The Force Awakens has a fair share of new things it brings to the table. I love the “hunt of skywalker” angle, because the audiences wants to meet the original cast too so we are instantly onboard the heroes journey. Finn as a treacherous stormtrooper was great and Rey had a mysterious backstory (contrary to Luke) which got me invested for future installments (they have now abandoned that in favor of short-term shock and long-term “let’s route for villain because he’s got more development” syndrome). When faced with the insane task of topping Vader, they realized they couldn’t and did something even better: create a villain actively trying to be like Vader.

The droid is a bit repetitive but it has a different context. My only real complaint is Starkiller- cut the planet killing and it might have earned the #2 spot on my list.

The Last Jedi presents some amazing ideas but overall is sloppy and just not fun. I go to Star Wars to enjoy myself. If this were an anthology (like a Logan for Luke) people would be more lenient. While I don’t “hate it” it lands at the very middle of my ranking, between Solo and RO.