I hear you, although let's face it: that's what Abrams does best. Has he brought forth anything vaguely original?
No. That's why I was disappointed he was back as director. But I was hopeful he'd try harder and bring his A-game.
Instead…
Rey rebuilds the destroyed lightsaber exactly like it was.
And Kylo is back in his lame performance-hiding helmet.
And we're returning to a planet we've seen before. Or two.
And now the villain seems to be recycled.
I was giving him the benefit of the doubt but now my expectations are loooooow.
Furthermore, at this point it might a matter of choosing the best of not-great options, as far as who the final (and "real") villain really is. Kylo Ren simply isn't convincing, and I think is more evocative as a troubled (and possibly redeemed?) soul.
Which makes Palpatine returning more of a problem.
This was Ren's movie. He was the big bad. It was his time to shine, restoring him as a menacing threat and a worthy villain. But having to share the spotlight as villain with Palpatine just makes it harder for him stand out.
I don't want to see him redeemed. Because we saw that already with Anakin. We've done that story.
And ending the film with him alive doesn't end the Skywalker saga. He needs to die and the bloodline needs to end. There needs to be finality.
Snoke would have been more interesting if he hadn't simply been a caricature of Pure Evil, and also had some grounding in the Star Wars universe. Plus, an actual actor vs. CGI over Gollum.
Snoke would have been more interesting if he wasn't just "The Emperor Redux". Making him CGI was at least something different.
The most interesting and original thing Snoke could have done was die suddenly.
I don't love bringing Palpatine back, but I must admit to being curious as to how they're going to connect the dots.
There are cool things they could do.
It'd be interesting to have Palpatine be a Force Ghost, whispering evil suggestions and guidance to Kylo in a twisted reflection of Luke and Ben.
But I seriously doubt they'll go that route.
(But it'd be neat to have a Force Ghost battle between Luke and Palpatine. Possibly with Anakin there too. Having the protagonists of all three trilogies duel it out with a Kylo Ren infused with Ghost Palpatine would be a lovely end to the Saga. But that also feels like cheap fan service.)
At the very least it implies that there are more revelations to come, beyond "Snoke was some random evil dude from far away who could use the force, manipulated Kylo Ren, and now we have to deal with Kylo Ren."
I don't mind that simplicity. Because there's still the Knights of Ren and possibly rebuilding the Jedi or something new. And defeating the First Order. This should focus on wrapping up the plot threads, and not adding more.
I thought
The Last Jedi set-up a decent conflict, with the Resistance shattered and going to ground. The First Order largely unopposed, but vulnerable due to the inevitably power struggle between Hux and Ren.