Must see if you are a hardcore Star Wars Fan.

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2016)

Wow, just wow. As a huge fan of Star Wars, I was not expecting this movie to be good....at all. To be fair, I didn't read reviews or do any extensive research. All I knew was that it was a new director, not John Williams, and a Star Wars movie not on the main path of episodes.
And after watching "The Force Awakens" I felt like I, and other fans had been robbed and that Disney was just trying to cash in on the franchise with the return of the ever so many characters from the original trilogy, the way too many clichÃ©s, the humor that got really corny and annoying fast...etc.
So with J. J. Abrams not being the director, who I thought would have done an amazing job with the reboot, I really wasn't excited about this movie.
Anyways here are my opinions on "Rogue One"
THE GREAT:
VISUALS: Holy cow. I felt like I was in a "real" Star Wars Universe for once (setting aside episodes 4-6). It was dirty, realistic, chaotic...anything you SHOULD expect from a movie based on war, destruction, secrecy...etc.
COSTUMES: Okay, so this is where Rogue One is the star among the recent additions to our Star Wars adventures. The dirt, the grit, the EVERYTHING. This is how it should be (in my opinion) if you're actually fighting a WAR. All of the ridiculous costume design...especially in the "Phantom Menace" and the pristine look of the storm trooper armor from "The Force Awakens" makes absolutely no sense; Constant war should show some kind of visible...signs....ugh, does it need to be said, seriously. THANK YOU "Rogue One"
SCORE: Okay so Michael Giacchino had a huge task set for him. I mean, how do you follow up and add to the already beautiful scores set up by John Williams. Well, he does. It's a perfect blend of the nostalgic music we all know and his flare he adds. And by the way, this is coming from a professional violinist who went through music school. Don't be thrown off by the beginning...I mean you will be, but looking back at it...that's his flare...It was definitely a curveball. But by the end, your ever loving Star Wars Themes will be there.
FIGHT SCENES: So this is where I went in skeptical. I was thinking, no lightsabers? Star Wars? Huh?? Yeah, well watching Master Martial Artist Donnie Yen destroy storm troopers with a...uh...space stick/crossbow made up for that. WITH REAL MARTIAL ARTS AND NO FLIPPING AROUND SPECIAL EFFECTS. And to be fair, that was just one of the amazing fighting aspects throughout the film. I loved seeing the Gold and Red squadrons also!
Oh and back to the lightsaber issue. Well there is a scene with one. And lets just say that in about 2-3 minutes you'll see the best lightsaber scene in any of the Star Wars Movies. It's dark, terrifying, cruel, not forgiving, and what we'd want the most powerful force bearer in Star Wars history to unleash.
ACTORS: To Summarize, K2 the Droid....best droid invented. Donnie Yen, such a fascinating character besides the epic fights. Ben Mendelssohn as Krennic; He always delivers. Jyn and Cassian; At first I thought...oh great...another romance with a happy ending...think again. They have great interactions between each other.
Okay so don't be hating on me, but Grand Moff Tarkin...well I saw it in 3D and coupled with the voice actor and superb CGI, I was actually confused the entire movie on how the guy was still alive and looking the same since the 1970s. (Yeah I Know)
THE DEATH STAR....nothing more needs to be said.
THE BAD:
Saw Gerrera: I don't know, he just felt awkward and really pointless to the story. He also had very few scenes. I thought he was going to have more based off of the trailer. I honestly didn't know who on earth the character was based off of...I had to look it up. I haven't seen all of the "Clone Wars" stuff so yeah...but still...I thought he was going to be a major role but...well nope.
A few scenes in the first 20 or so minutes were a little odd. It was a little confusing figuring out how Jyn fit into the plot for a bit in my opinion but it was soon cleared up.
Bohdi Rook: I don't know, to me he seemed like a mediocre character throughout the entirety of the movie.
MY OVERALL REVIEW SUMMARY:
My Favorite Star Wars Movie since "The Empire" Strikes Back"
GO SEE IT!
11/10