This movie was fan service from beginning to end. I’m a fan, and I’ve been serviced. I was enthralled and exhilarated, and the ending had me laughing with joy. For example, whereas the use of X-wings and TIE fighters in TFA felt unfortunate and recycled, the same felt 110% at home and appropriate in this period film. Given that the two came out a mere year apart, it makes me wish JJ had let Rogue One be the movie to do the out and out nostalgia stuff like that. Maybe this should have been Disney’s first venture.
I left TFA feeling happy but a little ambivalent. Rogue One had little expectations or “risk,” and I felt great about it. It doesn’t have any existence except being derivative of ANH, and therefore arguably doesn’t add much to the story, but it was a hell of an enjoyable ride for this existing fan of the source material.
Vader was handled 98% spot on. 100% perfect visually, it seems, though his lightsaber moment was… typical, and JEJ doesn’t sound as rough as ANH Vader does.
All the cameos that I can remember at the moment felt natural and made sense, unlike many in the prequels and TFA. The exception is Panda Bobba and Dr. Evazan; I guess they were annoyed that Jyn bumped into them because they were making an absolute beeline to Wuther’s cantina on Tatooine.
Tarkin worked better than I thought he would, and had a larger role that I expected. He looked like he was 90% of the way through his transformation from being a Clone Wars cartoon. (Like he was a cartoon as a younger man, and was fully human in ANH, and he was aaaalmost done with his gradual change in Rogue One.)
Seeing classic X-wing fighter characters was an unexpected surprise and I think it was done well. It looks like a blend of stock footage and new contrivals, but I’ll have to see it again to be sure. Love that the Death Star plans look like shit; makes me glad to have cut their cameo from AOTC.
In the opening of ANH, Vader sees thorough Leia trying to deny that they have the plans, and tells her to cut the crap. In Rogue One, Vader has a murderous rage cut short as he tried to board the Tantive during a battle with the rebellion. The way he handles Leia at the start of ANH doesn’t quite seem to mesh 100% to me. But if that’s the biggest problem, it’s all right.
All in all, I enjoyed the initial viewing much more than my initial viewing of TFA. It’s a much less important film, and has nothing riding on it. Fan service that I’m inclined not to like in saga films shines and finds its rightful place in this one, altogether making an exhilarating ride as the backstory of how Princess Leia got the email that kicked ANH into motion.