Star Wars: Rogue One Opinions

This has lots of spoilers. Go away if you didn't watch the movie.

Here's what I liked:
-- K-2SO
-- FEMALE X-WING PILOTS!! Yay!!!
-- The new planets
-- Vader actually being somewhat scary. That was good.
-- I am not an expert but it seemed like they did pretty well better than most with diverse casting which is super exciting.
-- JYN ERSO

-- The blind guy and his buddy were awesome (tbh I do not know any of the names except Jyn, Cassian, and Darth Vader)

-- The way it connected to the original/filled the huge plot hole of "Why does there just happen to be this one flaw in the Death Star???"

-- The darkness/realness of the rebellion and the fact that yeah, they did bad stuff too. They're not all Luke Skywalker.

-- R2 and 3PO's cameo

-- Jyn Erso again. Yas.

-- I think I'm in love with Cassian but that might just be because Diego Luna is really hot??

Here's what I didn't like:

I.  I typically watch movies for the characters. I think it's why I have started liking TV shows better than movies -- the characters have time to develop and get cooler and change. And while I LOVE humor and action and fun-ness, I am here for the characters. 

Rogue One had a lot of characters who are cool, yes, but you only got them for what, two hours? Two and a half maybe? You have no time to get attached or see them grow or anything. And because there's like six main characters, you have to try to learn about all of them really quickly. The droid was my favorite, mostly because his attitude reminded me of Holly. Everyone else did cool things, but they had very little personality. 

And because there was no time to learn about/care about the characters, their deaths were really hard to care about. It was like when you hear about a celebrity who you know about but don't really follow dying. Like you know it's sad because they were talented, but it doesn't really matter. 

II. I don't think I was ever wowed, or really even slightly surprised, by the movie. It was exactly predictable per se, but nor was it as twisty as I was led to believe. The moment that surprised me the most was Cassian's "death"... which was promptly ruined when he WASN'T dead, came and saved Jyn, and then died again in her arms. UGH, I should have seen that one coming. I was ANNOYED. 

I am so tired of characters not staying dead, guys. It causes trust issues. (Marvel, DC, I am looking at you.)

III.  There was just too much going on. Like, yes, I liked seeing all the new planets, but I don't remember a single one now and it's been less than twenty-four hours. The whole movie is a blur of gunshots and death, which I really don't think is good. It was all so rushed. 

IV. While Star Wars is doing good on the female character front, on the way home I started thinking about it and... yes, I am SO glad I got two female protagonists in a row, but every other main character in Rogue One was a guy. THERE WERE SIX MAIN CHARACTERS. ONE was a woman. C'mon. It's like, you're trying... but step it up. 

V. Tarkin's voice was so not right that I almost wish they hadn't attempted it. He looked pretty good, though. 

VI. There were several lines that made me laugh/cringe. "I hope you don't choke on your aspirations," for example. WHO LET THAT GO THROUGH. Actually, I laughed at many, many points in the movie that no one else seemed to think was funny... I don't know if I have a warped sense of humor or if everyone just didn't pick up on it. 

VII. They used multiple shots MULTIPLE TIMES. Like?? Buy the third time, it's not an easter egg anymore, it's laziness, guys. 

VIII. People have been bringing this up, but it didn't feel like Star Wars. And that is okay... but I went to see it because it IS Star Wars. I love that world and those stories. If anything, parts of it felt like the Hunger Games. And I LIKE the Hunger Games movies. But I came to see Star Wars.

IX. To go back to the top, JYN AND CASSIAN'S DEATH WAS SO CHEESY.  His first death was so much better. More real, more heartbreaking -- Jyn's glance back and then determined face as she kept climbing was WONDERFUL -- and then he wasn't dead. The clinging to each other on the beach death did not work for me. And the two of them died to what sounded eerily like Padme and Anakin's love theme which made me cringe so hard. 

The movie seemed very unnecessary. It's nice to have that information, but it would have been fine as a wookipedia article or a three-episode arc on Rebels. I feel like it would have been better for everyone if they just skipped this movie, focused on VIII, and made that the best it can be. They won't lose fans in two years. It felt more like a money thing, honestly. 

All in all: decent movie, but not great. I will probably see it again in the near future with my brother and we will see if my feelings change... but I doubt it.