For Star Wars devotees

Rating: 6/10 (1 January 2017)

Rouge One is fine. For Star Wars devotees that is. And for them it was made. The rest of us will recognize it for what it is: basically another mass produced sci-fi hindered with issues, some of them surprising given the budget.
It's all action that does not make much sense but is entertaining enough not to make you bored (a lot at least). Everything feels very rushed at times (especially the first act). Totally forgettable characters are the biggest weakness. It's been a week since I saw it and I already can't name even one of them. The only standout is the cynical black robot. All of this defines any modern popcorn blockbuster, which ironically, is capable of earning a lot of money at the same time.
However, dear Disney, CGI you created is simply offensive – I am looking and you Tarkin and Leia. I mean, the CGI-ed faces look horrific and are the worst I have seen in ages: plasticky and not natural. Funny enough, even TV series (Westworld) and movies of lesser category (Fast and Furious 7) were able to present a much better implementation of the technique. Rogue One will be remembered for those couple of scenes where Tarkin looks like a last year's Playstation4 character. Truly a massive let down and I couldn't get past that at all.
Costumes could be better as well: Darth Vader looks silly in comparison with the previous designs, though the cameo is nice and appreciated.
The score which was always top notch in SW movies thanks to John Williams and his imagination, is below average this time. Michael Giacchiano is a great composer but even the best can't do much when acting as a last-minute substitute and given just 4 weeks to create something memorable. Pity.
I am sure that we will get more of this corporate product that Disney is force-feeding us with. People used to go to the cinema once to watch the future. Now it is just to dwell on nostalgia.