Back again after the latest rewatch. I love this movie. It had been a while since I watched it, so I was happy to see that it still holds up really well. Like others have said, the first act is especially a mess, but it also has some great moments to counteract the clunky story line. As always, I apologize for how repeating and rambling this will get.
What I Like:
Starting from the beginning, the opening scene is just really cool. Very different from almost anything else we've seen in a Star Wars movie. No major battle sequence or anything like that, just a cool setting on this green field, with Krennic and the black armour of the death troopers marching across it. I don't know why it stuck with me so much this time around.
The fight scene on Jedha in the city streets is awesome, the highlight of the first act easily. Just plays in perfectly with the Middle Eastern vibe you get from the city, the guerilla warfare, etc. It's great.
K-2SO is awesome. Agreed that he is the best droid we've seen in movies. Like a much less murdery HK-47 (From KOTOR). From the moment he arrives ("Congratulations. You are being rescued. Please do not resist") to the moment he dies on that control board, Alan Tudyk owns the movie.
Which brings me to my next point, I think all the performances are really good. I would love to see Felicity Jones in more stuff and am absolutely interested in Cassian's prequel series. That's without even mentioning Ahmed, Yen, and the rest of the cast who basically have a little over an hour to make you care about the fact that they're all going to die, and they do it extremely well.
It's something that even Solo touched on, but the early stages of the rebellion, and all the different factions that are working with and at times against each other to overthrow the Empire is cool to see. Particularly the darkness of it, as in the past we'd seen the crisp pilots and commanding officers of the rebellion, but not the seedy, desperate espionage side.
Scariff is probably one of the best pure battle scenes outside of Hoth in ESB. The AT-AT getting blasted in the head, then slowly, angrily turning towards Malbus and then the X-Wing blowing it up is so freaking cool every time. Oh and Admiral Radish is a badass.
Nothing needs to be said about the Vader scene other than it was perfect. I could watch it on repeat.
What I Don't Like:
The first act is clunky and brings out the only character I have a hard time caring about. Saw's role is nothing more than a plot device to bring the main characters together and it's almost a relief he chooses to die on that planet. The idea of him is interesting, a half-crazed rebel leader (And Forest Whitaker gives it his best), but everything from his dialogue to his mind-reading octopus just do not work for me.
That's really about it. I suppose you could make some complaints about the forced references to the OT (They don't bother me so much) or comment about Vader's fairly lame choke joke, but overall, I really really like this movie.
Favorite Tracks:
The score for Star Wars movies is tough to pull off when you are not god-man John Williams, but I think Giacchino does a better job here than Powell did with Solo.
The Jyn Erso/Hope Suite
Your Father Would Have Been Proud of You
The Imperial Suite
Honorable mention: Rogue One, Scrambling the Rebel Fleet, Jedha Arrival
This is by far my favorite thing we've seen from the Disney Star Wars era. And even with it's troubled production (Which seems mild now in comparison to what we went through with Solo) it managed to put out an incredibly fun and rewatchable product, and continues to give me hope for what we could see in future projects that aren't focused on the story laid out in the OT.
In summation... I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.
Rankings so far are:
1. Rogue One
2. Revenge of the Sith
3. Solo
4. The Phantom Menace
5. Attack of the Clones
What I Like:
Starting from the beginning, the opening scene is just really cool. Very different from almost anything else we've seen in a Star Wars movie. No major battle sequence or anything like that, just a cool setting on this green field, with Krennic and the black armour of the death troopers marching across it. I don't know why it stuck with me so much this time around.
The fight scene on Jedha in the city streets is awesome, the highlight of the first act easily. Just plays in perfectly with the Middle Eastern vibe you get from the city, the guerilla warfare, etc. It's great.
K-2SO is awesome. Agreed that he is the best droid we've seen in movies. Like a much less murdery HK-47 (From KOTOR). From the moment he arrives ("Congratulations. You are being rescued. Please do not resist") to the moment he dies on that control board, Alan Tudyk owns the movie.
Which brings me to my next point, I think all the performances are really good. I would love to see Felicity Jones in more stuff and am absolutely interested in Cassian's prequel series. That's without even mentioning Ahmed, Yen, and the rest of the cast who basically have a little over an hour to make you care about the fact that they're all going to die, and they do it extremely well.
It's something that even Solo touched on, but the early stages of the rebellion, and all the different factions that are working with and at times against each other to overthrow the Empire is cool to see. Particularly the darkness of it, as in the past we'd seen the crisp pilots and commanding officers of the rebellion, but not the seedy, desperate espionage side.
Scariff is probably one of the best pure battle scenes outside of Hoth in ESB. The AT-AT getting blasted in the head, then slowly, angrily turning towards Malbus and then the X-Wing blowing it up is so freaking cool every time. Oh and Admiral Radish is a badass.
Nothing needs to be said about the Vader scene other than it was perfect. I could watch it on repeat.
What I Don't Like:
The first act is clunky and brings out the only character I have a hard time caring about. Saw's role is nothing more than a plot device to bring the main characters together and it's almost a relief he chooses to die on that planet. The idea of him is interesting, a half-crazed rebel leader (And Forest Whitaker gives it his best), but everything from his dialogue to his mind-reading octopus just do not work for me.
That's really about it. I suppose you could make some complaints about the forced references to the OT (They don't bother me so much) or comment about Vader's fairly lame choke joke, but overall, I really really like this movie.
Favorite Tracks:
The score for Star Wars movies is tough to pull off when you are not god-man John Williams, but I think Giacchino does a better job here than Powell did with Solo.
The Jyn Erso/Hope Suite
Your Father Would Have Been Proud of You
The Imperial Suite
Honorable mention: Rogue One, Scrambling the Rebel Fleet, Jedha Arrival
This is by far my favorite thing we've seen from the Disney Star Wars era. And even with it's troubled production (Which seems mild now in comparison to what we went through with Solo) it managed to put out an incredibly fun and rewatchable product, and continues to give me hope for what we could see in future projects that aren't focused on the story laid out in the OT.
In summation... I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.
Rankings so far are:
1. Rogue One
2. Revenge of the Sith
3. Solo
4. The Phantom Menace
5. Attack of the Clones
