I loved TFA when it came out; I recognized and was slightly disappointed by its similarities to Episode IV, but it was still loads of fun. I didn’t hate TLJ when it came out, but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much, and suddenly the fandom became a lot less fun to be a part of.
I loved TFA too, and TLJ is something I feel like I can never even discuss because it is actually my second favorite Star Wars movie after Empire Strikes Back, but Star Wars fans will drag your ass for saying such a thing.
In my headcanon, the entire franchise ended with broom kid.
I really think Rian Johnson should not have been given part two of three. If we didn’t have TFA and TRoS, his film could have been a really cool “Star Wars Story” exploring some post Episode VI ideas in a single sitting. Johnson’s thing is subversive writing, which isn’t super compatible with an ongoing franchise, much less with the middle part of a trilogy; you’ve got to have that kind of thing baked all the way through.
To me, it felt like a good progression from TFA. In a way, the contrast felt similar to me as way back when I first saw TESB (I’m old). There was a lot that was unexpected and fresh in TLJ, but it all felt like a nice progression and expansion to me. But then, I’ve never really felt like Star Wars has ever had a consistent, solid lore, even back in the 80s. More than any movie since RoTJ, watching TLJ really made me feel the childlike wonder that made me love the franchise so much at one time. My reaction to TFA was, “Pretty good, but a bit too fan-servicey.” TLJ really was set to redeem it for me.
It introduced so much potential, only for it all to be cast aside for the sake of appeasing fans in the (imo, unenjoyable) TRoS. It was a real shame to see so much potential cast aside, especially Rose. What an absolute shame.
Again, all of this is my opinion. Preferences like this are entirely subjective, and I’ve come to understand that what I loved about Star Wars is not what most people like about the franchise, and that’s ok.
