The perfect portrayal of a gritty war movie

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2020)

This movie wasn't perfect all-around, but it is a perfect portrayal of the "wars" in "Star Wars."
Let's start off with the few problems with the films:
1. Pacing - The first part of this film was kind of lacking in pacing, but I won't bug about it too much because this is a film that you need to be emotionally attached to the characters, hence it would be difficult to do that for just a standalone film.
2. Jyn's Story - I feel like the way of portraying Jyn in this film was kind of off. They put too much effort in explaining Jyn's story such as full-on flashbacks (didn't mind the opening scene though) which aren't always needed when they could've done it in more subtle ways.
Let's move on to the many strengths of this film:
1. Cinematography - This movie takes cinematography to Star Wars in a whole new level and is not even challenged by the cinematography of the other movies. Every single shot of the Death Star or its victims are purely outstanding, and The Devastator (Vader's Star Destroyer that came in late into the Battle of Scarif) exiting hyperspace was both aesthetically pleasing and stroke fear into the viewers.
2. Portrayal of the Empire - The Empire in this movie was portrayed to perfection. In the Originals, most Imperials, especially the Stormtroopers, were portrayed as a weak force in comparison to the heroes of the Rebellion, which is fair considering Stormtroopers are grunts of the Empire against heroes of the Rebellion. However, this film really portrays them as a scary force, and they are even portrayed as elites that are much more skilled than the rebels (an example being the Death Troopers).
3. Portrayal of the Rebellion - The Rebellion in this movie was portrayed as a group of hopefuls and not an unbreakable shield. The Rebels are also portrayed as literally terrorists (i.e. Battle of Jedha) and would favor guerilla attacks regardless of the risk of civilian casualties. They are even portrayed as "just an alliance" who would constantly argue on things.
4. Battle of Jedha - The Battle of Jedha was a perfect portrayal of the Imperials as Marines on-duty and the Rebels as actual terrorists. It shows how Rebels would naturally prefer guerilla attacks and would favor hiding within the civilians instead of going head-on against the Empire. It also shows us how Stormtroopers should genuinely be able to hit their targets and actually use their scopes unlike in the OT.
5. Battle of Eadu - The Battle of Eadu was a great mid-movie battle to keep you interested. It even gives you that gritty war theme due to the battle being set on a rainy evening. The X-Wings flying through the rain is a beautiful scene before the start of a short but satisfying battle.
6. Battle of Scarif - The Battle of Scarif is, hands-down, the best battle in all of Star Wars (both ground and space). The fanservice of rebels exiting hyperspace was a good way to start the battle along with the appearance of Red Leader and Gold Leader. The Star Destroyers in this were portrayed as extremely menacing but had a vulnerability, which is nice. The fleet of TIEs exiting the hangars was absolutely outstanding, and Vader intercepting the rebels' escape with The Devastator was a great portrayal of him.
The ground battle really nailed the portrayal of how much better the Empire is than the rebels. The Stormtroopers can actually hit targets. The Death Troopers jumping out of the TIE-Reaper was also a great show of Imperial intimidation. It also shows how rebels shouldn't really be able to win a fair battle against the Empire without them all dying in the process, and they usually just retreat after succeeding at their goal (in this, it would be stealing the Death Star plans)
7. Vader's Portrayal - The use of Darth Vader in this movie was so good. He was advertised a lot, so he wasn't just some cameo character, unlike another villain we know from the Sequels. However, they didn't use him too much to the point that he wouldn't steal the show until all the heroes were dead. He was even portrayed as pure evil with the final scene and shows why he's really worth fearing.
8. Krennic's Portrayal - Krennic is the perfect example of a man who just wants to earn recognition within the Empire. He isn't a ruthless dictator like Tarkin, isn't a glorified warrior like Phasma, isn't a Sith like Vader. He's just a man who wants recognition from the Emperor but is stopped by his superiors (i.e. Grand Moff Tarkin) The way he's portrayed is actually kind of sympathetic. You could actually feel more sorry for his death than most of the heroes' death. Ben Mendelsohn did a great job with him.