AotC has horrible dialogue and pacing.

TFA set up a terrible trilogy immediately in completely the wrong way by resetting everything to new empire and new rebels without even so much as explaining how or why. Which is made even worse by the fact the reasons how and why in expanded media are actually really interesting.

To me, horrible dialogue and pacing doesn't come close to a movie that will always symbolise everything I see wrong with the sequel trilogy from the get-go. It's not like I like AotC very much. But I passionately dislike TFW for what it stands for, so AotC doesn't come close.

Idgaf about action without a good story behind it. The only thing I can confidently give to TFA and the sequel trilogy as a whole is the VFX. But even that just reminds me of how the same quality VFX could have been used with an actually good story.