There is a tremor in The Force. Over the past weekend, millions of wanna-be Jedi Knights took to their speeder bikes and made the jump to light speed to their local movie theater. After checking the power couplings, of course. Once the lights dimmed, the story scroll rolled, and the music filled the auditorium, viewers were transported to a galaxy far, far away. For many, including myself, we were transported to a world far from what we loved. Rian Johnson’s, The Last Jedi, takes what fans loved about the franchise and asks them to buy into too many lapses in the storytelling, especially concerning Rey.

One of the major problems in the film lies with Johnson’s inability to understand the need to “tie up loose ends” or answer key questions posed in The Force Awakens. One major plot point fans, like myself, desperately wanted to know concerns the backstory of Rey. Throughout The Force Awakens, Rey has dreams and visions of her parent’s disappearance and Kylo Ren’s destruction of Luke’s Jedi Academy. Also, she is summoned to Luke’s lost lightsaber—the one he lost after Darth Vader revealed that he was his father–via some psychic connection. Let’s not forget that the girl can use a lightsaber pretty handily. She bests Kylo Ren with no training. Obviously, this begs one single question: What is Rey’s connection to The Force? The answer—she has absolutely no connection whatsoever. Kylo Ren (known as “Ben” to family and friends, at least the one’s he has left) reveals this to her after he has killed Supreme Leader Snoke (another major thorn in my side).

Alright, so Rey’s parents are living in an unmarked grave on Jakku. Maybe Kylo Ren is lying in order for her to fight by his side. Even if Ren is lying, we in the audience need something to grasp. Whatever the reason, we need SOME explanation. If not, here is the statement Riam Johnson is making: Meditate real hard and maybe you can become a Jedi. In essence, ANYONE could be a Jedi. Chewie could trade in his bandolier and bow-caster for a cloak and a lightsaber. What frustrates me is that Luke doesn’t reveal any details about her parents. He is a Jedi Master, he has read the Jedi texts, and he is a disciple of Yoda for crying out loud! Don’t you think that he or Yoda would at least give a hint of where Rey comes from? Why doesn’t Rey confront Luke after Kylo’s revelation? After she is in the cave and watches herself stretch into infinity, there is no discussion about it. She just decides to be un-Jedi-like and steal Luke’s ride.

Don’t forget she took the sacred Jedi texts and neither Luke nor Yoda seemed to notice. The Force was evidently not strong with them! Somehow she manages to steal all the books and remembers to take them all after her Kill Bill lightsaber battle with Snook’s elite Praetorian guards. Then, she magically appears on the Millennium Falcon to fight along The Resistance—something she hasn’t done throughout the entire course of the film until now! This is the most “forced” scene in the film because it has to remind viewers they are watching a Star Wars film.

Clearly, Johnson is trying to steer the Star Wars fleet away from its predecessors by charting a new course and leaving it on manual for a while. Albeit, he made a conscious decision not to make a carbon copy of The Empire Strikes Back. I respect that decision, and I believe The Last Jedi should not be The Empire Strikes Back in disguise. What I do not respect is toying with the audience and wasting their time. The entire codebreaker section is the definition of a red herring—it serves absolutely no purpose in the film and it bears far too many similarities to Jurassic World. Supreme leader Snoke cut in half by Kylo Ren when we did not even know who Snook was or where he came from. Please! This is basic storytelling 101.

I love Star Wars. The films have been a part of my life for over forty years. As time passes, I want to see the films evolve. I want to be transported to new, grand adventures. I want lightsaber battles. I don’t want to be taken for a ride. That leads to the dark side.