Not Impressed

Rating: 4/10 (27 January 2018)

Going into the movie I wasn't expecting much, I didn't think I would like it much or care for it as it was the first Star Wars movie I've seen. Overall I felt the movie lacked detail, in the character development that was imperative for the audience to build the connections and be invested in the characters well beings. Jyn has a little amount of backstory shown in the opening of the movie that bring some detail into who she is as a person as we see her mother getting killed and her father being captured. Later we see her crying at the hologram her father sent, and even later you get to see her being with him as he dies. These should have been emotional and moving scenes but the actress didn't portray the part and emotions well enough which resulted in me not caring much for her character. She was a very flat character, we didn't get insight into her thoughts or how she was feeling. Without these insights the film lacks the scenes that are crucial in getting the audience to invest in the characters. The movie displays an abundance of Implicit content as shown with the relationship between Cassian and Jyn. They seem to have some sort of connection as they share long looks and close embraces. Cassian disobeys orders for her and helps her start a rebellion of their own. It's seemingly obvious they have something going on, but the lack of it being stated in the movie is another reason for the flat characters. If they had built their relationship up it would have given their characters some depth and helped involve the audience emotionally. There were also many inconsistencies in the character's actions that led the me to question their integrity and the believability of the characters. Such as Saw being described as a "extremist" then when he was shown in a questionable situation where the city is blown up he quickly gives up, no longer fighting for his cause or his life. Secondly when Cassian is given the opportunity to kill Galen, he disobeys orders and doesn't follow through. Though as he later describes, he dedicated his life to the cause since the age of 6, and earlier in the movie he showed no problem in killing people. It shows the lack of depth in the characters that creates questionability in their true self and credibility. Overall I felt the movie lacked depth in the character development which was a major flaw in the movie. They didn't allow the audience to build the emotional connections to the crew that was vital in getting people interested in the movie. Due to this lack of character development, I wasn't phased when the whole cast was wiped out in the end by the death star. It just made the movie more boring as they weren't people I cared about or felt a connection to. In conclusion it wasn't a movie I was impressed in or would watch again.