Great movie, re-energized my love of SW after disappointing #7

Rating: 9/10 (14 January 2017)

Some light spoilers.
I had very low expectations going into RO, because I felt horribly let down by #7. Sure it hit some buttons in the sense that the universe was there, some familiar faces (and ships) were present, but there was too much humour, it felt like #4 re-imagined, the plot lacked cohesion, (parts of it, like the planet sapping the suns was just laughable), emo villain (Khylo Ren) wasn't impressive, and a weak, semi-hysterical heroine who runs off into the forest when she discovers something difficult was disappointing.
I almost didn't go to SEE Rogue One, because after 1-3 and 7, I couldn't take any more disappointment. I LOVE Star Wars, it was a seminal series for me with lots of attachments and importance, and I couldn't take another battering by it. I love space and science fiction, and Star Wars grabbed the love I had of that genre and made it alive in front of my eyes. I am grateful for that.
My boyfriend's company had extra tickets for RO however and I went. At first I was confused a little - the story line comes together in pieces in the beginning, jumping from a remote planet to a prison to a mining colony, etc - but slowly the shape takes form.
Jyn is a terrific character; she tries desperately to hold what is happening at bay, because as she says to Saw, her former father figure, "all this has brought me is pain", and it's believable. But when confronted with a message from her real father Galen and what is going on she becomes a dedicated fighter, willing to sacrifice anything to stop the empire and make Galen's sacrifice mean something.
I loved the characters - from Bodhi, the cautious rebel who fully embraces the Alliance, to Churrit, the almost naively faithful guardian of the Jedi temple. The danger and urgency seem real - something 7 was lacking for me - and Cassian is a great character; a man hard from years of fighting the Empire who softens yet stays true to his principles.
The locations are great - from Scarif, the Empire's repository of plans to Yavin 4, faithfully reproduced as the rebel base, to Jedha, the site of a Jedi temple. I loved how everything isn't all spelled out - you know for instance what Jyn has is Khyber around her neck without being told, and you are left to wonder a bit how Bodhi really came to want to help to alliance; whether it was mostly because of the rape of Jedha, his homeworld, his admiration for Galen, or even more than that.
K-2SO, voice acted by Alan Tudyk, provides a few light moments in a story that feels urgent, deadly serious. The last 45 minutes or so, when the rebels decide to join the fight on Scarif whilst Rogue One is trying to steal the plans is amazing. I saw this movie in both Real 3D and IMAX, and it is stunning in both. It has some of the best space fighting and cinematography I've seen in any Star Wars movie.
When I first heard Peter Cushing's voice, I was surprised - I knew he had died years ago. His CGI is better than Carrie Fisher's at the end, FWIW. Tarkin is as creepy and loathsome as you remember him, and I am glad he was able to be included here, as he is key to the continuity and it segues into Star Wars: A New Hope.
The movie for me, however, wasn't without flaws. When General Dravin tells Cassian to kill Galen rather than capture him, it seemed ill advised - after all, the station is operational and Galen could be the only person to provide information on it to the rebellion. I do admit a capture operation is a bit more involved and perhaps Draven didn't want to sacrifice the forces necessary for it. Also Tarkin destroyed the repository on Scarif, which I also thought wasn't very reasonable. I don't believe he was certain about the status of any upload and the records for the ENTIRE empire were stored there. A huge loss, I would think, and if the Death Star is so impregnable as Tarkin seems to believe, then why worry even if they DID get the plans for the Death Star? Then I realised there might be another consideration - Tarkin knew that Director Krennick was on Scarif, and could have also been getting rid of a thorn in his side.
Despite these few questions, I think the movie is excellent and holds up well - perhaps better - after a few showings, when you have a bit of an orientation and you can enjoy the smaller details, drink in the battles.