Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 9 Mistakes Episode VIII Can't Afford To Repeat

3. Skipping Over Basic Explanations/Context

Another thing that brought The Force Awakens down somewhat, you ask? Why, J.J. Abrams' decision to just skip over tons of essential background information that should have been relayed in order to set a better context for the overall narrative. This isn't an attack on the vague plot points or mysterious characters - it's literally information that was wholly necessary for setting up large parts of the story. Abrams didn't give us any meat regarding the state of the galaxy far, far away at the time The Force Awakens is set: there's nothing in the movie about the state of the Republic, or what position the Resitance finds itself in 30 years after the events of Return Of The Jedi. Which means that, when the First Order destroy a bunch of planets using Starkiller Base, it's hard to care: the first time we see these planets is as they're blown up. There's also nothing in the movie to inform the audience about how the First Order came to be, or how Kylo Ren came to join them. Surely some background stuff was necessary in this case, because the First Order is huge? Rian Johnson should take note on this front, then, and ensure that important details like this aren't cut for time; it makes a huge difference.