Moe_Syzlak said:
While I do think it was handled in a clunky way, the stuff you mentioned definitely has relevance to the story beyond simply being a lecture to the audience. The fact is we have very little information on why the Resistance is resisting. We have even less information on why the First Order...um... first ordering? Really they are just generic good guys and bad guys. The instinct to provide some motivation, while perhaps not handled as elegantly as I’d prefer, was still the correct instinct in my opinion.
But that's what I'm saying. If you're going to provide some motivation than do it, elaborate on it, develop it....don't just mention it once and then do nothing with it. It is never a good sign, if you can practically cut out a big chunk of a movie (in this case Canto Bight) without effecting the narrative or characters at all.