A spoiler-free review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
While some over-exuberant fans praised The Force Awakens for taking them back to their childhoods, there was a significant portion of the Star Wars fandom who felt that the recycled plot, confusing character arcs and return to a status quo resolved in Return of the Jedi was not satisfactory. The charm, or magic as some called it was certainly present in whispered glimpses; but these glimpses could only disguise the shallow plot machinations and rushed production if you consciously chose not to look. With another year to gestate The Force Awakens could have been good; the characters and their arcs could have taken true form. Unfortunately money talks, and it was not to be.
One year later and where The Force Awakens failed, Rogue One has succeeded – and spectacularly.