Tyrphanax said:
I just wanna address this because it was my first thought in the theater and I quickly explained it to myself, so the continual complaints about it have been bothering me for a bit.

…Obviously, from a cinematic standpoint, landing further away gives you the drama and tension of the walk to the house. We all know that much. But “cinematically good” doesn’t always make sense realistically.

…there’s the chance that they’re taking precautions in case the Erso’s mined or otherwise trapped the surrounding area, considering he’s hiding from the Empire and has known Rebel connections.

…it comes down to a matter of politeness…especially when you’re making a “social call” to “appeal to a friend” to help you with a project.

I agree with you on some people getting weirdly hung up on the landing location. Personally, I think if someone goes into a film expecting to be let down, that’s most likely what will happen. Put another way; if a person is always looking for an excuse, they’ll find one. As we were discussing a few days ago, people tend to overlook things when they like a film and criticize those same elements when they don’t like a film.

Above are passages of yours that I think are well thought possible explanations. I also wanted to address another. I like your take on the cinematic reason for the long walk. It creates visual tension for the viewer. In-universe, it would create a physiological tension for the family. It also drew him out of the house and away from a position of safety. Fewer surprises from a guy walking out to talk. The aggressor controls the situation.