An improvement over "The Force Awakens"

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2016)

To a certain degree, I initially kind of enjoyed "The Force Awakens" despite finding some significant flaws, the main one being that it had WAY WAY too many echoes of the original 1977 "Star Wars" movie. But the more I thought about it afterwards - and I thought about it a lot - I realized how unsatisfying it really was. So now my opinion of it is a definite thumbs-down. So I was not looking forward to "Rogue One" when it came to my neighborhood, but I finally broke down and went to see it after getting a number of positive reports about it.
I just got home from the theater, and my state of mind feels a lot more positive than what I got from "T.F.A.". It's definitely a stronger (and better) movie in a number of aspects. What I thought was really interesting about it was how kind of downbeat it was. It shows that war is really painful and not fun at all, and that good guys do get killed (though I didn't think it would be to the extent it was in the end.) But despite the strong cynical edge, there is also plenty of excitement and action, some fine special effects, and occasional (and welcome) touches of humor.
The movie is not perfect, certainly. While I did appreciate the gritty and cynical feel of the movie, it unfortunately extends to the photography and the lighting for the most part. The movie is so dark-looking I would have welcomed any character bringing in a flashlight. Also, I was disappointed that Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen was largely wasted - I could see great potential in his character that was simply not realized. Speaking of the rest of the cast, the CGI-generated Grand Moff Tarkin, while not as bad-looking as some reports have put it, didn't look quite right. And Darth Vader in his appearance didn't seem to be acting quite like the Vader we know from the 1977 movie, acting a bit too lively with his words. The script also has some greatly predictable touches here and there.
Weighing the good with the not-so-good, in the end you have a fairly decent "Star Wars" entry. It's no classic, but it is a noble try and it does reasonably entertain. However, I cannot help but wonder if my opinion of the movie will change in the weeks to come like it did with "T.F.A."....