I think the prequels are a good story poorly executed. And the sequels are a bad story produced excellently in terms of cinematography and visuals. Well not so much bad as rehash and derivative. Only made to make money. When there is no story after Return of the Jedi. They could have had Luke do something interesting or really have gone far out. instead they sort of remade the originals with a new cast and the old cast as poorly managed cameos. All the characters who could have been given a good arc whether Kylo, Rey or Finn, or even Poe were sacrificed so they could shove 9 years of film into a 5 or 6 year window. There was no outline, JJ and Rian didn’t work together on a single cohesive vision at all.

I also think both had great actors who were not used to their full potential.
What do i know though i enjoyed all the films and had a good time watching them except for the Last Jedi. Which i praise for Mark Hamill’s acting, the score and cinematography. Not for the pacing, editing or direction.
With a couple changes the film would be pretty darn good though. I never objected to a dark turn for Luke. It is just poorly built up as a story and the resolution is nonexistent. And never mind wasting 40 minutes on some Casino Planet sidequest. Put Luke on Crait to physically confront Kylo Ren and the first order and cut the casino thing and it is an infinitely better film.