mostly the dispute between reviewers is about how interesting the topic is, not about whether the evidence is convincing.

That may be a peculiarity of physics (and math). Compare that to biology and medicine, not to mention social sciences.

everybody disagrees about what's convincing

Well, of course, because "compelling at an emotional level" isn't really about evidence. Cute puppies are compelling at an emotional level.

You're basically talking about getting a "proper" gut feeling, and that is very idiosyncratic.