Rogue One: A Review!

Would you believe that I really enjoyed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? I know, I'm as surprised as you are. No spoilers here, just a few quick words on the movie:

The reviews for Rogue One have been pretty positive and I think they're pretty well deserved. If I try and remove myself from the fandom for a minute I think there's plenty in Rogue One for any non-Star Wars geek to enjoy. Of course removed from that fandom there's not a ton about the movie that would make it incredibly memorable. The best parts of the movie really are in the details.

Sure the actors do a fine job but outside of Alan Tyduk's smart ass robot there's not really a break out character. It's like the San Antonio Spurs of casts. Everyone is really good and they win a ton of games but outside of San Antonio no one is buying a lot of their jerseys. The action is fine and nicely paced, there's a couple really dramatic scenes and there's the expected razzmatazz with the special and practical effects. If this is the kind of overall quality we can expect from all the Star Wars spin-offs Disney has planned I think most fans will be pretty happy.

Where the movie really shines though is how it fits into the main story of the Star Wars universe. It took 15 years but finally we have a prequel that feels at home with the original trilogy. A lot of care and detail went into making sure this movie lined up perfectly with Episode IV. Of course they didn't stop there, there are so called Easter eggs for the two new Cartoons, Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. If you're really into Star Wars cannon there's a lot in this movie for you.

Much like when The Force Awakens came out last year, some fans are probably a little too eager to call Rogue One the best or the second best Star Wars movie ever. It's definitely a good movie, better than any of the prequels maybe not as enjoyable as The Force Awakens though. I don't know, ranking the Star Wars movies basically comes down to how much you can stand Death Stars and Ewoks. Personally I'll take more Ewoks over Death Stars any day of the week.