This is the Star Wars film I've always wanted

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2016)

After seeing Empire Strikes Back in the early 1980's I wanted more of that moodier, sobering atmosphere. Return Of The Jedi went in the feel-good, comedic direction. I didn't care for it. Episodes 1, 2 and 3 were focused too much on technical and political things, so I never liked them. The Force Awakens I felt was okay, but my hope for another dark Star Wars film was all but squashed. Out of seven films, I only cared for ESB, so I stood in line to watch Rogue One with my expectations set to the lowest levels. I was pleasantly surprised! Rogue One is dark, serious, and has a sobering conclusion that I found utterly satisfying. This is now my all-time favorite Star Wars film. The lack of many of the familiar Star Wars elements such as the opening Star Wars logo with accompanying text scrawl, or even John William's familiar movie scoring (he does the music in Rogue but it's nothing familiar) made me feel I was watching a fresh, new and improved Star Wars. I loved the movie immensely from start to finish.