yeso I think this expresses a few of my serious reservations with the new films. I really did enjoy watching each one just in terms of sheer spectacle, but the more I really contemplate them the more I realize how shaky of a foundation the whole new trilogy is built on. The whole New Order/Resistance/New Republic dynamic has a superficial resemblance to the dynamic of the old films, lending a comfortable milieu to just slip into for some good old-fashioned Star Wars-y fun, but even an ounce of scrutiny raises so many questions. I’m sure there are entire Wikis full of inane canonical explanations for what happened in the intervening 30 years, but it raises a lot of questions and potential for interesting stories to be told.
What really bothers me, though, is how utterly squandered most of the characters in the new trilogy are, not the least of whom is Finn. A physically and mentally liberated former stormtrooper? Cool! Let’s see where that goes! This was actual new territory for a Star Wars film (as opposed to games, comics, tv, etc, which tend to be less conservative). The characters largely fell victim to unfocused and ever changing writing and direction, and it really shows. Honestly, for me, this trilogy is a pretty substantial exhibit in the defense of the auteur.
At the end of the day, I’m just glad I had fun watching the films, but I’m comfortable with moving on without giving them too much thought. @2501 has already articulated a lot of my thoughts better than I can, but the tenor of discourse about these films is so much more contentious than they merit that I usually don’t even bother.