If nothing else, we finally have a thoroughly good, occasionally great, Star Wars prequel now. Initially. when I saw it in theaters and to a certain extent afterwards, I thought that Rogue One was in the top five best Star Wars movies. Now, having had time to reflect on my initial thoughts and to rewatch the film on Blu-Ray, my opinion on the film has somewhat soured; that having been said, I will concede that Rogue One is still an exceptionally entertaining film that's only a few inches away from greatness.
Before I get to gushing over all the stuff I like about this movie, let me point out some of this film's biggest weak points. Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor make for two staggeringly bland leads. Come to think, none of the characters are well-developed to be described as three-dimensional. Forest Whitaker's voice is jarring and kind of laughable at times. The CGI used to bring back Grand Moff Tarkin is, while very impressive, perhaps TOO realistic (it's the whole "uncanny valley" effect once again). Finally, the first half of the film really drags the pacing down.
With all of that out of the way, Rogue One isn't without its redeeming qualities. Even the characters they're portraying aren't especially deep, the cast turns in some rather fine work. Personally, Alan Tudyk's gleefully sardonic work as K2SO and Donnie Yen's sheer awesomeness were my favorites out of the bunch. It should also be noted that Ben Mendelsohn makes for a great villain. And while the first half really does make the film feel longer than it actually is, the finally battle sequence is one of the best moments in the entire Star Wars franchise. Speaking of which, I must give credit where credit is due (considering that this movie gives the world what might be the best Darth Vader moment ever)*. Michael Giacchino once again proves why he's one of the best composers working nowadays with a rousing score (even if I still wish that the producers didn't scrap Alexandre Desplat's allegedly more unique compositions). Plus, it's all beautifully shot (it looks even better than Episode VII).
In the end, I do think that The Force Awakens is a better film overall; but, that isn't to say that Rogue One (I still refuse to call it "A Star Wars Story") is not worth your time. It's a good enough movie in the Star Wars saga that just a few strokes away from greatness.
ROGUE ONE gets a...
HEY, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD out of 10
*If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this.
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