Rian Johnson sets his targets far too high

Rating: 3/10 (4 May 2020)

Firstly, let's address something. Why so many critics and certain fans consider this movie to be good is due to 2 reasons.
1. The movie goes out of it's way to subvert every possible expectation
2. The movie is filled with themes and ideas about ambiguity and reality which are interesting and powerful.
Here's my reply to those critics.
1. There's a proper way to subvert expectations. Luke throwing his lightsaber away and refusing to come out of exile? Good subverting of expectations. Rey's parents are nobodies? Good subverting of expectations. Snoke dies anticlimactically? Bad subverting of expectations. Luke and Kylo's backstory? Bad subverting of expectations. It doesn't matter how "thematically relevant" the subverting of expectations is, it has to be justified. Even moments like the reveal of Rey's parentage, which is a good subverting of expectations, is bogged down and has no impact because of her portrayal as the greatest Force-user since Luke.
When you pull a twist, it has to make sense, there has to be some kind of set-up which rewards a narrative twist. Johnson does none of this. He pulls twist after twist on our characters, trying to explore the complexity of them, only to realise that he can't form a proper explanation or even a single moment of set-up to justify his twists.
If a movie's twists are just for the sake of surprising the audience, it's a bad movie. We can take twists. Vader was Luke's father. What a twist! Leia was Luke's sister all along. Not so good, but still believable. Han Solo changes from his money-driven scoundrel to come back and help save Luke at the end of the original film. That was a justified twist, because we've spent time with Han getting to know that he has morals, even with his greed. Johnson justifies nothing, and simply hopes that our shock will suspend our disbelief enough for his next "twist".

2. Yes, I will agree that Johnson is aiming for themes that aren't just powerful, but universal: anyone can be a hero, heroes can lose hope, sacrifice, freedom should be universal, the world isn't always black and white. But that's just it. All Johnson has is wonderful themes, which he brings up occasionally, explores shallowly, then discards and keeps moving. It's as though he thinks that by simply bringing up these themes he has made the movie greater.
No. No to all the critics who smugly point at these themes and claim that since it uses more interesting themes than the other SW films, then it must be better. Because Rian Johnson never explores these themes in a way that truly engages the audience. Luke has descended from his heroism and fallen from grace. Excellent! So much potential has opened up! And then he and Rey interact in no manner that sparks any development in his character. Yoda's ghost has to come in and try to push Luke's arc forwards, by urging him to let go of the past. Let's recall, why is this not effective? Because of context. Because we've seen Luke devastated already, when he lost his hand and had to deal with the life-changing realisation that the monster who laid waste to countless star systems was, in fact, his father, that his beloved mentor Ben Kenobi had lied to him. So when they expect us to believe that Luke never went after Ben Solo, who simply retreated into exile without a whimper, you can see the disparity. Johnson doesn't give us a believable fall because in the story of Luke's fall, Luke is entirely passive.
Give him something to do! Let Luke chase Ben Solo, and witness his nephew's fall to the dark side. Let him experience the death of his old friend Han Solo, have that drive Luke further away into himself, and give Rey more to do than chase Luke around begging. Make Luke's fall believable, and his redemption will be all the more powerful, and the theme will emerge more powerfully. Instead, what we get is a lacklustre imagining of the character, depending again (Johnson again does this) on your suspension of disbelief.
I could go on and on about how the countless other themes and ideas that Johnson introduced fell short of their intended purposes, because they did. It's not good enough for a movie to have a good message or interesting themes. It has to tell a good story. More so in this movie. Rian Johnson doesn't seem to understand that we've already seen 4 movies starring Luke Skywalker. We know his character. Rian Johnson needed to continue that story of Luke Skywalker in a way that fit the character, and at the same time include these rich themes.

The Fundamental Problem With The Last Jedi's Deeper Messages
Rian Johnson tries for too much, and in order to fit it all in, his plot and characterisation are sacrificed. If only he'd decided to focus on a few main themes (loss of hope, redemption, sacrifice, moral ambiguity), and not tried to shoehorn in literally every other theme he could think of, and took the time to explore those ideas fully, we'd get several fully fulfilled themes in a tighter, cohesive movie where the characters experience change that feels natural. Instead he spreads it out, and none of the themes are developed properly, character arcs are forced into motion for the sake of the theme, and Johnson generates plotholes so large we can't help but notice them.
If we go back to Johnson's utter disregard for the other films, it's because he violates the internal logic of the universe which angers fans. A lightspeed charge? That tactic, if possible, would've been invented years ago, and whichever side had more lightspeed equipped, droid-piloted freighters would win, which is why hyperspace exists. Why do we find it so hard to accept rey's ancestry? Because of how powerful she is. Rey is on a Ben Solo level, and pretty damn close to Luke, too. Ben Solo and Luke are direct descendants of the Chosen One, the single most powerful Force-user to be born, who was leaps beyond even Yoda and Palpatine. Luke and Ben are only slightly below their father and grandfather respectively. So when you push Rey's power level that high so consistently, then she must've some powerful blood, right? Wrong. She's a nobody, and that's good, as long as (1) we see her work for her power and skill we don't] or (2) It's made clear that although she is strong, she's not the strongest ["I haven't seen such power since..." Johnson has Luke say, implying her power is on a ridiculous level].
It simply doesn't make sense, either, that a Sith Lord (or whatever Snoke is) would be unable to put up a fight. It's anticlimactic, and when Rey and Kylo Ren fight the guards in the throne room, you don't cheer for Rey because she hasn't earned it. Luke earned his victory over Vader in Return of the Jedi by losing badly to Vader in Empire Strikes Back, and then coming back with a rebuilt lightsaber. Rey has done nothing but win, win, win. Her torture in Force Awakens gave her the narrative power to beat Kylo Ren in a great fight in the snow. In the Last Jedi, we're supposed to simply accept that she's better now because she went down a hole and stared in a mirror, when Luke had to fight "Vader" in the caves of Dagobah, only to lose. Simply put, the internal logic just isn't there. Snoke's death wasn't earned, it was just another example of Rian Johnson thinking as long as he subverts expectations he's a smart writer. Rey's win over Kylo Ren wasn't earned either.

This Movie Is Still Occasionally Enjoyable
However, I won't deny the great parts in this movie, when occasionally Rian Johnson hits the marks he wanted to hit. The cinematography and effects are astounding and wonderful to watch. The beginning is a brilliantly tense and action-packed battle, which later devolves into a tenseless, boring chase. Johnson really hits on what the Force means when Luke first teaches Rey how to feel the Force, then ruins it by having Rey slice a rock and pretend that it was impressive. Johnson shoots an excellently choreographed action sequence in the throne room, but as explained before, it only highlights his narrative failure to make this scene fit with the characters we know (Mary Sue mode is on full here). Johnson gives Luke a cool sendoff, but could've made Luke's power more substantial, given that he is the strongest Force-user in the galaxy. But that's a nitpick, and I acknowledge that. Rian Johnson's concept of the connection between Rey and Kylo Ren were by far the standout moments of the film, allowing Ridley and Driver to shine, and provide an interesting look into each other's lives. The theme of moral ambiguity explored between these two characters is the only one that is truly impactful. This resulted in what is basically the only narrative payoff, which was Kylo Ren offering his hand to Rey. Of course, Rey refuses, and has an again limp "I am a Jedi, like my father before me"-ish moment because of how badly her character was developed. Best of all, Johnson's shot of the Force-sensitive slave child towards the end. That was a wonderful scene, which doesn't forgive the pace-destroying, mind-numbingly stupid Rose and Finn subplot. There could've been far better ways to reach that conclusion than through a forced subplot.

All in all, Rian Johnson's thematically bold, subversion-obsessed movie shoots for the stars, but ends up hanging limply in orbit instead, while trying to reach those lofty heights he greatly compromised plot and character arcs, although superb visuals, subtle and sometimes excellent acting, and the occasional brilliant scene stop this movie from crashing all the way down.
Normally I'd give this 4/10, but the reviews on this site seem so rigged, and critics so determined to mark all who disliked this film as "trolls" and "haters", that I'm subtracting a star.
3/10 it is, Johnson. And for the record, I liked The Force Awakens and prefer Rise of Skywalker to Last Jedi. At least Abrams tried.