I don’t know what it is, maybe I’m tired of all the time I spent defending TFA, but I honestly don’t even think I can bother with trying to respond to a lot of these negative reviews. Maybe it’s the volume, maybe I’m just shocked that there’s even such an outcry to begin with. Our takes on the film are just so different that I honestly don’t know how to bridge that gap, besides just hoping these people see the movie again and get out of it what I, and many others, did. It’s really something.
I really liked TFA, and it’s partly for this reason, that I’m not really happy with RJ rebooting much of JJ’s setups. All the mystery surrounding Rey and Snoke has turned to dust. There’s a lot of twists and turns, and some shocks thrown in the mix, but ultimately I feel both Rey and Kylo are still pretty much in the same place they were at the end of TFA. Rey’s still the perfect hero, and Kylo’s still a big evil child. Neither should reasonably have mastered the Force, as Kylo has been given no further training, and Rey’s been given three lessons. Yet, they now are the sole live representatives of the light and dark side of the Force. Yoda told Luke to pass on what he had learned, but he has done no such thing, but we somehow still have to believe Rey’s going to be the first in a new line of Jedi. I know some will argue, Luke could come back to train Rey as a Force ghost, but then why didn’t Obi-Wan and Yoda do the same? Why did Luke have to pass on anything, if Obi-Wan and Yoda can train students from the grave. It just makes very little sense, and dilutes the mythology, in my opinion of course.
I don’t hate TLJ, and as a stand alone film I think it’s overall entertaining, but as part of the Star Wars saga it just feels disconnected to me, even to it’s immediate predecessor.