Gregory's ServerThese films were good but not great.
The previous films were great — in my opinion film-of-the-year — so I was expecting greatness.
They had an excellent cast.
They had an excellent Director.
They got crew who worked on the previous film back together.
They had gorgeous cinematography.
They had beautiful visual effects and action.
They had thoroughly developed world-building.
And yet...
Putting together pieces of a great film doesn't necessarily make a great film.
Their scripts didn't gel.
Character-arcs were notably light-weight or absent.
Moral messages didn't land.
They lacked a convincing reason for emotional engagement with main characters or supporting characters.
They needed a reason for the audience to give a shit, to feel the risk, tension, sacrifices paid for pivotal decisions, and feel the triumph. Without that, where's the payoff?
*sigh*
@DamienWise well said!!