Star Wars: The Force Awakens Vs The Last Jedi - Which Is Better?
4. Pacing
The Force Awakens clocks in at 135 minutes, and it's a breezy affair that never once slows or settles for a dull scene. The screenplay by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan is incredibly economical, and though there are a few plot holes and coincidences scattered throughout, Episode VII remains a properly tight watch.
The Last Jedi is a bit longer than its predecessor, with a runtime of 152 minutes. Though the film is never boring, the pacing isn't as good as The Force Awakens', and this is mainly due to the fact that writer Rian Johnson spends a lot of time repeating the same information, to the point where you start to feel like the film is going around in circles - especially in the scenes involving Luke Skywalker and Rey.
Though the film picks up pace in the third act, there can be no excuses for the unnecessary Canto Bight sequence which could have been removed entirely to make for a much stronger film. Sorry Rian, but what were you thinking?
Winner: The Force Awakens deserves the point here. There's none of the time-wasting or repetition apparent in The Last Jedi on show in Abrams' film.