Just saw “Rogue One”. I saw it in 3D RPX. Some random impressions:

The basic story, capturing the Death Star plans and thus tying it to ANH, was really well thought out. It was an exciting way to create a decent prequel… a far better and more fitting backstory to ANH than any of GL’s prequels. Fits nicely into the OT canon.

The character development was REALLY WEAK compared to TFA. In TFA, the main two characters were really well fleshed out, and I really connected with them and rooted for them. It was one of the strengths of TFA. By contrast, in Rogue One (is there an accepted acronym yet?), I found myself not really caring about anyone in particular. Neither of the two protagonists were sufficiently developed for me care about their demise at the end. The only character I slightly cared about was the blind guy’s assistant.

There were a few too many gaps. How did Jyn get captured by the Empire? What was the significance of the necklace? Saw Gerrera didn’t seem fearsome, he just seemed cuckoo, and it wasn’t clear to me why all these people were doing his bidding.

The ground battle went on way too long… I actually dozed off about halfway through it. When that extra batch of black storm troopers arrived, I moaned “aw c’mon”. By contrast, the space battle was fantastic. Some of the effects were staggering, especially the collision of the two imperial ships.

Tarkin and Leia were both extremely convincing, I thought. Really amazing that they can do that these days.

Vader single-handedly mowing down the rebels in the corridor with his light saber (and the force) was extremely well done. I thought it was one of the most powerful scenes in the film. I look forward to seeing that scene again.

I liked that the worlds were both gritty and complex. There was a lot to see in the nooks and crannies, without seeming gratuitous. The occasional easter eggs didn’t bother me, because they didn’t impact the story or shrink the universe.

The music was excellent, and the sound in the RPX theater was stunning. The 3D was rather understated - at times I even wondered if it was 3D.

In summary:

story, very good
effects, fabulous
characters, very poor
pacing, fair