Not perfect but a massive improvement on Force Awakens

Rating: 7/10 (16 April 2017)

I didn't turn out to see this at the cinema - the first Star Wars movie I've ever missed. I was so disgusted with JJ Abrahams' soulless, shameful plot-holed rip-off The Force Awakens I stayed at home and saved my cash. But, like the dutiful Star Wars fan that I am, I gave this a try on blue-ray....and was pleasantly surprised.
Rogue One is not perfect - indeed its third act, the one supposedly changed by the studio, merely rehashes the original trilogy again to a large extent. with Imperial Walkers guarding the storage facility where the Death Star plans are hidden, charges planted, etc. The ground battle resembles Return Of the Jedi's sans Ewoks!
But I liked the story overall. This is a grittier version of the Rebel Alliance than any yet seen. It had some weight to it; and the sense of desperation engulfing the rebels is well-realised. This is not a romp. And it isn't intended to be.
The cast felt better than those in Force Awakens. A strong female lead, yes; but not a perfect jedi master without training Rey, or a sanitary attendant leading an assault on the 3rd Death Star. No emo sith-lord wannabes. Hurrah!
Characters are good. Needed a little more depth to really work. Donny Yen's character is great, but he needed more screen time. The best of them is surely the reprogrammed Imperial droid. He was great. Diego Luna was excellent.
Some downsides. Vader looked odd in his brief scenes. His mask/helmet was far less imposing; almost like something is missing. His first scene was pretty poor, his battle with the rebels much more like it. The CGI Tarkin was not good. The actor voicing him sounded nothing like Peter Cushing to my ears. If only Peter were still with us. What a class act he was. Leia's CGI was a bit better - probably because it was much briefer.
Director Garath Edwards did a fine job with this. Much better than the hack Abrahams. I enjoyed this film, liked the references to Kyber Crystals etc. but please no more Death Stars. Star Wars needs to move forward now, and give us something new. Not sure Last Jedi is going to deliver it...but fingers crossed.