Dour

Rating: 6/10 (13 January 2017)

A lot of my facebook friends were declaring this the best movie in the Star Wars series, so I was surprised when I saw on metacritic that critical reviews were mixed. But now I understand. Even the reviews of my girlfriend and myself were mixed; while she really liked this film, it left me cold.
Rogue One is a surprisingly dour movie for a series that usually embraces a fun aesthetic. The empire and rebel leaders are almost equally unlikable, and the story is a grim slog.
While my girlfriend spent the movie planning her Jyn Halloween costume, I found the character fairly bland; far less interesting than Force Awakens Rey or the original's Leia (or even, for that matter, Phantom Menace's princess). I cared for the rebel soldier in charge of the mission even less.
The best characters were easily the blind Chirrut and K-2SO. These two characters had the humor and heart I expect from Star Wars characters.
The basic idea of building a movie around something briefly mentioned in the original movie is a good one, and the story is pretty solid. But I never felt invested in the characters and little of the action actually excited me.
I don't understand anyone who claims this is the best movie in the series. Even my girlfriend wouldn't go that far. For me it was a huge disappointment.