A lot better than Episode VII

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2018)

I don't get the hate on this movie. It actually poses a great chance to introduce people who aren't Star Wars fans yet to the world, as it is the first completely independent movie, that introduces all characters seen. At the same time it does a great job at delivering the Star Wars world we fans know and love.
The major reason why Episodes VII and VIII are bad in my opinion, is because they completely mess up the continuation of already existing characters from the original movies, they do a poor job at creating new characters and they consistently made the wrong decisions with the design, making everything look more cheap and childish. Don't even get me started on the horrible "hero moments" and "punchlines" that felt out of place.
On the other hand, Rogue One didn't do any of these mistakes. It perfectly delivers the feel of the Star Wars Universe, with more flashy effects of course, but without fundamentally changing parts that shouldn't be changed. Funny scenes are only placed where they are appropriate. Character development and behavior is the way we know it from the original Star Wars movies, but with new Characters and a new Story of course.
The bottom line for me is: this movie is great for both people who have never seen Star Wars movies before, and for the people who have seen Episodes 1-6 and are curious what Disney has pulled of since buying the franchise. They managed to do a much better job on this one, than on Episodes VII and VIII.