I have seen it. I have to say that all the negative critics are full of it. Sure, many here don’t like it, but the BS the critics spewed was complete nonsense.
On my first viewing of TLJ, I could see things wrong with it. Same with AOTC many years earlier (and the SE version of the OT). On first viewing there is nothing to most of the theatrical version of the older films I would change. I like the original cuts of TPM, ROTS, ANH, TESB, ROTJ and TLJ. But AOTC and TFA need help. My first reaction to TROS was that this film needs nothing.
Star Wars tells a grand story and with such sweeping and epic stories there are things that must be glossed over to get to the core of the story. This film pulls in more, but sticks to the core story and doesn’t let the rest detract. Only the core 3 matter. First it was Liea, Luke, and Han, then Obi-wan, Padme, and Anakin, and now Poe, Finn, and Rey. I have found several hints that go back to TFA that indicate to me that Rey was always supposed to be a Palpatine. In TLJ Kylo gets a glimpse of her her parents and see nobodies, long dead. Nothing in TROS contradicts anything from the previous two films, it only carries on the story, sometimes in unexpected ways (like Vader is Luke’s father and then Leia is his sister). And those on the Dark side are not always completely truthful and other times the force does not reveal all the truth until the time is right. I found this to be a fitting and powerful end to the Skywalker saga. I took note of what Anakin said to Rey. He told her to balance the force as he once did. So his actions in ROTJ are validated, but Palpatine had a way around it and has come back. Very likely he was dead an what we see is his force animated zombie. Even the crawl says he was dead (the late Emperor). So Ankin briefly balanced the force but the evil lingered. With the previous generations of Jedi urging her on, Rey finds a way to destroy Palpatine. And his claim that he is all the Sith is chilling. It brings new horror to the dialog of ROTJ. It means that when he killed Darth Plagueis, Plagueis basically posessed him, as his master had possessed him, going back to the beginning. Suddenly the rule of two has a chilling meaning.
I did not find this film as rushed as AOTC or ROTS. I found the story well laid out and carefully plotted, giving us just enough of what we need to understand what was going on without getting too distracted. I felt this had a touch of the OT to it in how the story played out, thought it was much faster paced. The words of Lucas’s ANH directing ring in my ears… “faster and more intense” and with this I think Abrams has achieved what Lucas was after. The movie is fast and intense without losing itself to chaos. I found no plot holes on my first viewing (and on later viewings even the great OT sometimes has plot holes so that is nothing to worry about). While I do not think this rises to the greatness of the OT, it comes close (closer that Lucas did in 3 films of the PT). I feel that this vindicates the last attrocities of Abrams (TFA and his Star Trek films) and proves that if he has a solid ending he can deliver a great film.
And with the support of Luke and Leia, I think Rey deserves to claim the Skywalker name. The title of the film fits nicely. I thought some of the things would be a bit cheesy from the spoilers, but I found none of that in the film. I liked the moments of humor and found them very Star Wars appropriate. Lucas may have complaints about some of the story choices, but I think he should find the overall sequel trilogy a fitting end to his legacy. I think future generations are going to very much appreciate what has been put on film.
If you haven’t seen it yourself, you really shouldn’t be hating on it. See it for yourselves and make up your own minds. Even if you think you might agree with someone, don’t trust them and see it for yourself. It is worth at least one viewing.