The Last Jedi is a well written and well made movie, and I think that is why many critics like it. The Last Jedi also takes Luke Skywalker, one of the most beloved characters of all time, in some very unexpected directions. Some people find that very refreshing and others find it a travesty, thus the split between fans. I think over time people will appreciate TLJ more.
I agree TLJ is well made with amazing visuals, and generally strong performances (except Hux, who’s just a buffoon in this one), but I’m not sure it is that well written. It’s not badly written, I think, and has plenty of good and sometimes even great elements, but a lot of criticism has been leveled at the rather contrived “slow chase”, which is the backbone of the movie, the tonal issues, the superfluous casino plot, the contrived introduction of DJ into the story, and the whole Poe/Holdo conflict, which relies on characters not communicating for no reason. I mean is a film that has Holdo perform a kamikaze maneuver in a universe, where droids can perform complex tasks really that well written, even if the excitement and visuals distract from this fact? I would say the writing is a rather mixed bag, where the good often outshines the bad. I conjecture the critics liked TLJ, because it is an above average movie with plenty of highlights and surprises when seen in a vaccuum, while the fans are split over the way the film connects to the previous episodes in the saga.
This is the best, even-handed summary of the TLJ response I’ve seen. Good job.