Got out of Rogue One...
...and it got off to a rough start at first, but in the end, it was really good.
Trailers I got:
I got the trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming (which someone in my theater actually whooped at), the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (which looks great), The Boss Baby (also known as one of the stupidest premises of a movie ever), Transformers 5 (which doesn't look awful) and War for the Planet of the Apes (which looks...okay). Oh yeah, and The Fate of the Furious.
The movie experience:
Let's say I had a very vocal audience, who cracked up at everything Alan Tudyk's character said even if I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be funny (like his "there is no horizon" line -- that was actually terrifying, in my opinion, maybe because the destruction earlier was so terrifying. Krennic's comment about it being "beautiful" didn't help matters) and who seemed to like the film a lot -- even clapping when the credits came up. My feelings about the film are admittedly more complicated. It had a good beginning, started sagging, and then got good again near the end.
I also went out to dinner, and later went to see the Festival of Lights, all with the same friend I've been going to movies with. That was interesting, going back there -- last time I went there was as a kid, actually. So that was all fun.
The good:
-Jyn was awesome. It was cool seeing her character evolve from self-centered to ultimately selfless, being willing to sacrifice herself to ultimately save the galaxy. It's a role that women in Star Wars I can't say are often put into, the heroic sacrifice aspect, aside from Mira in KOTOR II, and Bastila in KOTOR (it should be noted that the reason Bastila ended up in captivity in the first place was saving Revan from his/her former apprentice because (a) however you play the game, she clearly had a lot invested in Revan, and (b) she wanted Revan to save the galaxy and himself/herself. Even typing that gave me a new appreciation for Bastila), so it was interesting if also tragic seeing Jyn in that role. (It sucked that Rogue One as a whole died, though, even if they ultimately did go out doing something good, and they didn't go out with a whimper)
-Saw's reaction to seeing Jyn again was genuinely touching.
-The beginning scene, with Krennic finding Galen and his family, and Jyn being forced to hide (also, dang, that poor little girl), was very well done. Krennic was suitably imposing (and that went down the drain as the movie progressed, unfortunately, including him impotently raging at Tarkin when the latter takes over for him, so...the beginning really is a case of the writer's setting up an intriguing villain and not knowing what to do with him afterwards), and you have that intriguing hint of history between him and Galen. And Mads Mikkelsen does a beautiful job of playing a loving father; you really do believe this is someone who'll do anything for his family. Even lie to the Empire the whole time. Dude...you are awesome.
-The explanation of the Death Star design flaw was actually very clever.
-Vader's back, and he's kicking some butt. Seriously, near the end when he first basically curb stomps the Rebel soldiers (who just barely manage to smuggle out the plans) is an amazing sequence, and I admit I wish that there was more Vader in the film so we could see more of that. Also, earlier, him Force choking Krennic while making a crack at his expense. (And it fits in Vader's character -- he may not be as snarky as, say, Kylo Ren, who is a pretty snarky guy; see also his rather unflattering comment about Hux's troops and "they're certainly skilled at committing high treason". But Vader's still snarky; see also "Apology accepted, Captain Needa" after Force choking the poor guy)
-Rogue One in general was very likable and easy to get behind.
-The scene where Rogue One ultimately bands behind Jyn was a great scene, it really was.
-The ending really tied things together.
The bad:
-The Rebellion was really a bunch of Designated Heroes in their first appearance. I pretty much hated them the moment they threatened to drop Jyn off where they found her -- that being the AT-AT leading to an Imperial labor camp, and that hatred deepened when they chickened out initially for Scarris. They just seemed to lack compassion in the beginning, as well as bravery, and it made me miss the Resistance. One of the things I adored about TFA was its focus on compassion
-- Poe for Finn, Rey for Finn, Finn for Rey and Poe, Leia for Finn, Han and Leia for Kylo * (especially Han and Kylo. I mean, Jesus. It's clear Han thinks the galaxy of him), and even Kylo for Rey. JJ Abrams is very idealistic and has a lot of hope and belief, and that seems to leak through into his projects, from Kirk offering Nero mercy to how Khan was handled in Into Darkness to Finn and Kylo and more. (And I guess I'm terrified Episode Eight is going to go, "Compassion? Compassion's for the weak" and just throw that out completely. The odds are pretty high)
But yeah, in Rogue One, the Rebellion really lacked heroic qualities in the beginning. There's their lack of compassion towards Jyn and threatening to lock her back up (possibly sending her back to the Imperial labor camp she was headed towards), and there was their refusing to initially fight on Scarris. Just...dear God. If you're going to have heroes, actually have them be heroic. So yeah, I really did hate Mon Mothma in this. She was hands down my least favorite character in this film.
-Krennic was pretty forgettable. He started out strong at first, what with his confrontation with Galen, and it made me curious to learn their history, but then he just seemed to fizzle out somewhere along the line and become forgettable. He's not complex like Kylo Ren or Vader, imposing like Vader or Snoke, charismatic like Dooku or Vader or Ren, snarky like Ren, tragic like Vader, Grievous, Dooku or Ren, or entertaining like Palpatine, or has a cool voice like Snoke, Dooku, Vader, or Ren. He's just there. My friend joked about him being Palpatine's grandson who was promoted because of nepotism, and honestly, it's good as any an explanation as to why he was there, besides the matter of Jyn's backstory. I think it would have been interesting if we followed up on what he said to Galen in the beginning and had him believe, for example, that the Death Star was the best way to impose order on the galaxy and keep people in line (all in the name of peace and security, of course). Tarkin was a sadist, pure and simple, but Krennic could have been a good contrast. But here...it wasn't even like he was a mustache twirler like King Rash; he just had almost no personality. He had some good moments, but otherwise, he was just bland, and you definitely don't want a bland villain.
-That CGI. Tarkin and Leia weren't bad, but Mothma's CGI was...questionable. A lot.
*And on a sidenote, I don't think that Han was the bad father that fanon likes to portray him as. I think he was a flawed father, and Leia was a flawed mother -- not terrible, not narcissistic as one article accused her of being, but flawed. Both of them clearly thought the galaxy of their son, but it didn't keep them from making certain mistakes (Leia sending Ben to Luke, for starters, which she actually says was a mistake). As for Ben/Kylo, it's likely Snoke fed him a lot of bullcrap along the lines of Ben being weak, Han being weak, up is down and left is right, and Han knew that on some level (did he have an encounter with Snoke before?) when he confronted Kylo on the bridge. That's my very off-topic headcanon, at least.
So overall? I say go see it. It gets a bit rough after the beginning, but gets spectacular by the end.
Trailers I got:
I got the trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming (which someone in my theater actually whooped at), the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (which looks great), The Boss Baby (also known as one of the stupidest premises of a movie ever), Transformers 5 (which doesn't look awful) and War for the Planet of the Apes (which looks...okay). Oh yeah, and The Fate of the Furious.
The movie experience:
Let's say I had a very vocal audience, who cracked up at everything Alan Tudyk's character said even if I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be funny (like his "there is no horizon" line -- that was actually terrifying, in my opinion, maybe because the destruction earlier was so terrifying. Krennic's comment about it being "beautiful" didn't help matters) and who seemed to like the film a lot -- even clapping when the credits came up. My feelings about the film are admittedly more complicated. It had a good beginning, started sagging, and then got good again near the end.
I also went out to dinner, and later went to see the Festival of Lights, all with the same friend I've been going to movies with. That was interesting, going back there -- last time I went there was as a kid, actually. So that was all fun.
The good:
-Jyn was awesome. It was cool seeing her character evolve from self-centered to ultimately selfless, being willing to sacrifice herself to ultimately save the galaxy. It's a role that women in Star Wars I can't say are often put into, the heroic sacrifice aspect, aside from Mira in KOTOR II, and Bastila in KOTOR (it should be noted that the reason Bastila ended up in captivity in the first place was saving Revan from his/her former apprentice because (a) however you play the game, she clearly had a lot invested in Revan, and (b) she wanted Revan to save the galaxy and himself/herself. Even typing that gave me a new appreciation for Bastila), so it was interesting if also tragic seeing Jyn in that role. (It sucked that Rogue One as a whole died, though, even if they ultimately did go out doing something good, and they didn't go out with a whimper)
-Saw's reaction to seeing Jyn again was genuinely touching.
-The beginning scene, with Krennic finding Galen and his family, and Jyn being forced to hide (also, dang, that poor little girl), was very well done. Krennic was suitably imposing (and that went down the drain as the movie progressed, unfortunately, including him impotently raging at Tarkin when the latter takes over for him, so...the beginning really is a case of the writer's setting up an intriguing villain and not knowing what to do with him afterwards), and you have that intriguing hint of history between him and Galen. And Mads Mikkelsen does a beautiful job of playing a loving father; you really do believe this is someone who'll do anything for his family. Even lie to the Empire the whole time. Dude...you are awesome.
-The explanation of the Death Star design flaw was actually very clever.
-Vader's back, and he's kicking some butt. Seriously, near the end when he first basically curb stomps the Rebel soldiers (who just barely manage to smuggle out the plans) is an amazing sequence, and I admit I wish that there was more Vader in the film so we could see more of that. Also, earlier, him Force choking Krennic while making a crack at his expense. (And it fits in Vader's character -- he may not be as snarky as, say, Kylo Ren, who is a pretty snarky guy; see also his rather unflattering comment about Hux's troops and "they're certainly skilled at committing high treason". But Vader's still snarky; see also "Apology accepted, Captain Needa" after Force choking the poor guy)
-Rogue One in general was very likable and easy to get behind.
-The scene where Rogue One ultimately bands behind Jyn was a great scene, it really was.
-The ending really tied things together.
The bad:
-The Rebellion was really a bunch of Designated Heroes in their first appearance. I pretty much hated them the moment they threatened to drop Jyn off where they found her -- that being the AT-AT leading to an Imperial labor camp, and that hatred deepened when they chickened out initially for Scarris. They just seemed to lack compassion in the beginning, as well as bravery, and it made me miss the Resistance. One of the things I adored about TFA was its focus on compassion
-- Poe for Finn, Rey for Finn, Finn for Rey and Poe, Leia for Finn, Han and Leia for Kylo * (especially Han and Kylo. I mean, Jesus. It's clear Han thinks the galaxy of him), and even Kylo for Rey. JJ Abrams is very idealistic and has a lot of hope and belief, and that seems to leak through into his projects, from Kirk offering Nero mercy to how Khan was handled in Into Darkness to Finn and Kylo and more. (And I guess I'm terrified Episode Eight is going to go, "Compassion? Compassion's for the weak" and just throw that out completely. The odds are pretty high)
But yeah, in Rogue One, the Rebellion really lacked heroic qualities in the beginning. There's their lack of compassion towards Jyn and threatening to lock her back up (possibly sending her back to the Imperial labor camp she was headed towards), and there was their refusing to initially fight on Scarris. Just...dear God. If you're going to have heroes, actually have them be heroic. So yeah, I really did hate Mon Mothma in this. She was hands down my least favorite character in this film.
-Krennic was pretty forgettable. He started out strong at first, what with his confrontation with Galen, and it made me curious to learn their history, but then he just seemed to fizzle out somewhere along the line and become forgettable. He's not complex like Kylo Ren or Vader, imposing like Vader or Snoke, charismatic like Dooku or Vader or Ren, snarky like Ren, tragic like Vader, Grievous, Dooku or Ren, or entertaining like Palpatine, or has a cool voice like Snoke, Dooku, Vader, or Ren. He's just there. My friend joked about him being Palpatine's grandson who was promoted because of nepotism, and honestly, it's good as any an explanation as to why he was there, besides the matter of Jyn's backstory. I think it would have been interesting if we followed up on what he said to Galen in the beginning and had him believe, for example, that the Death Star was the best way to impose order on the galaxy and keep people in line (all in the name of peace and security, of course). Tarkin was a sadist, pure and simple, but Krennic could have been a good contrast. But here...it wasn't even like he was a mustache twirler like King Rash; he just had almost no personality. He had some good moments, but otherwise, he was just bland, and you definitely don't want a bland villain.
-That CGI. Tarkin and Leia weren't bad, but Mothma's CGI was...questionable. A lot.
*And on a sidenote, I don't think that Han was the bad father that fanon likes to portray him as. I think he was a flawed father, and Leia was a flawed mother -- not terrible, not narcissistic as one article accused her of being, but flawed. Both of them clearly thought the galaxy of their son, but it didn't keep them from making certain mistakes (Leia sending Ben to Luke, for starters, which she actually says was a mistake). As for Ben/Kylo, it's likely Snoke fed him a lot of bullcrap along the lines of Ben being weak, Han being weak, up is down and left is right, and Han knew that on some level (did he have an encounter with Snoke before?) when he confronted Kylo on the bridge. That's my very off-topic headcanon, at least.
So overall? I say go see it. It gets a bit rough after the beginning, but gets spectacular by the end.