I think Rian and Disney are trying to run a misdirection here.

Yes, Empire got criticized, and yes it would get so today:
The Empire is kicking the Rebellion's arse? Say WHAT? I thought we won
Who's this little green troll- WHAT??? Dude's a badass
I thought Luke was gonna get Leia, look at Han melting her. Damn, Han is one smooth mofo
Damn, they really froze Han's arse- can't believe they did that
Luke coming to frick up Vader's world- oh shite, that didn't work!
Wait-
DADDY? WTF???
OMG, that's it? THAT'S the END? Is the next movie tomorrow, because I can't wait to see this wrap up

That's what we said about Empire, after seeing it. It changed things around, and it did so like a Mike Tyson punch to the face. We staggered back on one knee, shook it off, and processed the stunning turn of events. And waited eagerly- desperately- for 3 years to pass, so we could see how things worked out.

The Last Jedi chinged things around, but it did so like stepping under a pigeon that ate Taco Bell. And after it finished shitting on us, we're not waiting eagerly to see what happens next, we're looking back at what the frick happened to our movies. Trying to figure out if there is something hidden in TFA that makes this make more sense, because it's jumbled and falling off the rails. We don't have beloved stars in dire straits, we have old favorites being disgraced; we don't care about the current people because they're annoying and pointless.

The final battle- wondered if Luke could up his game to match Vader. And that didn't end up mattering, because although he did, turned out that he still couldn't touch the Emperor. Took Vader to beat that monster.

Now, the final battle- Rey... has already owned Kylo. Twice, actually, and got better the second time. Hard time thinking the next matchup won't be more of the same... and I guess that's ok because there's nobody Rey would need Kylo's help to overcome.