Having watched the movie on the cheap at last. It's barely a week into release on Christmas week and the theater was half full. C3PO easily got the most emotion from the crowd making me and everyone chuckle and outside some meh level applause at the very end, I don't think anyone left the theater giving much of a shit.
Palp was a nice piece of ham that gnawed the damn scenery and Chewie was pretty good for what little they gave him.
Of all the new character crammed in a few I think were because of Rian just wreaking them in TLJ, like General Pride being the intimidating First Order general they sorely needed and the rapid removal of Hux as any possible sense of threat from him was spent over TFA and TLJ.
After having watched it.
I feel my analogy was fairly accurate, though needs more burning HATE! in J.J mallet bashing of Rian for his theatrical scheissewerfer that was TLJ and instead of just Rian's cork coming out it's more that being in the vicinity of TLJ gave J.J food poisoning.
You could tell how little of a damn J.J gave about the TLJ as he did everything short of blatantly stating "It never happened. Understood!?" but couldn't due to the fact Disney wouldn't allow that.
Over all, taken on its own carrying only the luggage of TFA and TLJ, it was a 5 outta 10. Could have been a 6, but I honestly felt bored in the theater watching it at times, though that may have been due to knowing it all from the leaks.
Because you have to cop to the fact short of god, no one could salvage episode 9 after Rian's blatant smug shitting over everything in TLJ. And going by rumors this movie was less just J.J writing and a great healthy dose of Disney exec meddling from KK and Bob's sides. I'll give this a golf clap for it's attempt.
Taking the wider lore and view including the older movies, sinks the score down to a 3. As I reserve 1 and 2s for truly, truly just garbage movies(TLJ after you give it thought for example.)