So they trusted this jerk with only 3 movies under his belt

Boom! That's it. Kennedy only wants to work with people she can dominate. If they keep their mouths shut and mindlessly crank out the product, no problem. If they have the slightest bit of creative differences with her, they're out on their butts.

TRY READING...MAKES ANSWERING POSTS A LOT EASIER.

For me it was two points. I was subconsciously unhappy during the opening dogfight. The editing was off. After re-watching A New Hope and comparing the Death Star trench run dogfight, I had a laundry list of problems with The Last Jedi's space combat - pacing and shots were off so it was hard to know what the stakes were at any given time.

But I consciously knew it was going bad fast when Luke chucked that lightsabre over his shoulder. A misfire of comedy with the phone call was less tone-deaf (though it was) than taking the incredible final shot of The Force Awakens - particularly Hamill's poignant, loaded, dramatic look - and using it as bait for gag...

But, I guess my point was that, contrary to the OP's annoyance at their giving Johnson the reins, I totally get it - his body of work was small, yes, but quite impressive. And, overall, it continues to be worthy as a filmography. It's one misfire. The deck was also kinda stacked.

Can anybody make a Star Wars film that builds the mythology, takes it in surprising directions, and still satisfies fans? I doubt it. George Lucas - the man himself - couldn't do it with the polarizing prequels. Why would we think Johnson had a shot?

. . . feel better?