Ignore the mob of angry fanboys and take this movie for what it is - a great Star Wars film

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2017)

I know that the general audience doesn't always have to agree with critics, but in this case I am baffled by the divide between them. Critics praised this film for many reasons, while the mass of upset fans can't seem to agree on what it is that makes this film bad: it's too much like The Empire Strikes Back, it does so many things so wildly different from any other Star Wars movie that it can't be considered Star Wars anymore, they don't agree with how some characters have turned out, etc etc etc.
In short, you can't please them all, and some of these people take their outrage that a film hasn't panned out the way they wished to the extreme, review bombing this film with 1 star reviews and sending the director more than just angry tweets.
I'm ashamed to belong to this very same fandom in which everybody seems to think that they are entitled to their very own personal vision of what a SW movie should be and if even one criterion isn't met it's reason enough to take out the pitchforks and post mean things on reddit.
All that BS aside: The Last Jedi is a fantastic film, despite a few smaller flaws.
But what works well, works incredibly well. While many people don't seem to agree with the depiction of Luke I personally though it was fantastic. It was unexpected and yet relatable and Mark Hamill's performance was outstanding, sincerely his best performance as Luke Skywalker to date.
But it wans't just Luke's character that was well written: every major character gets his own story arc, everyone is faced with a test, with an obstacle they need to overcome, something that challenges to the core by the end of the film all of them have grown.
Furthermore, the movie plays with and explores many different themes, offering valuable lessons and moral to the audience.
Yes, The Last Jedi takes quite some elements from previous movies. But it also turns them upside down, inside out and adds twists to them that are unexpected and unpredictable. Suddenly things aren't as black and white as they used to be, and this is a big step to be taken for Star Wars films, which were generally quite color coded.
It's one of the smarter Star Wars films just after The Empire Strikes back because it focuses on what's important in a movie. Not the spectacle, not the action, but the characters, their emotions and beliefs.
I hope that the anger of the vocal minority is going to fade and that people can appreciate the film for what it is: a fantastic addition to the Star Wars series.