Perhaps the most anticipated film of the year, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is the next chapter in the “Star Wars” saga. This film will delight “Star Wars” fanatics as always, but for the skeptics, it is a decent film and a hopeful signal that creativity is finally returning to the “Star Wars” franchise.

Directed by Gareth Edwards, “Rogue One” is a standalone film that does not follow the progression of the “Star Wars” narrative that continued last year with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Instead, it is a spin-off story about the ragtag group of rebels that steal the schematics for the Death Star, the deadly battle station that was destroyed by Luke Skywalker and company in the original 1977 film “Star Wars: A New Hope.” 

Compared to “The Force Awakens,” “Rogue One” is a significant improvement.

“The Force Awakens” failed to open up a new chapter in the “Star Wars” saga by producing a carbon copy of “A New Hope,” stealing the same exact plot line, character types and scenes from the iconic first film. The result was a horribly bland, unoriginal film that was designed exclusively to reel the fanbase back in by providing nostalgia for the original trilogy.

More than anything, the low quality of “The Force Awakens” was a worrisome sign that the franchise was going on a path that favored the cookie-cutter blockbuster rather than the far-out creativity that the original “Star Wars” films were founded on.

Thankfully, “Rogue One” is not totally bleached and uncreative. Now that the franchise’s fanbase has been reestablished, the film is able to take risks and bend the traditional sci-fi action narrative in ways “The Force Awakens” failed to do.

Two standout qualities are the storyline and the tone of the film.

Because “Rogue One” is about a well-known, but incomplete portion of the “Star Wars” story, the film is able to tell a new narrative but also throw in connections to the pre-existing films. The result is a very holistic narrative.

Secondly, the tone of the film is far darker than expected. While reoccurring themes of hope, bravery and heroism are present, just like in any other “Star Wars” film, “Rogue One” touches on deeper themes such as loyalty to a cause and martyrdom, which give it an adult edge.

While “Rogue One” is not a sterile, uninspired film, it is certainly not without its fair share of faults.

“Rogue One” is filled with undefined, boring characters. Aside from Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the heroine who leads the rebel cause after her father divulges the location of the Death Star plans, everyone else is essentially a one-dimensional vessel designed only to carry out the plot.

A key reason for this is because there were too many characters. Having a cast of six major characters is fine for a franchise that plans to spread out their narratives over the course of a trilogy, but it becomes too much for a standalone film. “Rogue One” gives too much screen time to pointless secondary characters instead of fleshing out the main two characters the movie centers around.

Acting is also not the film’s strong suit. There is nobody who stands out amid the cast of rigid, serious actors playing one-dimensional characters. Acting is the only category where “The Force Awakens” exceeds “Rogue One,” which starred two leads with enough skill and charisma to carry the film.

“Rogue One” also falls victim to a host of sci-fi, blockbuster film clichés. This includes some pacing issues, overly long battle sequences and a very anti-climactic final confrontation between the main hero and villain. There are also many scenes quite similar to previous “Star Wars” scenes.

This is where “Rogue One” benefits from being a standalone film. It is not a part of the true “Star Wars” story, but rather a spin-off film, so there is no pressure to conform to the expectations of a rabid audience. This led to more creative risks, some of which didn’t work out but overall were still positive steps.

“Rogue One” is a movie that is fairly average, but trending upward. As a film alone, it isn’t that much better than the typical sci-fi, blockbuster film that has consistently dominated the movie market.

But for the “Star Wars” franchise, it is a big step forward. After the massive misstep that was “The Force Awakens,” “Rogue One” brings a semblance of uniqueness and creativity back to the iconic film series. If this is indicative of the direction the rest of the new films are going in, then it is a positive thing.

More than anything else, “Rogue One” provides excitement and hope that creativity is returning to the remaining “Star Wars” films.