Although one might be able to consult a website like Rotten Tomatoes for a very general critical opinion of movies, it doesn't account for things like fan backlash, or that most nebulous of things: popular opinion. When looking over the "Star Wars" movies, most of them have been met with a great deal of critical approval. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," for instance, currently holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2017 film "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is holding steady at an impressive 91% approval rating. These scores, of course, don't necessarily speak to any kind of immutable truth about the "Star Wars" movies, but they do at least denote that the majority of critics were happy to give them a "pass."

Despite critics' opinions, however, a certain — very noisy — segment of "Star Wars" fandom hasn't been shy about speaking up about how much they loathe films like "The Force Awakens,...