Under-appreciated by the overly-critical (Spoiler-Free)

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2017)

I'll get straight to the point.
I believe that there are bandwagons of hate. I believe that some people will choose to look at something negatively because it's the popular thing to do. I think this film is a victim of that in a way.
I thoroughly enjoyed most of this film. I was a bit surprised to see just how hated it was here on IMDb. I am a life-long Star Wars fan, and I'd be lying if I said I liked everything about this movie.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE
It is positively worth seeing. I wouldn't expect a masterpiece here. It won't be what you may expect. It takes a lot of different turns that many people don't seem to agree with, but I do not think that they are the wrong turns. I think it is a matter of opinion.
MORE DETAILS (Still Spoiler-Free)
There are some MAJOR events that take place in the film that will leave you scratching your head. A LOT of bridges are burned. Plenty of plot points do NOT make sense. Questions are left unanswered. But in spite of all this, there are still so many good things to take away from this addition to the franchise.
NEGATIVES (Like I said... spoiler-free)
At the end, you will feel like opportunities were missed. You will wonder why they closed the book when we were so eager to read more. These missed opportunities are truly unfortunate, but not unfortunate enough to warrant saying this was a "horrible" movie because of them.
Certain plot points make ZERO sense, but the same can be said for every Star Wars movie in the franchise. (Take off your Star Wars love goggles for a sec and think about it)
A lot of the new characters are entirely forgettable. In fact, I cannot think of a single new character in The Last Jedi that left any sort of impression, unfortunately.
75% of the plot feels unimportant or redundant. Even though it's delivered in a fun and entertaining way, you won't find yourself recalling how "deep" the story was. It wasn't. The plot is fairly shallow in its first and second acts.
POSITIVES (Outweigh the negatives, in my opinion, in a spoiler-free way)
There are some truly classic Star Wars moments in The Last Jedi. There were plenty of scenes that had the entire audience laughing or cheering gleefully. This movie plays to a lot of fans well, I think. It's fun and it's mostly well-executed.
The third act is very well done, containing memorable scenes that were goosebump inducing.
Luke Skywalker (although not without faults) is very well portrayed. I do not understand how so many people can think that Rian Johnson has "ruined" him. If I were to tell you WHY Luke was well portrayed in The Last Jedi, I'd be spoiling things, and I'm against that. So go see for yourself. (If you disagree with me, that's fair)
Beautifully and authentically Star Wars in terms of its visuals and sound.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE
I understand why you are so disappointed, in a lot of ways... I really do.
I completely agree with a lot of the points being made in the negative reviews being posted here, but I also think that you are completely focusing on the negative elements of The Last Jedi. I would dare to say that there were far more positive elements. However, bad news weighs ten times as much as good news. So I will in no way try to argue against your opinions, because they are your opinions, and a lot of your complaints are valid. I would only encourage those who have not seen TLJ yet to go in to the theater blind with no expectations.
FINAL POINTS
While watching The Last Jedi you will know that some parts of it really work and others REALLY don't. But when it works, it works wonderfully. I cannot agree with the 2s and 3s that are being given to this film. Anything below a 6 is extreme, in my opinion. This film deserves at LEAST a 6.
For me, I say The Last Jedi is a soft 8. This is primarily because EPISODE III has a high 7 here on IMDb, and I think this film was better executed than EPISODE III and far better executed than EPISODES I and II. Another reason it gets an 8 is because it was thoroughly enjoyable. It certainly isn't some example of genius story-telling, but then again... none of the Star Wars movies really are. They are stories about good and its struggle with evil. They are Space Operas with touches of religion and ethics sprinkled throughout.
The Last Jedi is a solid entry in the Star Wars franchise, and I think it'd be a mistake for anyone to automatically give in to the hatred it seems to be receiving... ESPECIALLY if you haven't seen it yet.
Anyway, that's all from me. Thank you for reading.