To play devil's advocate.

I felt the same way. But after watching the rest, they wanted that from the characters. They are supposed to be different people. They wanted to show you that the characters had changed. With that in mind, I think they did a great job, and it's a point in entertainment history that will be remembered better than it was received on release. The actors did a great job and the story brought me right back in.

Give it a shot.