The Last Jedi stands on its own and is a far superior movie when compared to The Force Awakens.
There are major SPOILERS ahead for The Last Jedi, so read on at your own risk.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was critically acclaimed when it hit theaters in 2015 and ended up breaking box office records, becoming the highest grossing movie of all time.
There was a lot of concern that Rian Johnson was simply going to step in and recreate The Empire Strikes Back after J.J. Abrams made The Force Awakens.