New and unique

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2019)

The Last Jedi is a really good movie and it's a shame that people are so caught up in how it disappointed them to see that. It is not without its problems, but that does not preclude it from being one of the strongest films in the series and the best of the new trilogy.
There's incredible tension throughout the entire movie, accompanied by fantastic visuals and some really strong character development. For me, the problems do not lie with the film's revelations and major deaths, like many people see. Instead, I find them to be in certain story decisions. Finn and Rose's side story is so unnecessary, especially when you consider that if Holdo had just told everyone her plan, they would have never had to go on what felt like a side quest. It is the weakest part of the movie by a long shot and other things are just nitpicky.
Contrary to popular opinion, I believe that Snoke's death was a good thing for the series. Kylo Ren is both stronger as a villain and a character and killing Snoke was a necessary moment for him to move into the position his master held.
I also think that Luke's death was worthy of his character. If each of these movies were supposed to focus on one of the original trio (Han, Luke and Leia), it makes sense that they would have their arc and then die at the end to allow the new characters to take the stage. Could Luke's death have been handled better? Yes, but as it is, I don't think it's as awful as everyone makes it out to be.
The Last Jedi is a vast improvement on The Force Awakens, because rather than milking your nostalgia dry and playing it so safe it hurts, it dares to try new things. That will always cause division between people, but for me, I would much rather have something that dares to go beyond its predecessors.