came back on after the film, I kinda just sat for a bit. I wasn;t sure if I enjoyed it or not, and I think if that's my reaction, it wasn't enjoyable. Were there enjoyable moments? Yeah, 100%. But there were also moments where I'm sure I was going to get a foot through the back of the head for groaning.

Like any film I see, I try to base it on it's own merits, especially if it's a sequel. A story should be able to hold together on it's own two legs, and to it's credit, TLJ does. It's STORY and PLOT are largely fine. It's the writing and certain elements which ruin the whole thing. However, as much as I tried to see it as it's own film, watching something that's a four-parts-removed sequel is hard to not compare to the others. It simply didn't hold up to TFA at all. If someone wanted this to be retconned or rewritten, I'd probably disagree. It's not terrible, it's not the worst SW film.
In my opinion though, it's far from the best, probably on the low tier.

So, as best I can remember, I'll go through good and bad points as chronologically as I can.

The opening crawl and setting up the situation - this already gave me a sinking feeling. "The First Order is dominant" (or words to that effect). HOW? Yes, the FO destroyed what I presume to be the main "good guys" planets, but surely the government had contingencies on other worlds? Aka, in the prequels, if Coruscant was destroyed worlds like Naboo would pick up the slack? Are we saying that the ENTIRE balance of power shifted after the First Order wipe out some worlds we've never seen or cared about in a less-than-a-minute scene? AND they retain this power despite the Resistance DESTROYING Starkiller Base and what must have been a massive chunk of the First Order's power?

Again, I know people might say "this is the same as the Death Star in ANH/ESB" - I disagree. In the OT, the Empire IS the dominant force of the galaxy. We know that it commands on a galactic scale, we see this. We can see that the rebels are an underequipped REBEL militia. It stands to reason that the Empire has backups, because they're a galaxy-spanning EMPIRE. Even if their superweapon is destroyed, and this gives new Hope (heh), they can still Strike Back (heh heh). With the First Order, we don't have this. We don't know their estimated size or strength, and can't infer it, because they're not in control of anything, They become the Rebels against the government the Rebel Alliance sets up, and so even if they can pillage and develop old Empire tech,
they don't have the same influence as the Empire. Yet by calling the "good guys" the Resistance, it implies that THEY'RE the weaker ones, despite being the MAIN MILITARY FORCE IN THE GOVERNMENT. Why are THEY the underdogs? It makes no sense, and only because Disney wants the good guys to be the plucky underdogs again.
Again, that's an issue caused by TFA, and that shouldn't matter, but it really does when it creates illogical things like this.
A solution probably should have been a fix to TFA, with Poe holding plans of Starkiller Base, and telling the government worlds to evacuate, as SKB is on it's way to them. Leia mounts an outspoken urge to evacuate and we see that the government doesn't care about this - they get destroyed, and we see that Leia is only left with a few measly scraps of the military loyal to her -
a RESISTANCE against the First Order who is moving into the power vacuum. That sould VASTLY improve the setting of which TLJ takes place in.
However, that's mostly an issue with TFA, not TLJ, but still affects it.
Moving on.

The first space battle. Oh no. Again, having the rebels evacuating is a nice tension builder, and seeing the Star Destroyers jump into space around them is nice and imposing. The Dreadnaught looked awesome, and you see that the Resistance is going to have a hard fight on their hands. And then... one fighter essentially cripples the Dreadnaught. Yes, Poe's a crack pilot, and I wouldn't doubt that, but ONE fighter taking out every gun on the Dreadnought? That's frankly embarrassing to watch. Poe's making these little quips to Hux, their little "can you hear me?
I can hear you" gag made me want to myself. I have no idea why Hux didn't blow Poe out of the sky, or why fighters weren't scrambled as soon as he came into range or ANYTHING? Why does the Dreadnought have point-defence weaponry capable of taking out fighters? Why don't the Star Destroyers actually do something instead of looking like melons as the Dreadnought gets torn to pieces? The bombers are cool, and I can get around the whole "how did the bombs drop" question, it's not too illogical to assume there's a gravity generator inside the ship. The thing that took me out was the bomb doors opening, and there being nothing stopping the asian bomber woman being sucked into the void. Like, you could have just shown us a void shield on the bottom? Something other than an open, empty hole into space?

And then ONE bomber takes out the whole Dreadnought. What?! SERIOUSLY? I hated that. Like, that's all it takes? One single bomber to take out the Dreadnaught, and then some? And the First Order is supposed to be the powerhouse of the galaxy? Again, Star Destroyers do nothing throughout the scene. They're useless.
Yes, I understand the scene is there to show Poe's glory-hunting nature, but it could have been written far better.

Solution: As per film up until Poe's ship appears. Replace Dreadnaught with Snoke's ship (purely so we can be introduced to Snoke earlier, and we have less names and things to throw around -
condensing the film. Poe isn't alone, and in piloting stolen TIE's (or not). Have them be broadcasting FO codes, and making out like they're FO prisoners of the Resistance fleeing back. Maybe have the Rebels firing at them (fake). They get close enough before either the FO realises the codes are fake (which can then set up the need for a codebreaker later, as we know the codes aren't valid now), or they don't care about their prisoners (cementing their evilness). Poe and co get close enough where they can then disable the Dreadnaught's weapon batteries (need to have multiple fighters here!), and then have the bombers. Instead of having a bomber succeed in dropping it's payload, we have multiple actually succeed, with the one we follow being the one to cripple the guns which were about to destroy the fleet. Meanwhile, the Star Destroyers should be engaging the fleeing fleet, destroying vessels, and giving further reason why Poe's attack wasn't good. Snoke's ship/Dreadnaught ISN'T destroyed, but can't shoot, and is instead following behind in the space chase.

Next thing - Rey's training. I actually really liked Luke throughout. Hamill gave a real energy and spirit to Luke, and I really enjoyed his arc. Rey too, although I'd maybe have liked a bit more training montages between her and Luke, so we get to see her grow as a force user and combatant in time for her to face off against the royal red guards. It felt a little too quick how she mastered things, but it wasn't as bad as it felt in TFA.
Luke wanting to die but having a map lead to him... eh. Not quite fitting - perhaps he never made the map. Maybe it was R2 who made the map, and wanted to find Luke, but couldn't access a complete map to do it - trying to find Luke against Luke's will or knowledge.
Porgs... I actually really liked them. I thought I'd hate them, but seeing them nesting and living natively was really nice to see, giving a REAL feel for the place. Chewie eating one and their reaction was one of the only funny comic reliefs for me. Kinda wished Luke and Chewie had more time together, seeing as they WERE friends and mutual friends of Han. R2 as well being the one to call Luke into action with a callout to the original was cheap, yes, but I thought it was good. Really, the whole of Luke's arc was great, and I also liked the Rey/Kylo arcs too (but not without flaw, I'll come to them later).

Kylo seeing Snoke was pretty good. I liked the guards, they looked pretty swell (probably should have had eye-lenses though). Snoke was well acted, and his treatment of Kylo was pretty entertaining. Calling him out as a kid in a mask, and how he mocks Kylo for being Darth Vader in all the wrong ways was fun, considering it was a real issue people had with Kylo from a meta level. It was good to see that addressed, and Kylo really not being able to stand up to Snoke. I just wish they'd given us more to Snoke. HOW he came into this position, WHY people listen to him, something like that. The Emperor works because his name (Emperor) told us that he was just that - the leader of the Empire. We'd been introduced to the Empire for two films now, we knew their control over the galaxy, so their leader would have to be a real evil bastard. The Emperor also shows his power without even doing anything - because of the reaction other people have to him. Vader, who we learn to fear and see as ultimate evil for two films, KNEELS to him. That's enough to show his power before he even says anything.
Snoke just sort of IS. Just some minor backstory, as to how he came into power, what the First Order see him as - and it would be fine to see Snoke as this arrogant, self-assured figure who does really know nothing of the force the way the Emperor or Luke does. Pretending just as much as Kylo is. Unfortunately, we get none of that.

The second space battle was better, I thought. I think they should have had a better way to explain the tracking through hyperspace, seeing as we've seen it all before. There shouldn't be need for surprise from Leia. Solution: perhaps DJ was a merc the Resistance had hired, and he was aboard their ship and feeding co-ordinates to the FO. Maybe Leia's beacon was the issue, and there's a conflict whether to shut it off and escape, leaving Rey behind (leading Finn/Rose to suggest tampering with their tracking tech). Again, the predicament the Resistance was in was fine, being forced to flee, bleeding fuel as they kept jumping ship to ship. Also, Kylo showing his true colours not firing at the bridge was good.
Leia's little spacewalk was very bad. Like, I thought that it would have been fine to end her character there. It made sense, and could even be the catalyst for Kylo betraying Snoke and Luke joining the fight. In fact, I would have been fine with Leia SURVIVING, say, her force precog tells her to get out of the bridge just in time. But flying back in through space was stupid. Come on Disney. You're better than that.

Vice-Admiral Holdo was okay. We're prediposed against her through Poe (who really should have known who she was beforehand anyway - no need to his "so that's Vice-Admiral Holdo etc etc"), and all along she's been doing Leia's plan. However, my issues with her, and most of the Resistance arc - complete lack of logic and manufactured conflict.
"So, what's the plan?"
"You're a flyboy. You like breaking the rules. We'll have fun."
"What? Okay, what's the plan?"
"*not telling the plan, or not saying that she's just doing Leia's plan*"
"You've got no plan? What the feth?"
"Get off my bridge."
"Sure, I'll get off your bridge, and sanction a mission that will eventually cause massive losses amongst the fleeing ships!"
Why does Holdo not tell Poe? They have people guarding the ships out of the vessel, so they'd know if he betrayed them. He's one of Leia's trusted commanders (even if demoted), and is less likely to do something rash if they're just following Leia's plan. Artificially manufactured conflict, and that's not good.

The Finn/Rose relationship. It wasn't THAT bad. We already see her admiration of him, and her crisis of faith when he attempts to flee (which is in character for him. Although stupid - where does Finn plan on going in an escape pod? The FO? Nope - he'd be slaughtered. There's only one planet below, and if he could have escaped there now, why wouldn't the rest of the Resistance have enacted the plan of fleeing there?). They could have had their relationship arc grown a bit better, with some better writing, but I don't think it was THAT bad. However, the technobabble I really struggled to understand. They spoke so fast, seeming to have an omniscient knowledge of hyperspace tracking, even when everyone else was super surprised, cutting eachother off, and stuff like that. Again, they knew too much compared to what we'd seen everyone else know, and they didn't really explain it well at all. Again, I think that having a different conflict could have worked instead of the Kanto Bight bit.

Speaking of that - if Finn/Rose can reach Kanto Bight, and can probably hold, what four/five people on board, why don't they just ferry people out from the fleeing fleet, in a race against time to get as many people off before they run out of fuel? Or, they need to find willing pilots or reach the other Resistance bases so they can get people to come and evacuate people from the cruiser. This would have been a fun way to introduce DJ alternatively as a smuggler (a la Han) who needed persuading to evacuate the Resistance.
Of course, none of this would have been needed if Holdo had said what her plan was.

Rey and Kylo's bonding was quite good, actually. I didn't mind the Kylo being shirtless - he's got to be shirtless at some time, and it probably humanises him some more to Rey, who gets to see him under the robes and see that he's a damaged scarred boy at heart, scars that he's added to. Her respect/sympathy for him needs to grow more too. Her first two reactions are completely believable, blind hatred for someone who's murdered your father figure. However, her sympathy needs to have grown more, and we don't see that. Adam Driver was really good - I enjoyed seeing his portrayal of Kylo, and his own conflict. I felt that Luke's confession and failure of Kylo was completely in character for him - he was so afraid of creating the darkness he fought to destroy that he gave in to a moment's weakness, which was the crack that opened Kylo up to the darkness itself. If Kylo hadn't actually had ANY darkness in him that Luke could see, and it was all an illusion by Snoke, that would have been even better, IMO.

Kanto Bight - ugh. Not good. Manufactured conflict (why did Finn/Rose not listen when the patron told them not to park on the beach? Stupidity that they really should have known about what with Rose knowing how brutal the place really is). I felt the jabs at war profiteering and casinos seemed like a bit of a jab towards the current American administration, but that may be me just jumping at shadows; that's not a complaint, I may add - just an observation.
The breakout was lazy, to be honest. Not closing the grates, manipulating a slave into being an accessory to their escape, especially when they'll probably be brutally beaten or punished afterward for doing it, little real character building between Rose/Finn. All a bit of a dead-end, and whilst having characters fail can be good, it only is when it adds to the story. I don't feel like this did.
I liked DJ and his character. I felt he turned a bit "evil bc lolz" at the end - but his outlook ("be free. don't follow") was something that I hoped would have more impact on Finn, a nearly triple deserter, and the fact that the X-Wing and TIE were created by the same person was convenient, but that was fine by me.

Yoda was fun to see again, I think I would have preferred if Luke had gone and burned the tree himself, without Yoda needing to do it, and he explains to Yoda why, with Yoda agreeing. Give Luke a little more agency and control, but ultimately minor.

Rey going back and getting captured by the FO was a bit confusing, and if someone wants to explain it, I'd be fine with that: was she expecting to meet Kylo peacefully, and he betrayed her and shackled her? Was she planning on sneaking aboard the flagship? Just want some explanation. Again, Falcon flies off and is never seen until needed for the plot.

The sneaking aboard wasn't too bad, the evil BB-8 was good to see - I might have liked a droid battle between evil BB-8 and actual BB-8. Again, Phasma was wasted. Not explanation of how she's back - we're just kinda supposed to be invested in her, but we don't really have a reason to. She does pretty much nothing. Dies without really doing anything. I also fail to see how the laser guillotine things were supposed to be more painful than a blaster execution, but Phasma chooses them anyway.
Again, similar complaint with DJ knowing that the rebels are evacuating to the planet - they couldn't see the ships fleeing anyway? They never bothered to look? How did DJ know in the first place? How did Finn/Rey know - I don't remember them knowing.

The mutiny on the rebellion cruiser wasn't massively wrong, ignoring that Holdo again never mentioned it being Leia's plan. Leia waking and stunning Poe was pretty good, showing that he is wrong, and proving his arc needs finishing. To keep this, I'd have had Holdo saying throughout that it was Leia's plan, but Poe disbelieving, and doing his mutiny, only to have Leia prove him wrong. Using the cruiser a a lightspeed weapon though? Not really okay. The shot was AWESOME - it looked brilliant, the lack of sound really hammered it in, but the issue is the implications of it - people can weaponise lightspeed, why has no-one thought to weaponise X-Wings in such a way? Why not those bombers earlier? Hell, fit a lightspeed engine to a rock and hurl it at the Starkiller Base/Death Star/Resistance planet. They can't be lacking lightspeed engines, because fighters like X-Wings and Y-Wings have them.
Could have been fixed by the cruiser moving to block the refugees with it's own body, and ramming conventionally - wouldn't be the first time (see Star Wars Rebels).
Again, could have been a good send-off for Leia here, with her perhaps being critically wounded from the bridge assault, and stunning Holdo and putting her on the shuttle outbound. However, seeing as I don't know how much of this was done with Carrie before her untimely departure (rest in peace), I don't know how feasible it would have been.

The Snoke/Rey/Kylo scene was great, like most scenes with Kylo. Kylo's killing of Snoke was inventive, even with Snoke showing his massive arrogance and self-assuredness. The ease of Snoke's force powers was good to see, casually manipulating everyone to his whim. Certain issues I had were the little magnifying glass thing, which just happened to be facing the fleeing transport ships and Snoke dying too early (wasted potential), but it was a good scene. The fight with the guards was good, really embracing the brutality of lightsaber combat. I liked seeing that.
Rey's parents being nobodies was perfect. I didn't want her to be related to anyone powerful, just her own innate force abilities made her good - not lineage. Seeing that was great. I liked how Kylo almost had to beg her to join him, and Rey was the one who reached for the lightsaber first. Of course, the breaking of the lightsaber probably should have caused Kylo to pause when he sees Luke wielding it, but hey. Small things.

The battle on Crait wasn't quite okay. The speeders shouldn't have gotten anywhere NEAR the Battering Ram Cannon (come on, think of a better name?! Also, whilst I have no issues with the miniaturised Death Star tech, why isn't it mounted on a ship at all?), and Rose saving Finn was stupid. There should have been a malfunction of the speeder, or they were just scattered by AT-AT fire. Plus, no-one shot at them after Rose crashes into Finn - kinda like they were just forgotten, and somehow got back in to the base. I'm not really sure what the crystal cats served either, beyond a Deus-Ex at the end. It would have been better if there was a race against time with them finding the blocked exit, but struggling to move it - Rey then opens it with the force (she could even have been with the main group, I don't know).

Luke showing up and being blasted to hell was good. Seeing badass Luke was good. The fight between Kylo and Luke (minus the slo-mo) was very entertaining, and Luke's taunt to Kylo was glorious. No complaints really. Luke's death too - a good culmination to his character.

The ending seemed a little bit too hopeful, and pandering to the audience, but that's just me - it was quite nice to see the kids playing with makeshift toys of the characters though.

In general, the themes were fine, the plot and general direction were good - just the writing ruined it. Comic relief when it wasn't needed (General Hux vs Poe, some of the one-liners etc etc), certain manufactured conflicts (Holdo) and certain simply stupid things (flying through space and the bomber taking out the Dreadnaught alone and the lightspeed weaponisation) all made it unenjoying for me. If you did enjoy it, that's great! I just wasn't for me. I personally do rate it lower than average, higher than Episodes 1+2, but worse than 3.

I disagree with people complaining about pandering to SJWs - it didn't really leap out at me at all. Rey wasn't quite as Mary Sue as I saw her in TFA, but still could have been a little more subdued, or had more training.

Overall, I'll probably see it again, but more out of coincidence than desire to. I'll still see the 3rd film in this trilogy, and hopefully they manage to get it right. If I HAD to rate it out of 10, I'd give it a 4 (which isn't THAT bad.)






I still like the Porgs.