I just found out that the guy, Rian Johnson, was the director AND sole writer for this film.
His previous credits include Looper. The Brothers Bloom, and Brick (which is admittedly great).
...whose idea was it to give one guy basically all power over a story he didn't start and, from all accounts, failed to grasp?
I was just speaking with a co-worker about this. They need a coherent, well thought out master plot...which they obviously do not have.
I've said many times that I do not like Ep I-III....BUT, Lucas had a well thought out master plot, it was just poorly implemented. Ep I-III tell us how the empire started, how the clone wars happened, how Anakin went to the dark side, how thw Jedi order was destroyed, how Luke and Leah came to be, it's all there. The application was shit, but we know a master plot.
Ep VII and VIII feel like completely different movies, with scattered direction and no real master plot.
Disney needed to reboot this franchise and prepare for the future (and it isn't episode 9). 9 is just an end to the old ways. That new kid with the broomstick will be the new sith lord.
This is the point, Disney wants to nab current young viewers who will follow the franchise like we have since the 80's. Its tell tale that my 9 year old daughter, my friends 9 year old daughter, and he 6 year old son absolutely love it.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but this is what ultimately pissed me off about VIII...I see it as a "fuck off, original fans, we don't need you anymore" kind of film.