>>10992299I also enjoyed the return of mysticism to the Force and the idea of passing the torch on to the next generation felt much stronger in TLJ than in TFA. There's a real sense of reverence for spirituality over religion, which I think is more in line with what Lucas was trying to go for, even in the Prequels. I dislike Midichlorians but I've never bought into the idea that it took away from the spiritual aspect of the Force, just that it showed how the Jedi had lost their way in determining ones connection to it. More focused on "crude matter" if you will.
Beyond that, I like how it follows the tenets of the Heroes Journey further, taking it beyond where Return of the Jedi left Luke and showed an underutilized part of the Journey: the inability to truly return home after you've been changed by the Journey. The Journey is inherently a cycle and, should the call be refused, there's still the return of a mentor figure to guide one back into their path. I think TLJ understands the inherent tragedy and difficulties of the Journey better than most media that plays around with it, and it was refreshing to see Luke continued to be a fallible human being that had to accept that, in the end, his legend is inescapable and for all the damage it's brought to his life, it still serves a greater good.
Rey being a nobody, the visuals of her "dark side cave" and the overall meaning of it, alongside really enjoying the continued development of Kylo as a troubled kid that's diving further off the cliff because of his grief and anger. It's a compelling depiction of the effects of the Dark Side beyond "I'm evil and do evil things"
It has some missteps and I think the side plot with Finn could've been executed better, but I enjoyed what it was going for. I can tell a lot of heart and care went into it, which is what makes me appreciate it not despite its faults but because of them. It doesn't feel soulless like other Abrams and Disney slop.
TL;DR: it's neat
