The early reactions for Rogue One offer a subtle but important contrast to those of The Force Awakens.
After the premier of TFA, the reactions indicated that the fans’ hunger for nostalgia was satiated. The comments were along the lines of “Star Wars is back!!!” and “it was so great to see Han and Leia again, etc.” and “I love Rey”.
The early reactions to Rogue One speak of all the surprises. The moments where the fans got choked up. THe moments of humor. The excellent story. The twists and turns that have not even been revealed in spite of all that has been exposed in the months leading up to last night’s premier. The fact that all expectations were exceeded and that…it was better than TFA.
People have fooled themselves into believing TFA belongs in the pantheon of the Original Trilogy. It doesnt. And as more films are added to the Star Wars galaxy, TFA will be bumped further and further down the list. It is mediocre. An expensive film executed cheaply based on a flimsy premise.