Yes there is a lot of Fan Service here...but it's been done so well it actually works!

Rating: 9/10 (16 January 2017)

This film certainly puts the WAR in Star Wars! Action is not something lacking in Rogue One. In fact in some ways there's SO much action that the characters back stories do suffer a little from it.
That being said its a really enjoyable movie and wastes no time at all in getting to the action and the main plot points. The characters are well written and sufficiently complex enough to do the story justice. However there are parts where you feel there should have been more done to flesh the characters out a little so you care a little more about their struggle in the long run.
For fans of old-school Star Wars though there are plenty of moments that will have you grinning from ear to ear! From the return of classic ships and vehicles to some very unexpected but welcome cameos. (Not the ones getting the most press I might add.)
Like The Force Awakens it really benefits from a physical and hands on film-making style. It definitely expands and builds upon many things we first saw in A New Hope all those years ago and since watching Rogue One a re-visit to Episode IV now seems to give many scenes and occurrences within that movie take on a more intriguing and deeper meaning.
It has its faults however I was willing to let those little niggles slide simply because this was one roller-coaster ride of a movie! (Especially the last third of the story.) Hopefully with the success of Rogue One Lucasfilm will go ahead now and make more "Star Wars Story" movies that give die-hard fans like myself more of an insight into this vast and rich galaxy of heroes, rogues and villains.