It’s hard to criticise Rogue One because where it fails in terms of ridiculous aliens, clunky dialogue and absurd plot devices (the floppy disk that contains all the plans to the Death Star, the big red button that is the only way for imperial command to speak to its ground troops) it is in keeping with its forebears. Indeed this had to be the case as Rogue One ends moments before A New Hope (episode IV) begins.
Even though The Force Awakens (episode VIII) was an accomplished Star Wars reboot, its reliance on well-worn (worn-out?) characters and story lines means that Rogue One is the better film. It’s just a shame that all the stars of Rogue One die in the end (that’s not a spoiler given none of them appear in episode IV). All of them are great, even the comic relief robot, who is funnier than R2-D2 and C-3PO ever were.
