Second only to The Empire Strikes Back

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2019)

What Rian Johnson accomplishes here is nothing short of a rebirth of the Skywalker saga. Like The Empire Strikes Back, Johnson focuses this movie on relationships and character arcs while completely subverting expectations of what Star Wars "is".
This is what the controversy about this movie rests on. Either you are a fan that delights in having your expectations subverted in order to see something new -or- you are a fan that wants everything to fit into neat, explained boxes. Until I saw The Last Jedi, I didn't know which kind of fan I was. Apparently, I am the former.
Fans would do well to remember that The Empire Strikes Back was also highly controversial when it came out. But over time it has largely come to be viewed as the best Star Wars movie. I think The Last Jedi will fare much the same, since it holds up well to repeated viewings.
Regardless of what you think of the writing, The Last Jedi is beautifully shot. The cinematography is stunning and arguably the best of the entire series. Johnson doesn't ignore the aspect of the visual spectacle of Star Wars that we all love to see. He manages to pack in the action while also elevating it. Shots and lighting are meticulously attended to. Care is taken to frequently convey metaphor in visual ways, giving the entire film a deeper meaning.
I'm sure it was not Johnson's intent to divide fans over his film. But the problem remains. Like me, you probably don't know what type of Star Wars fan you are until you've watched The Last Jedi. You won't know until you watch it.