Disney, what have you done? (More about the sequel trilogy than IX)

Rating: 5/10 (4 January 2020)

I grew up with Star Wars, as my sister was a big fan since the first movie came out. In my young teens I could recite most of the dialogue of the OT and my sister, uncle and I would sometimes discuss what had happened to make Vader Vader etc. (This was pre-Internet.) I never read any of the novels, because they were not written by George Lucas (I know, silly).
For me, the sequels are on the same level as the prequels. One big difference is that the prequel movies tell a story told over 3 movies, whereas the sequels are all over the place storywise. And that hurt, because there was so much potential. I like Rey, Finn, BB8, Kylo Ren and the other new characters (never felt much for Poe, sorry). Everybody is dissing Rian Johnson and JJ Abrams, but the true fault lies with Disney and Lucas Films. It just boggles my mind that they have greenlighted this. (Okay, I can guess why, because sales and toys.) It is because there was no story, the directors each went their own way, without understanding each others vision (or just ignoring it).
My biggest gripes for this trilogy were:

Luke dissapearing for years on end (sorry JJ, that was a not so good idea, unless you explained why. Rian tried to, and a lot of people went.)
Ben Solo's reason for turning to the dark side. "So mean! My uncle tried to lightsaber me, so I will retaliate and go all Darth Vader on him. " If that is the case, then Ben Solo was already Kylo Ren. (But to be honest I thought Anakins fall to the dark side felt rushed too, especially when he tried to Force strangle Padmé.)
Rey, the daughter of Palpatine. I liked it better when she was just nobody, because the Force does not look at ancestry... right? But no, to be strong with the Force you have to be a offspring of somebody else powerful.
Rey, besides being a Mary Sue (in TFA she Jedi mindtricked immediately) she as a character is a bit boring. No conflict, I mean as Palpatines granddaughter you would think the dark side would have a stronger pull, but it was all very manageable.
It was the Emporer all along!!!

I like Ian McDiarmid as the Emporer and when he was revealed as the actually Big Bad, I was like: "Emporer! :) " and right after, "Wait, what?"
It was a pity that Disney did not agree with JJ Abrams to make 2 chapters to this episode (well, at least according to the rumours on internet). I think storywise that would have been better, instead of the mess we have now.
And it is a shame that Disney let themselves be swayed by public opinion. I am talking about the fanatical fans (I know fans is a shortening of fanatics, but I am talking about the FANATICAL fans who live, breathe, eat, drink and dream SW and are extremely hurt when their ideas and theories are proven wrong and lash out because that is what mortally injured mammals do). No problem to listen to fans reasonable explaining why some things might not work, but to let the whole franchise be influenced by this? Makes me think back to the much simpler times pre-Internet, where the fanatical fans hardly could find each other and the chance of were slim of them getting each other fired up and in a frenzy. (And movie makers did their own creative thing.)
So in short: it could have been a great trilogy, if only Disney had written the story first.