Loved the idea of a Star Wars side story, didn't strike all the right chords

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2016)

This was a great idea to give us a little Star Wars movie between the big Star Wars movies. Starting out with a family of farmers with secret identities hiding out on a remote planet is pretty standard fare for Star Wars, and all of the other story lines meshed with what we know. The audience is gradually led to see how all the new characters are to fit in, but soon enough figure out how it will all end. That probably didn't help this movie. The characters were likable enough or evil enough but my favorite character was the robot K-2S0, humorously played by Alan Tudyk. I was stunned by the return of Grand Moff Tarkin just as he looked in 1977 Star Wars and thrilled by appearances of four other 1977 Star Wars characters (2 were the original actors). It was amazing special effects. Better than the Terminator reappearances of a younger Arnold Schwarzenegger imo.
At the end of this movie we walked out feeling like, okay, so that's what happened. We also thought it causes problems for the story that picks up in Star Wars IV: A New Hope. I would have preferred a more elated or bereaved feeling at the end of a movie like this, and to not have questions about the Star Wars story plausibility. Also, the word Hope in this movie was pretty over used now that I think about it. Still a decent movie which answers a question. A question that could have just remained a mystery.