Wow, this was an illuminating rewatch; everything just slid into place, and my feelings have officially gone from "amazed but kind of confounded" to "love". 

A strong contender for the best looking Star Wars (that silent scene is a thing of immaculate beauty), and the haunted man Luke Skywalker has become may be the pinnacle performance of Mark Hamill's career.

Finally, this can't be stressed enough; Rian Johnson is the first director since Irvin Kershner to meaningfully expand upon Lucas' vision. This isn't to diminish Jedi or Force Awakens, but many of the developments present within their narratives served to only make the universe smaller and smaller. 

With The Last Jedi, Johnson explicitly rejects the notion that Star Wars must be shackled to its past, and lights the spark for a bright future along the way.