Rogue One succeeds at showing a darker and more desperate side of the Star Wars universe. The galaxy is being crushed under the Empire's oppression, the Rebel Alliance is being forced to resort to grim tactics in order to survive, and to top it all off the Empire is in the process of putting the finishing touches on some sort of super weapon. One rumored to have the power to destroy planets. All of this sets off a chain of events that make for the most unique Star Wars yet. One that feels more like a heist and war film than what's come before. One of the movie's greatest strengths is that it captures the bleak atmosphere one would expect from a Star Wars story set in this period of the series' timeline. There's a feeling of hopelessness that follows the characters around through every scenario they find themselves apart of. Nearly every planet they visit has that dirty, rundown, right in the middle of a warzone feel that sells the tone excellently. When it comes to the depiction of the state of the galaxy the movie succeeds near-perfectly. Another area where the movie is at it's best is in it's incredible battles. These conflicts standout as the best the series has to offer. The scale is grand, the stakes are intense, and the shear amount of eye candy is stunning. The series even gets involved in some non-blaster fights that rival the series best lightsaber duels despite not having a single Jedi in sight. When it comes to action the movie does not disappoint. Unfortunately the same thing cannot be said for it's writing and characters. Something that leaves an unfortunate sour patch in an otherwise stellar movie. It's not that the events aren't interesting. The concept of watching a ragtag team come together to steal the plans for the freaking Death Star with all odds stacked against them is one that would excite any Star Wars fan. The problem is that early on it just sort of moves in a way that unceremoniously throws them together. It jumps around so much at the beginning it's actually a little confusing to piece together what's going on. It doesn't take long for things to click, but when they do your left with an even bigger problem; you have no way to connect with the characters, so it's impossible to care about them. The exception being Alan Tudyk's excellent K-2SO. It's not that they're unlikable characters. It's just that there's no spark or flair to them that causes them to standout as anything more than the Star Wars universe's B-team. A group of bland faces meant to carry things on here while things are being prepared for Episode VIII. Given that the popularity of the Star Wars series partly stems from the compelling nature of it's characters and plot, it's disappointing to see the series first anthology film fall short in those areas. This is primarily a movie you watch for the spectacular action. I say primarily because the movie does have a great deal of fan-service for Star Wars fans. Things like special references and even a few surprise cameos are sure to please. Especially since they feel natural to the story and not just shoehorned in. So in the end Rogue One isn't a disaster. Just more of a disappointment in some areas. There are still plenty of reasons to check it out, longtime fan or not. It's noticeable differences in things like tone have the potential to appeal to newcomers. So in the end all is not lost.