TFA in many ways was brilliant, but people tend to forget that brilliance because it has become part of the broader saga story and in that way its flaws become much more apparent. As a standalone experience it works gangbusters, but once people really stepped back and saw it as a continuation of a six-part series it feels a lot like a soft reboot. Similarly the ending works really well as a hook for the next installment but once that came out and failed to live up to many people’s expectations it too cast a pall over TFA.

Looking forward to TROS, a lot hangs in the balance in terms of how TFA will be viewed.