A story and characters that won't hold up on the small screen

Rating: 6/10 (1 January 2017)

"Rogue One", as an actual Star Wars movie, left me surprisingly cold. I guess it all came down to the core group of characters, none of whom really clicked for me. Their whole campaign was a generic motley strike team story, seen before and done better in other films. It's actually kind of a snooze until the X-Wings show up. Prior to that, it's just hopping from one planet to the next.
But these characters aren't all that important, are they? this is another chapter in Disney's Cinematic Expanded Universe, and we're all here to see the lead-up to the original '77 Star Wars. In a way, this is almost more fan-fiction than "The Force Awakens" was. Everything's a nod or a reference, and to be honest, that's what's honestly satisfying about all of this; it's played to calculated effect. I got a kick out of seeing Darth Vader, not to mention the Tantive IV; the recycled '77 footage was nice touch; we had James Earl Jones and the red lenses again; and they actually did a decent job "reanimating" Peter Cushing.
But are they actually going to do something new with Star Wars or just keep playing on our nostalgia?
6/10
Leia didn't fare so well in the CGI department, but given the recent loss, the ending carried an unexpected poignance.