Star Wars has hope.

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2017)

Many people are under the impression that Star wars must have a certain feel and contain certain clichés. Particularly, if they don't feel like the original trilogy, these Star Wars products are inherently bad. The thing is, Star Wars has always been much more and its various stories in novels and games have not only understood that but often succeeded because of it. I must admit it was surprising that Disney and Lucasfilm gave the go ahead on a rather unique addition to Star Wars's cinematic universe. Rogue One is not like other Star Wars films. It is a war film and contains very little of the Jedi and Force elements of earlier films. It brings back the tragedy and dark elements of Revenge of the Sith and Empire Strikes back, perhaps even darker than ever.
This is by no means a perfect film. Its characters, while sufficient and not two-dimensional, don't get the screen time they deserve. Even characters I loved like Donnie Yen's character could have used a few more minutes to go over their backstories. There are also some plot holes and poorly executed scenes, much like Gareth Edward's last film, Godzilla.
What this film does right however is take chances and largely succeeds in its efforts. It is far more ambitious than any side-story cash grab has a right to be. This film isn't afraid to show the dark side of the Star Wars universe with multiple character deaths and violent massacres. The Empire feels dangerous in this film. The world building is also fantastic, the cinematography is spectacular, and this film has possibly the best space battles we've ever seen in Star Wars. If TFA (while not a bad film) made me wonder if Star Wars had become afraid to evolve, Rogue One has made me realize there is hope for this beloved franchise.
Critically, I rate this film 8/10 and 9/10 for personal enjoyment.