My overall impression of the sequels: A lot of people’s issues with these films stem from what they are not, but the good things about what they are are frequently ignored.
The Force Awakens is a blast, it’s fun and light and exciting. Is it just kind of a ripoff of ANH? Sure! But it introduces some great new characters and is directed confidently. It brought the films into the modern age of filmmaking, which is something Lucas was resistant to do with the prequels. Sure, he pioneered visual effects that are still being used today, but they’re reeeeaaally old school from a storytelling, directing, and editing standpoint. TFA’s story may not have been anything amazing, but it’s craft was important and strong. It had an energy to it not seen since Empire.
The Last Jedi is what happens when you put someone with a vision in charge of Star Wars, for better and for worse. I love the film specifically because it’s not trying to please anyone. All it’s interested in is telling the most dramatic story it can with the pieces set up in TFA, and I think it largely succeeds. The actors in this film give incredible performances, especially Driver, Ridley, and Mark Hamill, who has never been better. Do I wish it was about 20 minutes shorter? Sure, yeah. Otherwise, this is by far the best sequel trilogy film, and one of the better films in the whole saga. The cross-cutting sequence leading up to the Holdo maneuver, where every storyline collides at the exact same moment culminating in that breathtaking silent destruction of the First Order fleet, is one of the most astounding pieces of pop filmmaking I’ve ever seen.
Rise of Skywalker cursed itself from the beginning by trying to cram in Carrie Fisher even though she’d passed away. The retconned deleted scenes not only feel out of place, but are a bit ghoulish given the circumstances. Instead of iterating on the sometimes controversial developments of TLJ, they basically decided to ignore or retcon most of it, tying the story in knots to appease… well, nobody really. This movie is all energy but no fun, and afraid to take any chances or make interesting decisions for fear of another TLJ situation with the fans. However, Ridley and Driver are both great again, there’s some incredible visuals, and the action is interesting. Exegol is cool, Palpatine’s return was well handled, and there’s genuine chemistry between the main characters. Also, Babu Frik. Can’t forget Babu Frik.
The sequels, to me, are a genuinely interesting mixed bag. But, I feel the same way about the prequels, and in a way the OT as well. Star Wars has always been imperfect. It’s imperfections can be what makes it so endearing. I think these films will be revisited in a few years with the same enthusiasm the prequels are now.