What are the specific complaints regarding the pacing? Too fast? Too slow? I didn’t have an issue with it either time I saw it, nor did any of the top Hollywood editors I’m friends with. And I’m friends with most of them, although obviously I can’t name any of them.
I felt that it was way too fast-paced with no time to breathe during much of it, especially the beginning. Certain parts were OK (the section of the movie set at Maz’ castle wasn’t too bad), but overall, it felt like a rollercoaster ride with no time to enjoy the scenery.
What about all the time with Rey before she meets up with Finn? Plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and her performance.
That wasn’t too bad. It got worse around the time Finn started making his way through the desert, though. There was no sense of the passage of time. You don’t find your way to a settlement in a few hours when stranded in the middle of the desert, but that’s the impression I got–and maybe that’s what was intended.
There were also little details in the movie that didn’t make sense, like that huge pig-thing that drank and wasted enormous amounts of water, which was no doubt precious, and had little conceivable purpose.