Eh, it is hard to say.

A lot of the common issues people bring up didn’t really bother me when I watched it initially. But over time I’ve read/heard fair arguments for why certain things didn’t work for them. But I think that a lot of those people would’ve been okay with those things if there was bit more clarity or restraint.

But I guess you can say it is in a way trying to please crowds, but a lot of people still might not be pleased with my restrained approach if they have their mind already set on certain things they don’t like about the movie.

One example is Rose saving Finn. I knew from my first screening that a lot of people wouldn’t like it, and I’ll admit it is a little cheesy. There have been a lot of edits that have tried to address this, but I try to go back to the original question of why it didn’t work for people. The most common answer I hear is that it wasn’t clear enough that Finn wouldn’t have stopped the cannon. So, what would be the smallest change that would have the biggest impact on addressing this issue?

That is really what an editor’s job is. Trying to make what is there, work. An editor needs restraint just as much as a director, and understanding their vision can help keep you grounded.

And there is also something satisfying about finding simple/clever solutions to problems rather than having to move mountains in order to address them.