Brian Earl Spilner said:
This just goes to show how ****ing lazy they were when writing this movie. They so badly wanted to throw Palpatine in there, that they threw their hands up and said "**** it! Let someone else figure this out."
Just like Maz somehow having Luke's lightsaber. Just like Kylo somehow having Vader's helmet.
I honestly don't know who is to blame, but I think by default, it has to fall equally on JJ and Kathleen Kennedy. They had a pretty solid script, then Carrie Fisher died, then they had to essentially pick up the pieces and start over.
But to throw out some of the great parts of that script, to give us THIS?
I'm getting some GoT S8 vibes about this, where they just wanted to wrap this thing up as quick as possible. Starting to feel like most of us in this thread cared more than JJ Abrams did.
1. The Palpatine thing seems like a cheat code to avoid having to come up with a satisfying explanation for Rey's power and control. Even Anakin only had 1-2 freakish abilities and Luke was a whiny farmboy, they both needed lots of time to become polished warriors.
2. I don't feel any need for an explanation for Kylo having Vader's helmet. It makes sense that he would have tracked it down and he has the resources.
3. Luke's lightsaber, on the other hand... Maz was deeply rooted in her physical location and had no obvious connection to Luke, while the lightsaber was a totem of immense importance to Rey's journey (for three seconds). That needed a little more explanation. But Disney, this does not mean that we need a hundred million dollar movie to explain it. Note that Vader's helmet was a dead object and only key to where Kylo started, it didn't seem to be guiding Kylo and giving him visions, almost acting with intention, the way Luke's lightsaber did.
4. I think Abrams cared, I think he tried really hard to make a worthy film. Unfortunately, his solution was an anarchical rave, just lights and movement piled on noise and fury, cut every 3.7 seconds or there wouldn't be time to hint at all the subplots (without bringing any of them home).
5. There are no longer any rules in Star Wars. Abrams' conception of the Force is exactly like Finn's when he and Han land on starkiller: just start moving and them somehow the Force will fill in the gaps.
6. There were things, scenes, in TROS that I like. I'll rewatch this movie.
7. Every time Disney tries to improve the movie with post hoc exposition, they acknowledge their failings (and make it worse). Let it go. You released your creation into the world, it's too late, it is what it is.
8. I don't know enough about the biz to guess how it got to this point. Maybe they combined directors who don't really understand the craft of fantasy worldbuilding with workshopped corporate story beats, too-overt social commentary, and a leader who was Peter Principled into a role that's too much for her. But clearly i would be making wild, unfair speculations. But that's what happened though.
