-The Finn and Rose story really bogged down the film, removing that part would make this a way better movie.
-Snoke's death. Amazing moment with the lightsaber fight right behind it. While I would've loved some backstory people forget that the emperor got introduced and killed in the OT with LESS backstory than Snoke.
So you disliked the story of Finn and Rose, characters who matter but wanted more story elsewhere.
I am going to give folks a word of advice. Go to a movie to enjoy it not pick it apart. It meant to be entertainment, not a time to play Rex Reed. You will enjoy things more if you do this...
Although just because you went to a movie to have a good time doesn't mean you will have a good time. Force awakens was pretty good. rogue one was very good. Last Jedi was bad.
The central plot of of trying to outrun the bad guys while a hero goes to a casino for help was like a bad plot out of the 1980s battlestar gallactica. I didn't know which character I was supposed to feel attached too. There was no emotional investment. Characters and plot points resolved too quickly. Too many lame jokes, like a shirtless Kylo Ren... The lame joes felt more like Guardians of the Galaxy than Star Wars.
And most of all, this movie tried to ruin Luke Skywalker and all the triumphs of the rebellion in Return of the Jedi. Luke is a failed teacher, attempted murderer, grumpy loser, and a jerk. Great, that's not very entertaining. So much for the mythology and hero's journey that made the original trilogy so great.
Anyway, if you liked it cool. Enjoy. Adventure movies in particular are indeed made for popcorn entertainment. But if someone doesn't like it, don't point the finger at the viewer for having a bad experience. There are many more reasons than what I listed for a person to not like this movie.
Agree with most of this, especially the bolded part. I was literally thinking the same thing about Guardians of the Galaxy.
The slapstick jokes, the manic pace, the remarkable exotic fantasy locales, all of it reminded me of GotG. Except not nearly as good.
And it just didn't feel like Star Wars.
I wouldn't mind seeing an offshoot film in this style. It reminds me a bit of "Alien Resurrection" in that it is an OK movie that doesn't feel cohesive with the rest of its universe. As its own standalone film that would've been OK. But when you're handling Luke, Leia, a very earnest Rey, etc, this style just doesn't fit.
The movie gave me little reason to care about the characters, aside from Rey. The First Order are buffoons (though at least their evil is slightly explained hin this one). Snoke is basically a buffoon. Kylo Ren is pretty much a buffoon. Their machinations remind me of some Saturday morning cartoons (the writers seem almost aware of this, as though they are mocking Abrams' horrible writing from Force Awakens). And the Alliance is silly and comically underpowered, considering they should theoretically have a ton of support after dethroning Palpatine and Vader. So what is at stake here exactly?
And even if I did care about the characters, the action scenes were so manic and nonsensical that it was hard to con myself into believing there was ever any real danger. Compared to the original trilogy, or to an action masterpiece like "Mad Max Fury Road" this just seems cartoonish and flat.
I suppose there is some truth about the murkiness between good and evil, and there is truth about the pointlessness of endless war... and yet we are still expected to root unconditionally for the "good guys." And there has always been murkiness in the series anyways. Lando and Han are shady characters. Even Obi-Wan has his secrets.
I don't want to be too negative, as there was a lot to like in this movie, the fantasy elements were interesting and creative (especially Luke's island), the acting was better than Force Awakens, and the story made a lot more sense, probably due to JJ Abrams not writing this one, IMO he is the worst writer in Hollywood. But Rian Johnson still had to clean up some of the mess Abrams left behind, ie a poorly explained first order, a whiny emo villain, Luke's motivations for jumping ship etc. Overall IMO it just didn't work, especially as a sequel to the original trilogy.
Edit:
I do like that they took risks with this film. I like the feeling of upending expectations. But the results and overall tone didn't quite work.