To me what makes characters interesting are there arcs, not just how “fun” they are. TFA and TLJ accomplished this. TROS had cool character ‘moments,’ but it’s just about impossible to track any of the characters stories scene to scene. It’s a mess, which really sucks as a conclusion to their stories (especially when many of them undermine the lessons of the previous films).
I think that this is a result of TLJ. The second act of a trilogy is when most of your character’s development should occur, and Rian wasted it with the already-infamously bad Canto Bight subplot.
I disagree. I think TLJ had a lot of character development. Poe, Finn, and Rey each face a major character flaw and come out the end of the film changed. Poe learns the difference between bravado and leadership. Finn learns what it means to believe in a cause. Rey realizes that she can’t look to others and must rely on herself. All very important character moments and all very crucial to the finale in TROS. The characters in TFA could not do what the characters do in TROS without the changes in TLJ. Everything Johnson did in TLJ, Abrams took and used for TROS. Sure, more was added to Rey’s parents, but only who they were related to. They still were nobodies who don’t even have names. As far as I’m concerned, all the ruckass about TLJ and TROS changing course is nonsense. Everything I got out of TLJ is still valid and necessary to TROS. And I loved the Canto Bight subplot. It added a dimension to the Star Wars galaxy and I think it helped Finn find out who he is.