Enjoy this sci-fi popcorn ride (not as a Star Wars main entry)

Rating: 5/10 (19 December 2019)

I like Rise of the Skywalker not as an entry in the trilogy but a popcorn sci-fi film. Yes, it is entertaining. There is so much fan service, so much corny dialogue, but if you could overlook that alongside its contingency errors and rushed pacing, you could actually enjoy this film as a pure Star Wars nerd; I just think people can be too obsessed sometimes and forget how to have fun.
People are taking the chance to lash at Disney for their mismanagement of the franchise (how could you start a trilogy without a roadmap??). I agree, but honestly the disconnect between ep.8 & ep.9 is not the fault of the talented JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson, both of whom were very adept at achieving their singular visions. The films as a stand alone are at the very least good films, and to me it applies to both ep.8 & ep.9 (ep.7 retread is fantastic).
At the end of the day, I feel entertained. I probably like it more than Chris Stuckmann and Jeremy Jahns combined, and trust me, I mean it when I say I am a pretty cynical filmgoer (I stick with the yms rating system). Star Wars are nerdy movies that shouldn't be taken as seriously as a Scorsese picture. ep.4-ep.6 are terrible if we delve into their technical aspects, but since they are fun, they become classics. Double standards do not apply here and I am giving ep.9 a pass because of that.