My thoughts:
I'm like others here in that I don’t know how Disney didn’t plan the final trilogy out to the final detail, and instead turned sections of the story over to different directors.
John Boyega is an overactor. I also find this to be true for Rose and Jannah. Less is more. Do less.
Similarly, some scenes need to breathe. We're all looking at Princess Leia covered by a sheet, and Maz Kanata has to say something like, "Goodbye, dear princess." No. Sheesh, the moment is more powerful if it exists in silence.
I couldn’t tell if Rey & Kylo had a sibling vibe or a romantic vibe, until they kissed. Then it became clear. Then I remembered Luke and Leia, and it went back to being unclear
Liked the Domhnall Gleeson twist.
I enjoyed the comic relief. So sue me. C3PO was funny. This movie would have been much worse without Oscar Isaac. The spiritual inheritor of Han Solo, as both characters provided some much needed sardonic wit.
Also I liked the little Babu Frik thing. Again, so sue me.
Ultimately for me the most significant characters in Star Wars – R2, C3P0, and Chewie. They are the ones whom we all 'met' when we were kids, these beloved, behind-the-scenes, steady presences who were witnesses to everything alongside us. They have the ability to inhabit this special place in your heart, almost like a treasured pet who goes with you through the ups and downs of life. The way Rey screamed Chewie’s name when she saw the ship explode, and Chewie looking down in a reflective pose near the end, I found to be very authentic moments. I wish the final scene had not even been Rey & BB-8, but them, since they were there from the beginning. For me personally those characters will always be the heart of the Star Wars universe.
