This is the way to do it

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2016)

Hopefully, after watching Rogue One, a truly very good film, more people will realise just how many things were wrong with The Force Awakens.
J.J. Abrams should be made to watch Rogue One on repeat, so that he might learn that you can make a great Star Wars film without being particularly original, but also without blatantly copying whatever you've seen on a previous installment. And how you can make a science fiction film that is low on the science but still doesn't ever become ridiculous.
A film that actually tries to close gaps in the plot, instead of opening new ones. And in which the heroes are not, for once, too special.
We get new, likable characters and a high quality dose of nostalgia with Darth Vader's brief but very memorable appearance and the digital resurrection of Peter Cushing (at first I thought they just found a guy who looked like him, doh). We also get a lot of effective drama even though we knew all along that the masterplan would work out. In addition, the idea to end the film where A New Hope begins was fantastic, and though very reasonable, came unexpected.
A few very minor complaints I have are concerning the limited role of Forrest Whitaker (could be bigger), the android (it felt there was more potential in the character), and maybe the blind Jedi-ish guy (a bit of an overkill, though I liked him). I might have also liked it if there were some aliens among the group.
Lastly, the music, not by John Williams, still made good use of the classic themes when necessary, while adding something different to the mix.