Thoughtful analysis, but I can’t say it’s changed my mind about the film, or the misguided impulses that led to its numerous problems (to me).

I had a horrible twisting feeling in my gut in the run up to the film’s release, the little voice in the back of my head knew what we were about to get, and I was hoping against hope I was wrong. The voice said we were going to get a thinly veiled remake of Empire Strikes Back; it said the character of Luke was going to get horribly mangled and he would die a meaningless death; it said Rey and Finn were going to be oddly sidelined in their own film; it said Johnson was going to throw away what Abrams had set up; it said we were going to get a Star Wars movie for people who hate Star Wars, and it was going to be hailed far and wide as the best Star Wars film because of it.

Watching the film was the most crushingly dispiriting experience, as every one of my predictions came true, like clockwork. Worse, I left the cinema drained of all enthusiasm for Star Wars. The party’s over for millions of fans who feel the way I do – time to move on.