So, just got back from the film. Here's my thoughts (spoilers):
Overall, I mean, I loved it. It definitely has some problems, some big questions marks as far as actual storytelling and some big question marks as far as speculation/rumors/expectations that were built by the hype, but it also has some amazing moments - imo, some of the best moments ever in the Star Wars mythology.
The good:
• The cinematography. Across the board, the film was beautiful. Rogue One stepped up the game of Star Wars cinematography in a big way, and Ep VIII might have raised the bar even higher.
• They subverted expectations and stayed away from a lot of tropes, mainly regarding the overly simplistic "good vs evil" narrative of SW, and the idea that you have to be of a certain bloodline or destined as a "chosen one" to be a great hero
• The big moments. Warping through the First Order ships was literally jaw-dropping. So was Kylo and Rey's teamup lightsaber battle. So was Luke's force projection standoff with Kylo. So many awesome pieces at play.
• The chemistry between all the main cog characters is great. Even when some of them suffer from poor writing, they all shine with tons of personality. In addition to the actors, even with the confusing plot developments, a lot of these characters are brimming with flaws and complexity
• I thought the style and amount of humor was on point and awesome. In a lot of ways, this movie is very self-aware.
The bad:
• The whole Finn/Rose subplot was almost entirely literally pointless. We spent a ton of time in that, and it didn't actually impact the plot at all? The only lasting effects are introducing Benecio Del Toro's character (is he important? I guess we'll see), killing off Phasma (who once again was overhyped and not delivered upon), and showing us a vague ending with a kid having hope and being able to force pull a broom toward his hand. Oh, and I guess them falling in love. But honestly - that subplot was the worst part of the entire movie.
• I was really anticipating a dive into the mythos of the Force, and for Luke to actually give us some exposition on true balance, or why the Jedi were misguided, or something. Instead it mostly just boiled down to Luke feeling guilty and angry and the burden of being the last Jedi.
• Still no backstory whatsoever for Snoke. I love the way they killed him off and I thought the character was really engaging, but if you don't establish him, I'm not going to be cheering too hard when he's dead.
• Leia's force-pull and being totally fine floating in space was.... odd.
Man, there is a lot to unpack in this film. I feel like I typed out a ton and still didn't even reference half the things I was thinking through. All in all, loved it, even with it's flaws.