This movie went rogue, alright.

Rating: 6/10 (22 December 2016)

I had high expectations for Rogue One after hearing from people who said it was their favorite Star Wars film. I am not really sure what movie they watched, but the movie that I saw left me disappointed when those expectations weren't met. This movie had a sluggish pace and its seemed to struggle to tell a story that could have been told much more swiftly.
Most of the supporting characters were under developed and lacked the heart needed for me to genuinely care about them. Felicity Jones on the other hand, delivered as protagonist Jen Erso. That said, Erso's relationship with Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, felt forced, unconvincing and lacked sparks of anything. Han Solo and Princess Leia they are not.
The character's use of the word "force" felt misplaced and a little misguided. The climatic space and ground battle scenes in the second act is where this film clearly shined.
The deliberately darker tone in this film stands as a stark contrast to Lucas' prequel trilogy. In comparison, I must give Rogue One a nod. But is this stand-alone better than "A new hope", "Empire strikes back" and "the Force Awakens"? Not in a million light years.