Rogue One Reviews (Spoiler Free)

LMAO... Too funny.

 

It took me 15 minutes to get in but after that it is a really, really good movie.

 

'Tis only right that the young ones should go to bed this weekend and have nightmares about Darth Vader.

Joking aside, I also would like to know, as I am planning on taking my seven year old daughter.

 

I can't tell. It's somehow very dark.

 

If you grew up as a fan of the OT and always wanted more of the empire, if you wished you got to see more of the star wars universe under imperial regime this movie won't disappoint. I shed a tear at a few scenes and straight up cried during the end, all tears of joy. almost gave me a feeling of closure.

 

I love The Empire so this sounds EXCELLENT!

 

Here too!

I cried the last 10 Minutes....its was scary and it was at the same time the best...You will get out happy with tears in your eyes as you have seen Star Wars in all its Glory and Epicness....Its like a dream comes true...

 

Just home from seeing Rogue One and while I'm a bit overwhelmed and hyped at the moment, I can safely state with absolute clarity and conviction that this is an absolutely fantastic film! Easily one of the best Star Wars movies ever!


I tried really hard to find things to criticize but it is very hard… the title reveal felt a bit underwhelming, the pacing was REALLY fast (very little time to breath here), and there was one tiny bit at the end that felt slightly convoluted and over-explained, but that’s it!


Rogue One adds to the franchise with backstory, more context, and a LOT of cultural expansion of the rebellion, the Empire, and the galaxy as a whole, frequently done through small hints and subtle scenes. What the naysayers will complain about, however, is that Rogue One does not feel like a Star Wars movie, simply because… apart from being set in the same universe, this film is its own thing and it doesn’t try to butt in on the Saga. I think that is Rogue One’s greatest strength, that the filmmakers have allowed it to stand for itself and be separate. This makes it feel fresh and interesting.


Finally, there are a LOT of fan services in the movie, but every one of them feels pertinent and logical, never forced, and Rogue One meshes VERY well with A New Hope. Rogue One is bleak and broad and fantastic as hell! The very tiny ‘complaints’ I made above were not enough to diminish this movie by a single percent, and there were so much greatness and x-factor-ness and lovely fan service that I cannot but give the film 100% in my book. I cannot see how they could have made this film significantly better than what it is; hell, it made me believe in CGI again! (The CGI is still not perfect, but it is good enough that you buy it, just like the many practical effects of the OT).


I love this movie!

 

Speaking as someone who remembers what it was like being 8 (it was only 13 years ago), I hated it when my parents decided I was 'too young' for something, particularly when it was violent. My parents didn't let me see Lord of the Rings in the cinema because the TV spots carried special warnings, but I saw them as soon as they hit home video. To this day I have never forgiven them. I could've probably handled most 15s on the basis of violence alone

TL;DR you know what your kid can handle, but they can probably handle more than you think...

 

It's great to hear you really enjoyed the movie. It sounds like this movie is not going to disappoint. I'll be seeing it Friday night and my girls and I can't wait. It is such a great time to be a SW film as we are getting a new movie each year.

 

I just came home from the premiere a couple hours ago and boy, oh boy what can I say. It was fantastic. For this movie alone, it was worth the Disney acquistion. Even if every episode will be a complete filth from now on, Im already satisfied with at least one great new SW movie. I can’t believe how much it exceeded my expectations.

While I pretty much liked TFA back then, I came out from that movie with a bit of sour on my face. And now, after Rogue One in retrospect I can safely say that ep VII is completely mediocre and severly flawed. Just now, that I have seen a truly great Star Wars movie again, I have to admit that I tried to overlook the many flaws of TFA for the sole reason of beeing happy for a new SW episode.

But not this time. I would like to say a big thank you for whoever was responsible for this achievement point in blockbuster making.

Rogue One is Star Wars till its very core. Exciting, fun, very emotional and gritty, but there is that little plus which makes it above any blockbuster from the last couple of years. Its the spirit. The hope. And Im not talking about hope as some false sentimentalism, but a real emotional epitome in the darkest of times. And that is imo what made it different from the many medocre CGI ridden action flicks from the last years. It has that unique touch, it has a soul. Gareth Edwards, Tony Gilroy I dont know which one of you is the responsible for this, but congratulations.

Some people are talking about pacing issues. While I agree that the movie builds up a bit too fast, I think that pretty much every team up movie suffers from this on a certain extent.

The main issue with TFA is that it adds nothing to Star Wars. R1 is the complete opposite. I think its on pair with the prequels on world expansion. New Hope is now a different movie (in a very positive way). TFA was small, R1 is huge (the biggest epsiode so far). TFA lacked depth and besides Rey and maybe Kylo, the characters were bland and nothing anything special. Every single character in R1 is full of life and has its purpose. TFA "played safe", while R1 is probably the boldest blockbuster I've ever seen. The giant budget of TFA wasnt really reflected on the screen, while on R1 you will definitely know why it took 200 million dollars to make.

I dont want to write an essay, but in the end, I would like to talk about Vader a bit (becasue that is what I wanted to know before the movie, but noone gave me a satisfying, yet spoiler-free asnwer).

But if you want to go in completely spoiler free, stop right here.



The critic who said Vader has a moment of true horror, described it with the abosulte adequate words. Disney gave back Vader the dignity what the prequels took away with its borderline Justin Bieber parody as the lord of the dark side. I havent felt a theater experience like this since Nolan’s Incpetion, but I was literally on the edge of my seat during the scene. The scene was incredibly brutal, like something straight from a horror movie. It was like the manifest of anti-Disney moviemaking. So dont worry, Vader will have the moment we've all been waiting for.

The only reason this isnt the best Star Wars movie is because 1, its not a completely original concept as ANH and 2, the characters are just not engaing enough to reach ESB’s level (but thats not R1's fault, the Skywalker storyline is just simply more significant, I mean its what the whole saga is about). But aside from that, I can say without any reasonable doubt, that this is best Star Wars movie. And honestly, I dont really think it would be possible to create R1's story any better.

Imo its much-much-much-much-much better than TFA (which is in comparison a bad movie) and a truly worthy addition to the greatest saga ever created.

9/10 (as I snobishly reserve my 10/10 ratings for culturally and historically more important films, but no other reason).

 

9/10. My in-depth review will follow later. I've seen it twice on IMAX yesterday and was shocked how good it was. I actually really like how the pacing gets build up, a classic act 1 tense, with an act 2 rest, and a final third act which just blew my mind.

 

Well, I don't see the film until tomorrow night, but I've heard the OST.

It sounds more like Williams's OT work than the TFA OST. (I also loved the TFA OST btw)

A lot more. It's wonderful.

It's Medal of Honor meets Star Wars (surprise!)

I cried.

 

Depends what kind of stuff you would normally let your kid watch. If they have watched old war movies on TV then it's probably gonna be okay. Do they watch rebels? It's a tough call. There are a couple of moments that could give them nightmares. Mind you I was four when I saw Empire and I was okay with that.

--- Double Post Merged, Dec 15, 2016, Original Post Date: Dec 15, 2016 ---

My spoiler free review

I haven't enjoyed a film so much since I went to see Empire in the cinema when I was four. That's not hyperbole. I am still glowing after seeing it twelve hours ago. What was so good? The ultimate ensemble cast; dark humour; a great script; a great and original villain in Krennic; Seamless editing; Beautiful special effects - the space battle you see a bit of in the trailer is awe inspiring; and last but not least - the ending of which I can say nothing without spoiling, is jaw dropping. GO SEE IT RIGHT NOW.

 

Everyone makes their own metrics, which makes rating films interesting to me. Some vote on a bell curve, making 1s and 10s very rare. Others go by percentiles.

For me, I never give a 10/10 for a film I've just watched in a theater. A 10/10 film needs to be rewatchable and hold up over time. If I love a flilm but won't ever see it again, it can only get a 9.

I've seen 2058 films, and only given out 9- 10s.

I'm thinking about reworking my list to make 10s the best film of that year, and 2 9s for runner ups, but no one cares and it would be a lot of work.

 

I would love to see that list when you are done making it Alex. See what we agree on and if there are any films on your list that I might have missed which I should see. That would be great!

 

A fantastic movie, If this is what a spin-off debut gives us I want more.

 

Just saw it tonight. Great but still no way close to the OT.

 

I cannot believe how much I loved this movie. The CGI was absolutely terrific except for the surprises of the film. While that was less than perfect, Rogue One is as close to perfect as the film can get for me.

As sacrilegious as it may sound, I have to think hard about whether or not it was on an even playing field with ESB. Maybe not quite, but it is damn close.