Star Wars The Last Jedi is Worse than the Prequels and Here's Why

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Star Wars The Last Jedi Was Worse than the Prequels. Wow, that's quite a bold statement, but before you completely disregard this article, I'd like you to hear me out. For some background, I'm a pretty big fan of Star Wars, but not a super fan. I've watched the original trilogy more than 10 times, Force Awakens 10-15 times, and the Prequels 2-4 times. I've never read any other source material (most of that is not considered canon any more though). To put it simply, I understand the Star Wars universe, I'm invested in the characters of the franchise, and I know what makes the films great and what makes them not so great.

With that out of the way, let's get into it.

You Just Didn't Understand the Film

This is the first argument I see/hear everywhere I look when someone tries to defend it. I understand what they were going for, I just disagree with it and its execution. The theme of the film was forgetting the past and looking at things with a new perspective. The Last Jedi asked moviegoers to forget about any preexisting notions of what a Star Wars film should be and blindly accept what was presented to them as the new way of things. I have several problems with this overall theme/message.

Why would you do this in the middle of a story arc? It means that characters we met in the Force Awakens suddenly have new motivations, new characteristics, and new behaviors. Basically, these are not the same characters we met in the Force Awakens.
There's a reason this is such a beloved and popular franchise - THE OLD FORMULA WORKS! I'm all for updating the storyline and bringing in characters that offer a new perspective - I actually think this was handled really well in Rogue One. But you can't ignore the foundation of the universe, all the existing fans, and all the things that made the originals such amazing movies.
This "forget the past" montra is presented by Kylo Ren (the villain!). Am I supposed to align with the villain of the film? That doesn't make sense.

Is The Last Jedi Really Worse than the Prequels? Like Jar Jar Bad?

If you made it this far, then we are probably on some level of agreement. Here is where I may lose you. The prequels are universally bad movies - bad writing, annoying characters, and overwhelmingly stale. I have never met anyone who likes the Prequels, they may appreciate certain aspects, but I've never heard anyone defending them (especially not Phantom Menace). The same can't be said for the Last Jedi - the film seems to be split 50/50 between people who hate it and people who love it. So how can the Last Jedi be worse than the Prequels? Because it ruins an otherwise respected trilogy.

The Last Jedi Ruins an Otherwise Respected Trilogy

I certainly have critiques of the Force Awakens, but they are very few and far between - the only legitimate criticism I've heard is that it copies Episode IV too much. That's a fair argument, but the film was an overall hit with fans and helped recapture some of that magic that was created with the original films. I didn't mind that the Force Awakens was so similar to A New Hope because I had high hopes that this sequel trilogy could throw us some unique storylines in Act II. What we got instead was something that was too different, didn't make sense in the context of the Force Awakens (or the rest of the franchise), and alienated half (if not more) of its fanbase. So what we're left with is a weird, quirky film from one director (Rian Johnson) that is bookended by two other films from another director (JJ Abrams) that fit better in the universe and tell an overall better story (this assumes JJ can make Episode IX as solid as Force Awakens). You may disagree with me here as well, but what can't be disputed is that the world created by Rian Johnson in the Last Jedi is going to feel out of place in the world setup and concluded by JJ Abrams. I wouldn't be surprised if JJ treats the Last Jedi as a weird dream sequence of sorts and ends his story the way he originally intended - moving characters back to their original motivations, treating the canon of Star Wars with reverence, and getting rid of all the comic relief.

This sequel trilogy had the opportunity to be great (possibly even better than the originals), but the Last Jedi gives it a prequel-esque taste that sours the whole serving. Just when you thought you were gulping down a delicious glass of blue milk, you were suddenly interrupted by the vile creature that produced that milk and you could never look at it the same way again.