Rogue One: The Emotional Equal of The Empire Strikes Back

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2018)

Rogue One is the emotional equal of The Empire Strikes Back.
Anyone who knows anything about screenwriting knows, or ought to know, that the bottom line when attempting to judge whether a movie is good or bad, is "Were you moved by it emotionally?"
Depending on the genre of movie, the viewer will be moved to different emotions. But the viewer will be moved to the emotions intended by the writer and director. The emotion will not be bafflement resulting from confusion.
Rogue One puts the war in Star Wars. It is more of a war movie than a "space opera". The tone is unusually dark for a Star Wars movie. Think "Saving Private Ryan" or "Hacksaw Ridge" for example. It includes one of the most spectacular climactic battle sequences in recent memory.
Rogue One is the equal of the best Star Wars movie to date, The Empire Strikes Back. Perhaps even better. Rogue One spared none of the protagonists. It sacrificed every one of them to the rebellion. It is hard to put into words the pathos that evokes, which paradoxically makes Jyn Erso and her fellow rebels even more heroic and more unforgettable than major characters such as Leia Organa.
That some viewers have harshly panned the film utterly baffles me.