A bit slow to start, but once it got moving it rolled right where I wanted it to go.
It’s funny how mostly everyone seems to agree on this. I do wonder though when people thought it started to get going. Personally I only really got tripped up (as I said before) by Cassian and Bodhi’s first scenes, figured everything out in the Yavin briefing, and finally got really into it once they were on Jedha. But I’ve heard some people say they didn’t get into until Eadu which I think is interesting. I wonder if it’s because I read Catalyst and more or less completely understood right out of the gate the Erso/Krennic conflict and Death Star engineering backstory.
It did feel like a big budget fan film, but there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that.
You know, when I first heard this I sort of scoffed it off, but it does make sense. Usually I think of that claim as a negative one (most fan films I’ve seen are not great), but in some ways it applies, and not in necessarily bad ways. The fan film kind of reverence for the source material is there but thankfully not overly so.
I loved the subtle ones, like using the exact shame shots of people preparing to fire the DS laser both times (which the filmmakers do in ANH and RotJ).
Haha yes! Loved that little touch.
Now the Star Wars franchise is expanding the universe, making “Star Wars” a setting and not just the Skywalker/Hero’s Journey arc, which is hard for some people to grasp. This is why they started with Episode VII and why JJ played it so safe. It was easing us into this change of concept. Eventually, we’ll move into the franchise mindset (admittedly easier for those who’ve been consuming the books/cartoons).
Yeah, honestly in so many ways Rogue One is really the first EU movie. Which is pretty cool.
Now the Star Wars franchise is expanding the universe, making “Star Wars” a setting
This has always been my view of the franchise. I’ve never understood people who hold such an incredibly narrow understanding(Jedi, Hero’s Journey, Skywalkers) of it.
I guess it depends what you mean by franchise. The larger franchise, absolutely I agree. Goddam would it be boring if every single book/cartoon/video game was just another Skywalker story. But when it comes to the main storyline I definitely feel personally that it’s not Star Wars without those very aspects.