Source: digitalspy.com
Part 3: Theme and Character, in General
The Star Wars films have always been plot-forward. That is to say, in any Star Wars movie, the most important thing is the plot. Now there's nothing wrong with that; a movie can be built on many things, but plot, character, and theme are super important.
In a perfect movie – and I don't think such a thing exists yet – every single scene would serve all three of these. But a great movie only really needs to serve two at a time. ALL THREE ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT. There are beautiful, nearly perfect movies that use the plot to serve the characters (Ladybird), and there are movies whose themes inform everything else about them (Get Out).
I do think that some of the criticism of TLJ comes from not understanding that the plot isn't the only important thing in a movie. The Canto Bight sequence is a good example. In my perusal of the internet, I saw one person refer to this section as "filler", which is simply not true. You can dislike how it was implemented, or object to how much time it took up, but it is definitely there for a reason.
It serves the plot tangentially, but it exists to show Rose and Finn how the universe works outside of their war. The Resistance may be fighting on, but the rich on Canto Bight are still oppressing the poorer classes. Not only that, many of them directly profited from the Galactic Civil War. The one moment in which DJ flips from a Tie Fighter Blueprint to an X-Wing has more depth and complexity in regard to the nature of war than any other Star Wars film to date. Again, this film is about themes and characters. Understanding that is the key to understanding the movie.
