No Empire Strikes Back!

Rating: 6/10 (18 December 2016)

****May contain spoilers***
OK so the opening weekend for Rogue One is finally to a close and I've seen it twice back to back days (thurs night + Friday) 2D and 3D Imax. I just don't understand what the craze is about this movie. Im a HUGE Star Wars fan. Im an even BIGGER Vader fan. I don't like how he looked or sounded. I get James Earl Jones' vocals aren't what they use to be but the movie just didn't feel like a Star Wars movie to me. Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining movie. The beginning lagged, I didn't really connect with any of the characters except for K2-SO and Chirrut (Blind guy.) I honestly didn't care how the movie was to end with them. The end of the movie, especially with the last scene with Vader was bad ass and awesome and I don't care if it doesn't fit with the continuity of Episode IV's Vader. We needed to see how ruthless he really is. But aside from that and the cameos (that some felt shoehorned in and unexplained) I feel like the movie was flat and just an action sci-fi movie. I hate that almost every scene we fell in love with in the trailers were cut and it just seemed like a totally different movie. Not to mention the cuts they did to Vader's scenes! Its like they said lets make a mediocre movie, throw some nostalgic and non explanatory cameos in and then in the end btw look at Vader go! After the Force Awakens I couldn't wait to see it a 3rd and 4th time, I just didn't get that with this movie. As a Star Wars fan I wanna love this movie so much, I just cant. I think too many people are overlooking the problems with the film just because Vader is in it and because its suppose to be this nostalgic tie in to A New Hope. I also think calling it just as good or right up there with Empire Strikes Back a huge fallacy. Not even close! Its not even better than Jedi. Heres a film that had the structure, the story was already there with an ending we all already knew. Its a disappointment. I couldn't wait to see the Sith Lord on the big screen again. At least he got his big moment, albeit very brief...