"Rebellions are built on hope."

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2017)

I had a good feeling coming out of this film - both times. I saw it the first time before the news of Carrie Fisher's passing, the second time after. Knowing that she won't be around for the final chapter, (Episode VIII is already filmed as I understand it), adds a note of poignancy to the franchise, seeing as how forty years - FORTY YEARS! - have passed since "A New Hope" came out to thrill legions of movie fans.
What this film did in it's own way was to bring back some of the magic I felt was missing with "The Force Awakens", the latest movie of the series from just a year ago. That might have had something to do with characters from the original films appearing here, I'm thinking of ones like Governor Tarkin (not yet Grand Moff), Mon Mothma, Darth Vader and of course Princess Leia at the stunning conclusion of this story. That minor scene of R2-D2 speaking with C-3PO was exceptionally well played, especially since it wasn't overdone. When I say this, I guess it's the traditionalist coming out in me. It's that magic feeling we all had back when the series started that I look for with each new entry in the Star Wars Universe, and this picture delivered some of that.
On the flip side, I don't know if the new characters introduced here will resonate with me in the same way as time goes by. Even the heroes didn't seem to be particularly likable to me. Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) I think had the capacity for further development, but his death in the story leaves him out. Though they were OK, Felicity Jones and Diego Luna didn't have the charisma to become bigger players in the franchise, but since this is a stand alone story that probably doesn't matter. For whatever reason, K-2SO just struck me the wrong way, even if he was a robot.
But with all said and done, this was an effective story to explain how the Rebel Alliance paved the way for stealing the plans for the Death Star, something we could only guess at forty years ago if one had a mind to think about it. There was even a cautionary hint of the Rebels operating outside the law so to speak, in going up against the Empire. I thought that was an intriguing concept. More than anything though, what the film did for me was send me back to the movie archives to experience the Star Wars saga once more, all over again. And that can only be a good thing.