Rogue One

[eldaec]

And 'Bothans' has never been defined. For all you know it is a colloquial term meaning 'misfit gang of inexplicably photogenic rogues'.

As always with the Star Wars franchise, that depends on what you consider canon. Like everything else, they were certainly defined to hell and back before the extended universe cleansing. Even afterwards, they're still in modern Star Wars FFG games, and at least one supposedly "canon" novel based around TFA. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan

I really wish I could purge my head of this crap and free up those neurons, but sadly I am still in some ways a creature of my generation.

I really like that the cleansing means we no longer even need to discuss how the EU was always a steaming pile of non-canon horseshit.

Disney made a friend in me that day.

[Fabricated]

The EU was bad and it is cool and good it was jettisoned.

[Lucas]

So, I've finally watched Rogue One, and greatly enjoyed it.

I wouldn't place it above TFA, but that's just because I'm a sucker for the "main" timeline. As far as the movie itself is concerned, the whole "package" is a masterpiece: tight pacing, great landscapes, fan service and everything else. Maybe, the final battle won't become as iconic as the ones from the first trilogy, but it's hands down the best ever made in any SW movie. Oh, and the '70s "vibe" from the Rebel Alliance was fantastic. Droid K-2SO isn't HK-47, but definitely a step in the right direction 

[Father mike]

I love that K-2SO has the voice of Sonny from the Will Smith 'I, Robot'.

Whole family loved this one.  My daughter has been on the fence about liking Star Wars as a franchise*.  After this one she really wants to see 4-6.

* She thought TFA was fun, but the stilted dialog and other idiosyncrasies of the originals general are too weird.  And I can't really blame her.  Countless movies and shows have taken all the cool bits of the originals and done them in a more polished way that resonates with her generation.  These are just silly, old space movies with wooden acting to her.

[Lucas]

One last, minor negative thing: the only actor who really seemed out of place to me (like he didn't want to be part of the movie at all) is Ben Mendelsohn but there might be two...no, make it three reasons:

1) I'm too used watching him on the "Bloodline" TV show, in which he just nailed the perfect role, IMO ;
2) Inevitably, I had to watch the movie in italian, so with a dubbed voice (while I watch american/english tv show with the original language) ;
3) He was simply badly written, too stereotypical even for a SW movie?

[Abagadro]

I think there was a lot more stuff about Jyn, Orson, and Saw that was axed. You don't cast those two guys for basically cameos. I have nothing to base this on other than what I saw up there on the screen, but I think they way upped the pew-pew and ditched a lot of the main character arc during the recutting/reshoots.

[Fabricated]

I kinda got the impression that Jyn was originally supposed to be more of a terrorist and hardliner but Disney had cold feet about making the main character someone like that.

[Cyrrex]

Going back to the CGI bit, there is something interesting at play here.  In neither case did it really bother me much, even if I thought it was unnecessary.  That said, it was HUGELY obvious to me that both of them were CGI, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I knew the one actor was long dead and the other now looking nothing like that any more.  I mean, so obvious that I was all the way down in uncanny valley.  How is it that some people are fooled, whereas my primitive senses kicked in and gave me the heebie jeebies?  Quite interesting.  I would have just assumed that it was as obvious to everyone as it was to me.  Differences in the output quality of the projectors?  Just the lifelong side-effect of being a graphics whore?  So curious.

[Quinton]

I had rewatched some of the original Star Wars just a day or two prior to seeing Rogue One (little did I know the optimal time to watch it is *immediately* afterwards).  Having a pretty fresh memory of what Tarkin looked like and knowing the actor was dead, combined with there just being something a little off about cgi-Targin, pretty much left me entirely focused on trying to figure what it was that felt so wrong about the character, really distracting me whenever he was on-screen.

Something seemed maybe differently off about cgi-Leia, but she didn't get enough screen time to be really distracting.

[Rishathra]

Saw this last night, and I would like to thank everyone here for boosting my enjoyment of this movie tremendously.  F13 is a useful movie-watching tool for me.  I absorb all the (generally valid) complaints, and then, when I actually watch the movie, I almost always think to myself, "oh, this isn't nearly as bad as everyone made it sound, I actually rather like it!"

I was genuinely impressed by the Tarkin CGI.  It only flickered into the valley for two or three moments, and they were only moments.  Leia looked like she was wearing half an inch of makeup, but otherwise good.

Vader looked great, I really didn't notice that his costume looked all that cheap or shitty looking.  I did feel that his neck piece flared out much more than it did in other movies.  Maybe the actor in this one just had a thicker neck, I guess?  James Earl Jones sounded great.  I seem to remember that there was a word he said that didn't sound very Vaderey, but it was literally just one word.  Watching him wreck EVERYTHING when he shows up at the end was very satisfying.

I think I liked Krennic better than most because I realized that he is meant to be a shitty villain.  He wants to be Tarkin the way Kylo Ren wants to be Vader, and both suck at it.  Yeah, you don't take him seriously as the antagonist, but you aren't meant to.

The characterization overall is actually better than I think people are giving credit for, but the movie never properly slows down enough to give us nice 'character moments.'  The moments do happen, but they happen while fifteen other plot things are happening, and get lost in the chaos.

The speechifying was definitely a little too thick, really my only genuine complaint.  In particular, the Galen Erso hologram goes on for a REEEEEAALLLY long time, and any emotional resonance he is supposed to generate drains away and is replaced by, "dude, we get it, shut up already."

[Slyfeind]

Going back to the CGI bit, there is something interesting at play here.  In neither case did it really bother me much, even if I thought it was unnecessary.  That said, it was HUGELY obvious to me that both of them were CGI, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I knew the one actor was long dead and the other now looking nothing like that any more.  I mean, so obvious that I was all the way down in uncanny valley.  How is it that some people are fooled, whereas my primitive senses kicked in and gave me the heebie jeebies?  Quite interesting.  I would have just assumed that it was as obvious to everyone as it was to me.  Differences in the output quality of the projectors?  Just the lifelong side-effect of being a graphics whore?  So curious.

Yeah, it's weird. Tarkin reminded me of Falcor the Luck Dragon from Neverending Story, with all the weird slow simultaneous eyebrows-and-mouth too-smooth head motions, etc. But the people I saw it with honestly thought they found a look-alike to play him. Leia meanwhile was perfect for me. I'm starting to think there's something fundamental about what we as individuals look for in human movement, and everybody sees something different. Kind of like how cilantro tastes like soap to some people, so Tarkin looks like a muppet to others.

Overall Rogue One was one of my favorite Star Wars movies so far. I was glad it was light on characterization. I didn't need to see a father-daughter flashback or how Chirrut and Baze met or whatnot.

[jgsugden]

Let's face it though: Tarkin and Leia looked more lifelike than Hayden Christiensen did in the prequels...

[Zetor]

I really like that the cleansing means we no longer even need to discuss how the EU was always a steaming pile of non-canon horseshit.

Disney made a friend in me that day.

Today I've learned that a significant character in the EU (member of Wraith Squadron etc, from some New Jedi Order Allston book...) who was also involved in the storyline of that dude with lightsaber knees/ellbows is named Baljos Arnjak.
The title of Ep1 Phantom Menace in Hungarian is "Baljós Árnyak".

That is all.

[Soln]

I have no complaints.  Saw it only yesterday.  Better as a film than maybe all the other ones.  Second best maybe to Empire as a SW film.  It did what I really hoped, which was bring new stories to the canon.  I wasn't sure of Tarkin and was hugely surprised to see him as a character.  I thought it was an actor with makeup.  And the end was superb to tie in ANH.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Saw it today with the husband. Absolutely loved it. I'd read this whole thread so I knew to expect what happened to the team, but damn, that was perfectly done. I thought they did a good job showing the relationship growing between Jyn and Cassian but was so glad they avoided having them kiss. I was actually saying to myself "please don't have them kiss".

I was really paying attention for the CGI on Tarkin and Leia and she was so shown so briefly that it was fine. Tarkin definitely looked off around the eyes a few times. Everything else looked great. Was it here someone said people were hitching about female pilots being retconned in? I probably wouldn't have really noticed if I hadn't heard it mentioned.

I'm having some trouble with R2D2 and C-3PO being on Yavin though. I thought they got there with the ANH crew, but that implies they'd been on Yavin for a while. Now I want to watch ANH again. Wonder where my DVD is...

[TheWalrus]

Leia with the plans at the very beginning of the movie implies the droids left Yavin base with her.

[TheWalrus]

Also, anyone seen this in 3D? Worth it, or nah?

[MahrinSkel]

Also, anyone seen this in 3D? Worth it, or nah?

It was okay in 3D. But I only get 3D when the 2D shows are sold out, like this was, so I may not be the best judge.

--Dave

[RhyssaFireheart]

Ok saw it in 3D and thought it was fine, but I generalizing have any issues with it though.

[Surlyboi]

Just saw it again in IMAX 3D. Not much of difference except for the Death Star damage shots and the star destroyer collision. It made those scenes awesome.

[Riggswolfe]

I think there was a lot more stuff about Jyn, Orson, and Saw that was axed. You don't cast those two guys for basically cameos. I have nothing to base this on other than what I saw up there on the screen, but I think they way upped the pew-pew and ditched a lot of the main character arc during the recutting/reshoots.

There is that bit in the Trailers with younger, bald Saw giving his speech about "What will you become when they find you?"  which is, like a lot of trailer shots, not in the movie.



Speaking of, I don't think I've ever seen a movie with as many shots that were in the trailers that weren't in the final film. There are several articles out there that catalog them and try to theorize about what changed.

[Ard]

Well, they did do a fairly major set of reshoots that worried people a while back.  I think it's safe to say they made the right call on doing them.

[eldaec]

Also, anyone seen this in 3D? Worth it, or nah?

It is never "worth it" to lose 70% of the contrast and give yourself a headache for a shitty distracting pseudo "3d" effect.

However, Rogue One was shot in the correct number of Ds so watching  the crappy post production "3d" version would be a very poor life choice.

[Furiously]

Finally saw it tonight in IMAX 3d.  I turned to my wife at one point and said, "They could have just called this the Magnificent Six." (It was a better film than the Magnificent 7).

I felt like they had too much subsurface scattering on Tarkin and Leia, they both glowed a bit too much to look like real people, her skin tone hid it better though.  I felt like Saw was the weakest character in the movie.

I look forward to watching it on Bluray at a later date.

[Setanta]

Saw this tonight - I think that Lucas just got schooled on how to write/direct/produce a Star Wars movie. I finally found a droid I liked (I hate 3P0 and R2), Leia was a bit jarring but Tarkin was fine because I knew he was dead but the CGI was good.

Was it just me or was that the most badass I've seen Vader? As opposed to him going 1:1, he absolutely wrecked the rebels.

[IainC]

Was it just me or was that the most badass I've seen Vader? As opposed to him going 1:1, he absolutely wrecked the rebels.

Yeah, the movie really built up why the Rebellion was so afraid of Vader, he's just an unstoppable monster in combat.

[HaemishM]

In the little amount of time I played the latest Star Wars: Battlefront, that was exactly the way the Vader powerup worked. One dude just straight up wrecking piles of Rebel scum, stacking bodies at his feet like cordwood.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Was it just me or was that the most badass I've seen Vader? As opposed to him going 1:1, he absolutely wrecked the rebels.

Yeah, the movie really built up why the Rebellion was so afraid of Vader, he's just an unstoppable monster in combat.

I think what R! did best was add to the original trilogy lore and mythology in a way the prequels never did. We get a real feeling for why the rebellion is so desperate and just how much is riding on this.  Plus we get to see how terrifying the empire could really be.

[Khaldun]

We saw it yesterday. It was really good, I thought. I liked it all.

[jgsugden]

I wonder if this movie will redirect the Rebels cartoon at all.

[Phildo]

It still feels like the universe is really tiny and that you could travel from one end to the other in a matter of minutes via hyperspace.  Either that, or all of the planets in this movie are particularly close together.  Otherwise, I enjoyed this one a lot.

[Abagadro]

I wonder if this movie will redirect the Rebels cartoon at all.

Saw is apparently showing up in it soon.

[Surlyboi]

And Chopper was at the Rebel base on Yavin. Along with a call for a General Syndulla. Also, the Ghost was one of the ships at the battle of Scarif.

[Threash]

Well after watching ANH for the first time in a long while i gotta say Peter Cushing was a weird ass waxy looking motherfucker and his CGI was dead on.  It just looks weird cause that's what he really looked like.

[calapine]

No opinion in this fight, but here is are all Grand Moff Tarkin Scenes back to back in one video for your viewing pleasure.

Without the make-up and all: Peter Cushing on playing Grand Moff Tarkin on carpet slippers