I think it’s a hard pill to swallow since Rey’s natural talent isn’t contrasted with inner conflict, or really anything obstacle wise, in the second movie of a trilogy!
I saw it twice, and as far as I can remember, I don’t think she really struggled to lift those rocks. But her surprised expression, I don’t think it’s an issue. I mean, you’ve got Luke in A New Hope, who’s a brag about sniping womp rats, shouts, “I GOT EM! I GOT EM!” when sniping those Tie Fighters from the Falcon gun. I believe it’s just a display of emotion where even though the characters are confident in their abilities, it’s a whole ’nother expectation to do it under high stake conditions, hence the surprise expression.
Still, however, the scene doesn’t really serve Rey well given again, you have people that hate Rey’s ease and use of the Force, and you have people similar to us that don’t mind Rey’s fast progression but can admit that Rey thus far doesn’t have much struggle to overcome to back up the heroic acts she’s able to pull.
I guess the whole thing really comes down to one’s own subjective credulity when it comes to the SW universe. I mean even Yoda’s X-wing gesture opens a can of worms. Okay, size matters not, so technically I should be able to hurl the Death Star into a neighbouring planet then? Clearly a lot of SW ‘logic’ comes down to how it ‘feels’ within the story.
I’m not a prequel fan, but I remember when the Jedi council decided not to train Anakin. Now Anakin was already self-trained to a point - he had super-human reflexes and a knack for premonitions. Could he have carried on his merry way and become a Sith Lord on his own? Or does training make the difference? It’s fair to say that Ep 4 implies (through its own internal logic) that Luke would never have even considered the Force - and thus never tried to learn specific Force skills - if Obi Wan hadn’t told him about it.
So I guess this is where it gets tricky. I like the idea of a ‘feral Jedi’ - someone who inadvertently learns Force techniques the same way little Annie honed his reflexes. But Rey lifting those rocks, and even the Oliver Twist stable boy moving brooms around, doesn’t feel right to me. I think you’re absolutely right about that internal struggle too.