Finally got around to this yesterday. Some thoughts in bulletpoints:
* Right off the bat I will just say that overall I enjoyed it a lot less than TFA.
* I managed to avoid learning much about the movie beforehand, so I thought they found some Peter Cushing lookalike actor. I did not know he was CG. So, they fooled me, although I was sitting in the front row so not the ideal viewing angle.
* Leia at the end, however, was completely distracting and in my mind, completely unnecessary. That moment would be much more effective if it happened in the background, from a distance.
* Too many fanservice moments. They felt fun in TFA, but obligatory here.
* This should be called "Noble Death Scenes: The Movie". So many leaden moments of poignant sacrifice it became laughable.
* Really not a fan of gritty bleakness in Star Wars. Some people love that, but for me, I go to this franchise for fun adventures. There was not much fun here. The first half was really dull, I was actually struggling to stay interested. Second half was considerably better.
* K2SO was great. Can't say I really cared much about any of the other characters. The only one whose name I can even remember is Jin. Blind Jedi was kind of enjoyable.
* Holy shit, blind dude's sidekick was Wen Jiang?? Mind blown. I hope this somehow results in Blu-Ray releases of Devils on the Doorstep, In the Heat of the Sun and The Sun Also Rises.
* I really like the idea of this movie. The notion that a lot of people died to get those plans is a throwaway moment in Star Wars, and I like the concept of exploring the story behind that. Had I known that that's what this movie was about, maybe I would have been more prepared for such a downer. Still, I think there could have been more fun in the course of the film while still having some dark notes.