This is How You Make a Star Wars Prequel!

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2016)

I was so excited to see Rogue One, and wow, it was damn good. Rogue One is very entertaining and in my opinion is the way a Star Wars prequel should be made. It is for the most part very focused and clear in its direction. The performances are all around very good. Felicity Jones is excellent as the protagonist Jyn Erso, though the character is not as cool as Rey from The Force Awakens. The same can really be said about all the characters. There's nothing really special about any of them. Diego Luna is fine as well, as is the rest of the supporting cast.
The story follows how the Rebel alliance discovers the Empire's plans for the Death Star. The first half of the film honestly drag. A lot of it has to do with the surprisingly slow pacing. This part of the movie just lacked the energy that Star Wars should have. However, the last hour is completely worth the price of admission. It is so jaw dropping during the battle sequences, and the pacing and energy of the film increase. The space and land battles are extremely well shot and very exhilarating. Darth Vader also has some pretty awesome scenes and you will love them!
Now for my favorite part of the movie: The ending of the movie is soo satisfying! The way it is put together and tied to A New Hope is so ingenious and any Star Wars fan will be so excited watching this movie end. That's all I'll say without spoiling it.
Overall, Rogue One is a very good movie that I really liked, but fell just short of loving it. The movie starts out a bit too slow, and the characters lack that energy that keep the audience invested even if there's not a huge action set piece. But, the second half if the movie is so great, and the ending is simply phenomenal.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story gets a B+.