It probably only works as 'A Star Wars Story', since it's that context that gives the film's events their significance. So it's hard to assess this film 'on its own terms' as it were. Still and all, I thought Rogue One was pretty good - it moves slickly but has a decent dose of military grit to it, not least in the fates of every single one of the main (good) protagonists. Directed by Gareth Edwards and while it doesn't have the same distinctive touch that characterised his work in Monsters and Godzilla, there's nonetheless a deftness that also plays its part in elevating Rogue One despite its franchise-y trappings.
