Everything everyone says about this movie is right

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2018)

I was very curious about Last Jedi due to the weirdly polarized reactions. Some described it as just more of the same, some as brilliantly subversive, some as a betrayal. All of these views are legitimate.
The beginning is very Star Wars-ish. A cocky young guy ignores his commanders and takes initiative to take down a prize target. It is a thrilling scene, and the movie soon raises the possibility that going half-cocked is, in fact, a bad thing, thus contradicting pretty much the entire history of action films, particularly those in the Star Wars family.
And so it goes, big exciting set pieces interspersed with moments that muddy the clean, black-and-white morality that has been a hallmark of the series. At times, Last Jedi is pure Star Wars, and at time it is almost a bitter satire of movies like Star Wars.
As someone who really likes moral complexity and is often put off by movies that celebrate macho postering, I really like all this, but I understand it's a little off brand.
I've seen some reviews say that while they appreciate some of the directorial decisions, ultimately the movie didn't connect with them emotionally. I feel the same way about a lot of the criticism of this film; I can't argue that it's wrong - there are plot holes, unlikely changes to the underlying mythos, unlikely side quests, the cavalier dropping of threads - but viscerally most of the objections don't connect with me.
I really like this movie, because it is dark, and questions the series' precepts, and offers some really jolting surprises. And I'm not enough of a fan of the series to have spent the last two years theorizing on questions that don't get answered here.
The criticism I most object to is the idea that the movie is too jokey. Yes, some of the humor is a little more Guardians of the Galaxy than what one expects from Star Wars, but it's always been pretty silly. If Last Jedi is too jokey, why isn't the banter between C3PO and R2D2 too jokey?
I really enjoyed the previous movie, The Force Awakens, but it felt a bit too much like a retread. I appreciate that this movie avoids that, even while giving me a lot of what I have enjoyed about the best Star Wars films. But if you disagree, you're probably right.