Fixes most of episode 7's mess

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2017)

The Last Jedi did not have to do much to be an improvement over "the force awakens" - it pretty much accomplished that goal when someone other than JJ Abrams wrote the script.
But still, the improvement is great, and in no small part this is due to the film's not-so-subtle criticism over its predecessor: For example, early on, Kylo Ren is chastised for being just a silly guy in a mask who got beaten by a girl who had never used a lightsaber, addressing (at least in part) one of the many ridiculous points of tFA. Then the film pokes fun at tFA's last scene (and some other plot points). But more importantly, it has 2-3 major twists that seem to be direct refutations of what Abrams wanted to do with the story - I mean, perhaps these were planned all along, but I somehow doubt that master-copycat JarJar Abrams intended to have Snoke die so quickly, easily and ingloriously. I doubt he intended for Ray to really be a nobody from nowhere. The latter is a really good choice, the former can be criticised to a degree (we learn next to nothing about who this extremely powerful Sith is, where he came from, etc), but it is a bold decision: it says enough with the master-apprentice Sith duos, we have seen more than our fair share of those. It is suprising, it is interesting, it is a bold step, and I can't help but applaud it.
Now, it doesn't fix everything - we still have no idea how the hell the galaxy went from the reinstatement of the Republic to "oh, yeah, this First Order thing demolished the Republic, we are doing the Resistance thing again" (edit: ok, I read about the republic/empire remants/FO thing later, but still, films should give you a backstory without the need to resort to external sources). It also does provide a somewhat better context to Luke's isolation. Where tFA said "he left because his nephew is a bad guy", here at least we get some more insight regarding not only this story, but Luke's disillusionment with the whole Jedi affair - not entirely convincing, but I'll buy it.
And you know, the story is actually good. Not in any ground-breaking way, but it is refreshing how characters learn that space-operatic swashbucklery doesn't always save the day. It's nice that secondary characters prove cleverer and more heroic than some of the main ones. It's surprising how funny the film is at times (not "oh look that funny alien" or "haha, C3PO is a coward" funny, actual jokes), with Mark Hamill doing a great job.
Really, all in all, the Last Jedi is a great, great Star Wars film. Not perfect, I mean, there is no real lightsaber fight, duh, but very good. There is only that one thing at the end that is disappointing. Luke Skywalker demonstrates how he could never be beaten by Kylo Ren, who is still too weak a villain for such a feat. And then he...vanishes in Obi-Wan fashion, becoming one with the Force. But did he have to? No. The scene is done superbly, the photography, the symbolism, the references are all perfect so it seems a fitting end to the hero. But the question is, did the story need him removed? Absolutely not. The sad realisation is that it was a choice not to fit the story, but to accommodate the new characters, who could not compete with this larger than life legend. Well executed, but poorly reasoned.
PS: It was nice to see Yoda again
PS2: Kylo Ren is yet not a convincing villain (he seems a bit of a pushover) but Adam Driver does a good job with him
PS3: there is (again) an overuse of cute critters (which always stop running to face the camera and exhibit their cuteness). They are likeable, but could be slightly reduced.
PS4: Saddest thing of all, JarJar Abrams will return to write, direct, and in all likelihood, utterly ruin Episode IX.