Overall, a solid effort!

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2016)

I have been generally critical of the recent Hollywood trend to remake or reboot old franchises to make a quick buck, but sometimes even a snobby curmudgeon like me isn't immune to the charms of nostalgia, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hit all the right buttons. When I saw the first trailer for Rogue One I was actually concerned the movie would revisit explored territory, and when news broke that they were re-shooting large portions of the film, I was very worried. But I am happy to say that Rogue One does take the Star Wars franchise in a new direction. I was so thrilled with the end result that I did not care about its flaws, and there are admittedly quite a few. This movie marks a real shift in tone for a Star War movie, and gives me confidence that the new Star Wars franchise won't just feel like a retread.
Rogue One begins with scientist Galen Erso being recruited by the Empire against his will to aid the Emperor's warped dream to bring about peace through tyranny. Before the Empire can take him away, Galen puts his daughter Jyn in the custody of Saw Gerrera, an extremist rebel, to protect her from the Empire. Years later, the rebellion receives information that Galen is building a super weapon for the Empire, and Saw Gerrera may have information vital to the survival of the rebellion, they recruit Jyn to help them. She embarks on her mission with Captain Cassian and his battle droid, the wise cracking K2SO, who can really pack a punch. Little does she know that Cassian has been given orders from his superiors that she won't particularly like. (don't want to give away any spoilers so I will leave it at that).
This brings me to the film's main strength – Rogue One treads new ground by drawing inspiration from modern spy/war movies rather than the 40's action adventure serials that the original movies were based on. Captain Cassain and the Rebellion do a few things that are morally shady, in stark contrast to the clean, black and white approach to the conflicts of the previous Star Wars movies. It's a reminder that even the good guys can do bad things in war. It's a refreshing take given that the last Star Wars movie felt so much like the originals, both in story and style.
The film is not without its faults. Rogue One's main problems are similar to Gareth Edward's previous film, Godzilla. The pacing is pretty slow at times and the characters could have been more interesting. The main character, Jyn Erso, should have been developed better. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but her character and the film would have benefited if her feelings toward the rebellion and her motives to help them were spelled out for us a little more clearly. She's a bit of a blank slate at times. In defense of the characters, it's still nice to see a Star Wars movie about the (relatively) normal people who fought against the Empire, as opposed to the elite Jedi.
One of the more controversial aspects of the movie is the use of CGI to recreate beloved characters from the original Star Wars movies. The quality of the animation varies from scene to scene, but I was distracted by it even when the animation was at its best. Honestly I would have preferred to see new actors playing these parts. It worked fine with Mon Mothma, so I don't see why they couldn't have done it with the other characters. I suppose the filmmakers may have thought that these particular characters were too iconic to replace with new actors. I disagree. Still, I got used to the animation, and I learned to appreciate what the director was going for.
Rogue One makes up for its deficiencies with a rousing third act that involves a rebel force storming the beachhead of an Imperial fortress and a space battle that is arguably the best in the franchise. This is where Gareth Edwards really deserves credit. His movies have problems with story and character development, but damn can he direct an action scene. He's really the best action director that the Star Wars franchise has had.
Rogue One really managed to pay homage to the original movies while taking it in a new direction. For that, I highly recommend it. I hope these solo spin off movies continue to find ways to differentiate themselves from the saga movies. I look forward to the next few Star Wars films!