A Star Wars dream come true.

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2016)

I rated this film an 8/10, the same rating I gave The Force Awakens, but for different reasons. Rogue One felt more in line with the George Lucas look and tone, and this film served the fans, despite being thin on plot;--it sure was heavy on nostalgia.
The first thing that surprised me was just how beautiful and visual this film was. Gareth Edwards is a master of smoke, silhouettes, shadows and action and is a far better visual director than JJ Abrams is. I also thought the pacing of the film was superb, and even though we knew that the rebel alliance would emerge victorious at the end, some of the scenes at the end were very tense! One of the things I hated about The Force Awakens was the musical score. Rogue One's score was pure John Williams. This was a movie that serves the fans. And as a 39 year old Star Wars fan, the darker tone of this film was welcomed.
I felt like I was watching a WW2 film with a Star Wars skin. It was pretty brutal at times, minus the blood, especially the ground battles, which were so well choreographed. On the topic of action, Rogue One is Space Opera at its finest. I'm not usually the one for CGI heavy films, but the CGI in Rogue One was so spectacular and well choreographed, that I couldn't possibly complain. This is Industrial Light and Magic's magnum opus! Before I get to the negatives of the film, I'll just say that this film did one thing to me that The Force Awakens did not and that was, bring me to tears. When I saw Darth Vadar at the end do some things, bloody things, I just lost it.
I'd rate Rogue One even higher if it wasn't for its thin lot. What the Force Awakens had was a unique, conflicted villain, central characters and a story that raised many questions. But in a sense, those strengths were also the film's weakness because unlike Rogue One, the Force Awakens didn't really leave you with a satisfying ending. Rogue One left me satisfied as the end credits rolled because it had a beginning, middle and end. I just wished it had stronger characterizations.
My final word is this;-- I hope Gareth Edwards directs more Star Wars films in the future! Period.