An uneven space war movie that's a departure from the Star Wars formula

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2017)

This review spoils the entire movie so don't read if you haven't seen it yet.
There are all kinds of Star Wars fans - those who adore the old movies but hate the prequels, those who defend the prequels and accuse 'The Force Awakens' of being a sell-out and a copy-cat, and those who think the animated show 'The Clone Wars' or the video games 'Knights of the Old Republic' are the best thing to come out of the franchise.
I'm in the camp that liked 'The Force Awakens' but wasn't too impressed with 'Rogue One'. Maybe I'm just a nostalgia fanboy who can't stomach anything new and different - TFA did the Star Wars formula by the book, whereas 'Rogue One' is daring and original. 'Rogue One' is not a proper installment in the Star Wars saga but rather an addition to one of the installments. It leads up to one of the most iconic movies in history. It's a difficult task, especially 40 years after that movie came out. If you watch 'Rogue One' and 'Star Wars' (also called 'Episode IV: A New Hope') back to back the difference in age is noticeable. The pacing is different, the special effects are different, the tone is different.
But 'Rogue One' has a tone that's different from any previous Star Wars movie. It's darker and faster, it introduces many characters and kills them off by the end, it features political scheming, and it has morally gray acts of terrorism. Other Star Wars movies are fantasy adventure: 'Rogue One' is more like a war movie. Its characters are agents of political powers, soldiers and spies, and it tells the story of a single operation in a larger conflict. It just happens to take place in space.
Does it work? I would say yes, although it stumbles at places. The script feels a bit unfinished at places, a sign that there were many changes to the movie during production. The character of Cassian is introduced as a back-stabbing scoundrel but ends up having a heart of gold, a bit like schizophrenic, exaggerated version of Han Solo's arc in Episode IV. The scene where Jyn's father is killed by friendly fire seems like it sets up Cassian as a troubled and twisted antihero but doesn't follow through, leaving the character half-baked. Saw Gerrera is similarly set up as an interesting, complex political agent, but is killed off before he has a chance to do much of anything.
Highlights of the movie were the intense space battles and the brief appearance of Darth Vader at the end, and I liked the scene where Chirrut walks through laser cross-fire unharmed. Maybe I'm just a sucker for space fantasy.
I have to mention the controversial CGI recreations of real actors. Peter Cushing died in 1994, and yet here he is on the big screen again in a new role, and he has a surprising amount of screen time. Carrie Fisher only appears briefly, but her appearance has unfortunate implications as she tragically passed away when the movie was still in cinemas and she is due to appear in future Star Wars installments as well, making the end of 'Rogue One' a rather morbid experience in hindsight.