An unforeseen upswing for the sequel trilogy

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2019)

The short version is this: I love this movie. The year's passage after seeing "The Last Jedi" hasn't dulled its impact. This is a movie that approaches the status quo and completely flips the table. It's fearless; it's surprising; it's unexpected; it's the kick-in-the-ass that this new trilogy needed. The only question I'm left with at the end of watching this is, "Where the hell do we go from here?". And that is exciting.
*SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS*
Now for the (much) longer version. I appreciate the movie from a warts-and-all perspective; and there are definite flaws. For one, the entire Canto Bight sequence. I like the theme introduced, but it's a tangent that slows the movie down. That, and Benicio Del Toro. Just doesn't work for me. You could also make an argument against the general pacing of the film.
That said, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Particularly with Mark Hamill's performance; far and away the movie's shining star. He realized a broken Luke Skywalker and brought out the conflict and pain therein. His scenes with Daisy Ridley were among the best in the movie. I can't speak highly enough of him in this film. His finale still hits me square in the chest, and it stands in direct competition with Yoda's appearance for my very favorite scene (I can't tell you how excited I was to see Yoda again in the theater, put to phenomenal use; it's nothing short of a tonic).
There are issues I had with The Force Awakens that this (thankfully) addresses directly. I love that Rey's parents turned out to be nobodies (think about it, the last thing she should be is a Skywalker or a Kenobi); I love that undeveloped characters like Snoke and Phasma are summarily dealt with, giving the next movie freedom to move; and I love that Kylo Ren suddenly has purpose as a character.
The more I see this, the more I get the criticisms. Things that could've been done differently, better, etc. What I don't understand is the acute backlash. If anything, The Last Jedi just exposes the flaws of the last movie. Sure, Luke didn't get his heroic turn in the conventional sense, but neither did Han or Leia. They were just used as background players for the new generation, but they deserved so much more. Luke gets shafted the most; The Force Awakens centers on "Where is Luke?" but all we get is a wordless non-ending.
And why is the Rebellion (Resistance) right back where it started? They were so quick to copy the original trilogy that Han, Leia and Luke are fighting and running again for no good reason. Everyone's old and tired and repeating the past. This never sat well with me, and because of the circumstances (R.I.P. Carrie), our heroes are dead.
As much as "The Last Jedi" leaves us (me) with a sense of hope, I am cynical. I don't doubt for a second that Abrams will retcon Rey's heritage (noooo, Ren was lying!) and probably bring back Snoke. The desire to play it safe is strong with Disney - especially with their knee-jerk reaction to Solo's underperformance. Abrams is all-too-willing to wield the nostalgia bait, and it makes me nervous about Episode IX.
But here's what keeps me engaged: I'm pretty sure Luke will return. And even in Force ghost form, that's enough to buy a ticket for the next one.