I feel like the movie I saw is not the same movie you guys saw. It was the best looking Star Wars film I’ve seen in years. It was shot masterfully, and was acted fairly well. But it was devoid of any substance. The prequels had more of a soul than this film. There was little to no character development. I can’t even tell you the names of the people I saw in the film. I’ve watched it twice now. Don’t get me started on Tarkin…I’m going to be having nightmares of that for years. I also think Darth Vader didn’t belong in a single frame of the film. It’s completely out of his character to swing his light-saber through the halls like a madman, only to be calm and collective in the first shots of A New Hope. Those are 2 completely different characters. Why also doesn’t he mention their escape? He just mentions that the plans were transmitted by spies. There’s none of the anger or urgency you see in the final frames of Rogue One. I don’t even think the stormtroopers would’ve fired a shot if the rebels weren’t waiting with their blasters ready.

For a film that was supposed to be the dark and gritty Star Wars film, it played things too safe, and didn’t allow the audience to become invested in the characters. Yeah, the Death Star is a big threat that needs to be stopped, but we know it’s going to be stopped in a much more interesting film, by characters we care about. The way to make the film have it’s own drama and it’s own voice is to make you care about the characters.