There is nothing to spoil about this movie since it is the story of how the rebellion got the Death Star's plans. However, just to maintain the usual tone, the potential spoilers will be placed at the end of the post, right after the picture.
When a new Star Wars movie comes out, generically, you find two kinds of people: the overly enthusiastic no matter what, and the critic that accuse Disney to ruin the franchise. First, Phantom Menace is a scar that we will always bring in our heart. Second, Empire can't be beaten, get over it already. I say so only to be transparent on my positions about Star Wars and I will try to give a broad view of the elements of this film.
Rogue One is an anthology movie taking place before the events of A New Hope. In my opinion, it is more a movie taking place in the Star Wars universe, rather than a Star Wars movie. Therefore the scenario is a Galaxy in the middle of a war, a rebellion, and you will be thrown in the dirt with the events on screen. The film is picking up the legacy of Awakens and comes back to the dusty planets, the raw battles, the presence of an overwhelming power to be defeated.
It doesn't contain all the philosophy on what is good and what is not. This was a natural consequence of the presence of Jedi and Sith in every other Star Wars, here is simply not a theme. We are in a war and both sides are going to be tough; the realism of this aspect sheds a new light on the film, a more desperate and dark light. It is a story of hope and of sacrifice in the name of such hope. Therefore, the movie reminds a War World II film: there is a resistance, there are soldiers, and there is a lot of humanity fading away in front of your eyes.
The action scenes are simply amazing. The CGI is barely visible, the choreography is credible and never over the top (thus again closer to the Trilogy and Awakens than to the prequels). The battles, both in space and in the trenches, will keep you on the edge of your seats. The soundtrack is a revisitation of the original themes and it works spectacularly in a constant reminder of the past while introducing new features and, most importantly, remaining well embedded in every scene (a classic Star Wars move).
However, my enthusiasm has to be size down by a few bad aspects. First of all, the first two acts proceed from planet to planet, from situation to situation, with a very quick pace. The intention (and it is very well accomplished) is to collect piece by piece the full story and then make a great, mindblowing, third act. However, many arcs seem too squashed on the running plot: some character doesn't have a fluid evolution, some other is not explored with the accuracy that deserves, and some others are completely disposable and they have an unnecessarily high screen time. On the other side, the cameo are contained and I appreciated all of them, the comedy is reduced to a minimum and thus looks natural.
In a movie where it is fair to say that there is no wow effect coming from the plot, the intensity of a lot of scenes, first and foremost the entire third act of the film, is something that cannot be found in any other product of the franchise. This is the take-home feeling: it is difficult for me to judge the entire movie because I saturated my thoughts with that amazing final part. That's why I decided to see it again as soon as I can.
A final note on Darth Vader. He is barely in the movie, as he was in the trailer, and I have already seen a lot of people bitching about it. I just want to remind you that in a New Hope he had 12 minutes of screen time, but he was one of the best villains ever nevertheless. Here we find a Vader that is at his peak, fully matured, powerful, scary as hell. I don't care that he is not much on screen because everything he does is freaking awesome and I am screaming while I'm writing how good he was.
In conclusion, I had a good time, the movie is good but probably will not be a generational movie (and he doesn't mean to be one). The experiment of the anthology movie is a success and I look forward to the other ones, a good methadone while we wait for the saga to unravel every two years.
A small spoilery note, nothing that can ruin your view but don't proceed any further if you don't want to know.
Rogue One settle down an open debate about the fragility of the Death Star. While having some sort of exhaust port is necessary because it is how machines work, a lot of people complained about the fact that a single hit destroyed the most powerful weapon of the Galaxy. This is settled here since it is revealed that it was made on purpose by the true hero of the saga: the guy that designed it.
I just mention that because I am waving this hypothesis around since 25 years, give or take, and thus it is a good moment for me.
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