My childhood was perfectly framed by the Star Wars original and prequel trilogies — I was taken to Return of the Jedi in the theatre at 10 months old and promptly fell sleep when Jabba came onscreen; Phantom Menace came out when I was a senior in high school.
So, I grew up in a time when Star Wars was a story half told. The Jedi seemed like the good guys, and not the centrist police that they’re later shown to be. Ewoks and Stormtroopers was the game kids played any time we were in a forest.
I spent literally decades believing the mythical 9-movie arc would never be completed.
As such… I cannot judge Rise of Skywalker as a film.
It is the heroes of my childhood, returned to say goodbye, returned to finish their story.
I love it beyond reason, so very, very much.
Besides, I’ve watched what’s happened to my opinions about the prequel movies over the years — dialogue that I mocked when they came out has stayed with me, and I would defend it now.
It turns out that I love Star Wars so much that my preferences will warp to conform to it.
In other words, if you want to know what I /think/ about the new Star Wars, my answer can only be, “You’re asking me to be rational, and that’s something I know I cannot do.”