Don't Believe The Negativity

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2017)

You know that old expression, "don't make mountains out of molehills"? Suffice it to say, a vast majority of the harshly negative reviews of The Last Jedi present a whole mountain range of issues where only molehills exist.
Often, when I'm researching whether or not I should see a movie, I rely on user reviews to make that decision. Rarely do I put much stock in what the film critics have to say. This is the first time I can remember in recent memory that, the critics actually got his one right and the fans didn't at all.
Having read a ton of negative reviews, I think I could put most of the upset , blatantly negative reviewers into one of four categories; (1) those how cannot see the forest for the trees, and thus get hung up on a few broken and miss the big picture; (2) those who are holding too tightly to the old Extended Universe; and (3) those who maybe thought this was the last Star Wars movie ever and wanted every question answered.
The Last Jedi skillfully sparks a newness unlike any movie in the Star Wars series. For the first time since Return of the Jedi, Star Wars feels fresh again. And that's a very welcome change, after being on the treadmill of knowing exactly what was going to happen for the past 5 films (since The Phantom Menace).
While this film is imperfect, it's incredibly strong. There are twists you won't see coming. There are moments when everything we thought we knew will be put to the test. There are moments when you'll have to sit all the way forward in your chair due to excitement. Challenging moments, humbling moments, sobering moments, human moments.
I think Luke Skywalker himself could sum it up better than I:
"This will not go the way you think."
And that's the best possible thing.