Rogue One

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2017)

Rogue One is a standalone chapter in the Star Wars saga. This movie takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and is about a rebel group called Rogue One, which steals the plans of the construction of Death Star (previously mentioned in the pre-text of A New Hope).
Talking of positives, this film is beautifully shot. Many scenes and visuals were breathtaking, all credits to Gareth Edwards. His direction, like his previous feature, Godzilla, is fantastic and is probably the best in all of the Star Wars saga. This film continues the use of more practical effects which started with The Force Awakens, and I highly doubt this film will age visually atleast another decade.
This film is unlike any other in the Star Wars saga. It darker, and isn't an "epic" film by any means, and I'm happy to see that they didn't try to make one, as it would make the film feel bloated.
Coming to the script, the dialogues aren't wooden compared to the prequel trilogy, although there are some issues with the characters. None of the characters other than Jyn Erso are given a proper back story, so it's very hard to care for the characters. The father-daughter dynamic between Jyn Erso and Galen Erso is cliched, and Forest Whitaker's character, Saw Gerrera didn't impact the story much as he is killed off too early in the film.
Cassian Andor's decision to join hands with Jyn Erso doesn't feel justified, and their chemistry completely fails, due to lack of screen time given for that. The side characters suffer from this as well, although the scenes are highly entertaining with them in it.
Darth Vader's scenes are great as usual, although I wished to have more of him in the film. Since the stakes are much lower in this film, than any other in the Star Wars saga, it makes sense to have a lesser involvement of him in this film, compared to the OT.
This is a pretty good start to the Star Wars spinoff saga, and I really hope they go on to make better ones.
7/10