A spin-off that makes itself right at home

Rating: 7/10 (16 December 2016)

My main gripe with prequels, spin-offs and side stories is their connection with the main property usually feels forced. Details, events and characters are shoehorned in just for fan service. The story taking place doesn't matter much because the outcome is predetermined. New characters get introduced that lack the charm or charisma of the ones you fell in love with...well, I'm here to say Rogue One definitely breaks from that and offers one of the best and most action packed Star Wars entries to date.
True, the events set up here lead directly to the start of A New Hope, but the adventure getting there is well worth the watch. I thought Felicity Jones was great as Jyn and carried a lot of scenes very well. Alan Tudyk (much like in I, Robot) gives about as much heart to a CGI robotic character as an actor can and Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang and Riz Ahmed were solid complimentary pieces that rounded out our ragtag group of heroes. I found Diego Luna's Captain Cassian to be a bit lacking, though. He comes across as a conflicted individual; a man that's done the unspeakable in the name of the Rebellion. However, I didn't feel it translated well. He was bland and quite frankly, the most boring character of the whole crew.
The story itself is simple, but there's enough humor and on-screen chemistry to keep viewers engaged. Stylistically, there are a number of hallmarks Star Wars fans will pick up on and love instantly. At the same time, the movie is quite unlike any other adventure to the galaxy far, far away. I've seen a number of people call this a "war movie" and I think the description is pretty apt. You certainly feel like these heroes are fighting from the trenches. There are no elegant lightsaber duels. It's mostly shootouts on the ground with a few space dogfights near the end. The combat has is visceral and you do feel some tugging of the heartstrings when our beloved mismatched bunch starts getting knocked off.
The bad? Well, I must say that while it was quite the surprise to see a digitally resurrected Peter Cushing return as Tarkin, his role was a bit much. I felt like had he not been so prominent, the effect would have been much more impressive. There were scenes he looked nearly perfect and others where he looked liked a video game. I applaud the ambition, but limited screen time and keeping him in the shadows might have been better. I also found Saw Guerrera to be over the top. I was excited when Forest Whitaker was originally cast, but he gets wasted here and has a laughable death scene to boot. The beginning of the movie is choppy and the middle sags a bit. Things don't really start to pick up until the main Rogue One crew assembles and things take a dip until the awesome climactic battle(s).
Yes, there is fan service. However, it's all pretty well done. Darth Vader scores one of the best movie cameos I've seen in a long time. He is once again the menacing presence we all saw him as before he turned on the Emperor and we learned of his origins. He's cold, calculating and downright vicious in the bits of time he graces the screen. There is also another little surprise cameo at the very end that's a treat. All in all, Rogue One is an entertaining side street that leads to a road we know very well. It does a good job incorporating itself within the Star Wars universe while being its own self contained story. If this is any indication of how the other spin-offs are going to be, I say bring 'em on!