^This.

Nostalgia has clouded too many people's vision. We all grew up with Star Wars. Hell, I've been there since ROTJ was new, and I even had a couple of the old 1983-84 toys. The franchise, and especially the OT, will always be part our collective cultural consciousness. They're classics that will be fondly remembered long after we're all dead. I've watched them myself probably 200 times or more in the past 30+ years. The fact that I grew up with the OT (the original pre-special edition versions, even!) means that, regardless of quality, more recent films in the franchise will probably never fully live up to them in terms of their impact on me. We will always elevate certain classics we enjoyed as kids above films we experience in our 20s, 30s, or later. Because we grew up with them and are special to us, we tend to excuse their flaws (and what movie doesn't have flaws?). Our nostalgia has rendered them perfect in our eyes. But that doesn't mean that "New Hotness" can't also be enjoyable.

Do I like the new trilogy more than the OT? Of course not. I can't. The OT was an important part of my childhood, and I watched those three movies as often as I could (I'd go running into the living room whenever I heard this). But the new films are still immensely enjoyable movies. I watch TFA regularly, and I've enjoyed every minute of it. Rogue One had masterful cinematography and set pieces that kept me glued to the seat. And TLJ was fun movie, one which I will be seeing again Saturday, and one that has me interested and excited to see where the story goes in Episode IX. I'd give each of them a solid 8 out of 10, better than what I'd give the prequels.

But some people have some idea built up in their head about what Star Wars is supposed to be, and when their expectations get subverted, they take it personally, as if someone is shitting all over their childhood. They make overblown claims about how the new films are supposed cinematic atrocities. They engage in nitpicky complaints that one could easily lodge against the original films, and engage in special pleading to say "No, this is totally different because I say so." They exaggerate supposed flaws (e.g., calling Rey a Mary Sue when she's not). And now they go out of their way to discourage others from viewing TLJ at all just to hurt the film, and they even use specious comparisons of box office data to make the film look like a borderline flop (or at least a disappointment) when it's anything but. The sheer amount of hate from certain circles of the internet is simply beyond the pale. This thread, as well as certain other places on the internet (IGN comments section comes to mind), have turned into an "I hate NuWars!" circlejerk. It's unwarranted, unneeded, and has made the Star Wars fan community toxic as fuck. I have never seen so much salt over a fucking movie before.

Die hard Star War fans are salty because the movie doesn't fit any of the theories they spent the last two years throwing around, in a nutshell thats why it has any backlash from the so called "core fans" and is actualy loved by anyone who likes movies in general because it is a great movie. And this is the second movie in a trilogy, it would always have the worst BO of the 3, also its gona make way more than 1 billion $ worldwide so ye nice try.

You were making a good point until you decided to quote Forbes on how Rey isn't a Mary Sue. Because holy God damn shit, open your eyes.

"E=mc²" is objective reality. "Rey is a Mary Sue" is not. It's an opinion, one that I and others disagree with.

Also, Erik Kain is not Forbes. He writes for them, as well as others, but is as far as I know not part of the Forbes staff proper or otherwise a salaried employee there. He's just a contributor. Kinda like how political op-ed writers tend to write primarily for one or two platforms, but still write for other outlets.

Which is a thousand times more respectable than hating a film you haven't seen and talking about lack of arguments when you never gave a single one. So basically what he is doing.

Um... so, you really haven't seen it?

Eh. In that case, I don't know. All movies are a lot worse when you watch them like that, but at this point the damage is done. The reality is, you didn't give it a fair chance, so your opinion is harder to take seriously - then again I did at least try to give it a fair chance, and I hated it. So, whatever.