I didn’t like the TFA Trailers. The more I saw, the more I was sure that this movie will suck. But I was wrong and the movie turned out to be really good (Shut up, Alderaan 😉 ). When the RO Trailers were released I got hyped. It looked like a story worth telling, really good FX, and characters I’d care about.
About two weeks before the release of the movie a friend of mine said:
'My biggest fear for Rogue One is the possibility of the worst retcon in movie history ever.
Picture this: Daddy Erso gives Jyn the plans, and with his dying breath he goes “exhaust port, I put it in as a weakness so you guys have a chance. Now go!” Just let it sink in for a minute and think about what that would possibly imply… that’s why I’m still wary when it comes to this movie. They will fuck directly with ANH.'
They can’t be that stupid, I thought. Boy, was I wrong again.
The story is okay, but not as good as it could have been. That’s what you get when you let the FX guy write the story. It’s almost as if the drummer of your band has an idea for a song, it gets mediocre at best.
The biggest problem I have with this movie are the characters. There wasn’t a single character I cared for. They were unappealing (Jyn Erso and Cassian (what’s his last name? Landoril?) more than anyone else), boring (the pilot, the blind guy and his friend) and annoying (the droid and mostly Jyn). And when the only death in your movie that touches anyone the slightest is the one of the droid, then you have a problem with character development. But maybe that’s not entirely the fault of the writer. The only good actor is Ben Mendelsohn. The rest of the cast has only one expression glued to their faces.
But WTF did they do to Vader? Again? Why had he to be in this movie anyway? To deliver… puns!?! To explain why he wears the robe on top of his chestplate in ANH (because Krennic rang him out of the bathtub five minutes before ANH starts and he wasn’t able to dress properly)? Seriously, WTF? His fight scene at the end looks badass but destroys the continuity with the OT. Vader fights slow but precisely, dammit! Let’s face it, he’s in there for fanservice only (‘I know, I should root for the rebels, but look how cool he fights. Go slaughter some more rebels, Darth!’). The better thing would have been: the plans were transmitted to the Tantive IV directly, the ship jumps to hyperspace and we cut to Vader who recieves the order to find that ship. It would have been fanservice without damaging the character any further.
The effects are top notch! Well, except for Grand Moff Toonkin, Leia, that Hentai thing and the destruction of the planet where that Hentai thing lives. The space scenes are awesome, as well as most of the locations.
The music is… meh. I was never a fan of Giacchino, but the soundtrack for RO sounds more like a parody than a SW soundtrack. Every time a SW theme seems to surface the melody changes as if Giacchino is afraid of beeing sued for copyright infringement.
Well, the movie isn’t a complete disaster, it had a few, quite enjoyable, moments (Rebels cameo, for example), but it’s by far the worst on my list of SW movies.
