Instead of splitting this post up into the usual sections, I'm going to do it a little bit differently, because there is so much stuff to talk about and some of it is not even about this film.
Brief Synopsis
Rogue One is really Episode 3.5. It takes place in between the first and second trilogies, and describes how the Rebel Alliance acquired the plans for the Death Star that is destroyed in Episode 4.
Rogue One in the meta Star Wars timeline
I did not even know this film was being made until @TheRedArmy mentioned it a couple of months before it was released. At first, I was skeptical about it because it seemed like a strange move to make a standalone film that is not directly linked with the current ongoing trilogy, the next of which will be released this year. In fact, there will be another standalone film next year.
When I read about it, I thought it might just be a cash grab, but after seeing Rogue One I am convinced that it is an absolutely essential part of the Star Wars timeline. Without going down the road of complaining about the huge issues with episodes 1-3, Episode 3 did not really bridge the two trilogies. Darth Vader appears as a character for the first time, the Jedi holocaust that is talked about in 4-6 happens and the clones turn into stormtroopers. However, the Empire as it is in Episode 4 is not really there and the smaller plot details [such as how the Rebels found the Death Star plans] are not explained, leaving a blank spot that separates the two trilogies.
Rogue One bridges the gap. It does not begin immediately after Episode 3, but instead finishes just as Episode 4 starts. One other thing that is not entirely explained in 4-6 is the formation of the Rebel Alliance. The Alliance as it exists in Rogue One is very different from the one that exists in later episodes. The black and white good/bad portrayal of the Alliance and the Empire is greyer, and the Alliance feels more like a gathering of rebels rather than an organised group.
What I liked about Rogue One
It is visually stunning, and not just in the sense that it looks realistic enough to be believable. Some of the dogfighting scenes in space above Yavin 4 [the planet where the Death Star plans are] might be some of the best scenes in Star Wars. They also resurrected some actors who are dead. Governor Tarkin is present throughout the entire film, and although you can easily tell it is a computer generated 3D model, he looks good enough for it to be forgivable. The Princess Leia cameo at the end is another matter entirely. She looks real. Not just a good rendering, fucking real. I have never seen anything like it before, and was completely blown away by how good she looked. Going back and watching it again, it still looks like an actual person. If someone had never seen Star Wars before, and you showed them the clip, there is no way they would be able to tell it wasn't a real actress.
They made Darth Vader's brief fighting scene awesome. It's so good, it was kind of hilarious when I rewatched Episode 4 and compared Rogue One Vader with the one in the shitty battle with Ben Kenobi.
What I didn't like about Rogue One
The characters are not great. It doesn't ruin the film, but the destruction of Yavin 4 and the death of basically every character in the film might have been more impactful if the characters had more depth, or were more likeable. In fact, the most likeable character in the film is the reprogrammed Empire droid, whose name escapes me. Forest Whitaker's character is completely pointless. He basically plays the same role as Luke's fake parents in Episode 4, as he is [or was] the guardian of the main character. He doesn't really offer anything to the plot, and his death is very odd. This is a guy who basically runs an Anti-Empire terrorist organisation, yet when he has the chance to get in a ship and escape the planet that the Death Star is in the process of destroying, he just says he isn't going to run anymore. What kind of bullshit is that? Did they only have Forest Whitaker on set for x amount of days and just decided to kill him off early?
Although I don't like the characters, I almost view it as a plus in a certain way. Episode 7 was completely carried by Harrison Ford. It would not have been a good film without him. It is a testament to how good Rogue One is then, that they managed to make the film work with basically no standout characters.
The film loses a bit of momentum halfway through, before the mission to retrieve the Death Star plans starts. It would have suited the film better if they cut some of that stuff out or breezed through it faster in the same way that the assault on the Death Star begins almost immediately after Leia is rescued.
Rating
RT: 85%
PMYA: 91%
I like how dark it is in contrast to some of the other episodes. I might actually make a post about this general trend in more recent films at some point.
Some complaints about Episode 4 in relation to other episodes
When I watched Episode 4 again afterwards, I noticed a few things that irritated me. Obviously, the level of technology available when the first film was created is not anywhere close to the shit we have now, so it is stupid to complain about it, yet I am going to.
It would be bad enough watching the original version of Episode 4 in contrast with Rogue One, but George Lucas fucked with it so hard it is untrue. For those of you who are unaware, the original version is not available anymore. The only people who have seen it saw it in cinemas when it was first released. The VHS version is very low quality and is basically unwatchable, and when it was released on DVD, George Lucas decided that he was going to redo some of the [award winning] special effects, add a few new ones and then cut various parts of the film in a way that changed certain events. He also cut out a ton of the [award winning] costumes and replaced them with awful computer generated creatures. If we had the original version of the film already available, this would not be a problem. If the special effects were done now, rather than in the very early 2000s, it would not be a problem. Instead, the only high definition commercially released version of the original trilogy - especially Episode 4 - is full of janky cuts and horrific special effects that ruin the film. There is a project at the moment to cut together different releases of Star Wars, put them together and use some technological trickery to create something as close to the original version. If I recall correctly, it is called the Despecialised Edition. On a side note, watch the cantina scene again. Wall-E makes an appearance, I shit you not.
The tech in Episodes 1-3 does not make sense. It looks more modern, yet the capabilities of tech in 4-6 and the new trilogy is often more powerful, but has a distinctly "analogue" aesthetic. I suppose this isn't really a major complaint, as I much prefer the general design of the later episodes, but it still doesn't make sense.
The cuts in Episode 4 are fucking ridiculous. Most of the action scenes are fine, but there are some extremely fast cuts during scenes that should be waaaaay slower. Some scenes are literally a few seconds long, and exist only to show the audience "oh look, they're here now". In my opinion, this is the main reason that Empire Strikes Back is a much better film. All of the talking scenes are slowed down much more, and you actually get a glimpse into the characters rather than having several 5 second long plot exposition shots.
There are a couple of continuity errors that irked me, some of which are not related to Rogue One. For example, when R2D2 delivers Leia's message to Ben Kenobi, Kenobi says that he does not recall owning a droid. Is he senile? Because that is the only explanation I can think of due to him literally owning that droid for decades.
When Leia is captured by Vader at the beginning of Episode 4, he questions her about the Death Star plans she "intercepted". Considering the manner in which the plans are actually retrieved in Rogue One, "intercepted" is a strange way of putting it.
They send 30 small fighters to blow up the Death Star. It is explained that only a small fighter would be able to blow it up, but does it not seem a bit stupid to only send those fighters and not have some frigates or whatever to draw fire away from them? Yavin 4 and Alderaan were both just sacrificed in order to get the plans to the Alliance, and they only send 30 small fucking fighters.
Just before Luke blows up the Death Star, Han Solo appears out of nowhere and shoots the two Tie Fighters that are on Vader's flanks, making one of them crash into Vader's ship which sends him spiralling off into space. Would it not have been a good idea to circle back around and finish off that one guy in the ship who was clearly of some importance due to the way he was being protected by other fighters?
Since PMYA would never have watched the movie had it not been for my own mention of it months ago, I hereby take all credit for this review. You're welcome, everyone.
Also, all faults and errors are PMYA's, and not my own, because I am perfect. Send all complaints to him.
Also, I've never seen the movie, only the RLM review :p