Loved it. I refuse to jump on the bandwagon of hating it just to seem cool and trendy.

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2019)

This is not the originals, it could never be. But if you look at the original ep IV-VI with a more balanced, reflective eye, as much as I loved them (and still do), there are massive plot holes, clunky dialogue and some hyper-cheesy cliche bits. But through a nostalgic lense, this is what makes them great. And their originality makes them timeless.
Episode IX can never BE original. So why are so many people getting their knickers in a twist? Sure, it follows a bit of a formula. Spoiler: all stories do. No one writes entirely original stories, they can only hope to create original worlds or characters. But in the Star Wars universe, that's hard to do.
This is a great movie. Fun, dark, humourous, exciting, with some dud or silly moments, but overall many hugely significant moments and some great vistas and Force-badassness. It's great for kids (sorry old-school Star Wars fans, but you don't get to just keep Star Wars to yourself for time immemorial), it's great for fans (if you're not deluded enough to think that it would be just like the originals - although you'd have been upset for copying them anyway), and it's a great ending to the Skywalker saga.
Is it perfect? How was that ever possible? It's easy to hate, and I can see all the 1-star reviews flooding in already, but the hate comes more from those who lack perspective, rather than a true reflection of the film. Will it be a classic, I doubt it. Is it a great movie, I think so.
But just go see it. You're not selling out, you're just paying to be entertained. Which was kind of the point all along...