It's a stand-alone film that we were told will have no sequels nor prequels. That's tricky to maneuver since the movie is a direct follow-up to the prequels and takes place in the days before "A New Hope." This film is so closely tied to the original 1977 film that they could be played back-to-back and we would notice very little in terms of a change of tone or style. The filmmakers clearly went to great lengths to recreate sets and costumes to blur the lines, and it works marvelously.
It's a simple story that was mentioned in "New Hope" in nearly one sentence: that Rebels went to great lengths to capture the plans for the Death Star to expose its weaknesses. Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is that Rebel, daughter of the man who designed the weapon and leader of a Rebel Alliance co-helmed by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). The front-half of the film establishes their relationship, their plans, their struggles... It's not Star Wars without a funny sidekick, and here we meet K-2SO, a repurposed Imperial droid that works with the Rebels as an assistant. Like C-3PO, he's the comic relief, somewhat prissy, and yet fully realized and wonderfully incorporated. We learn about Jyn's back story and how she was separated by her father after the Empire all but kidnaps him to help with the Death Star's construction. Yes, Jyn is a Rebel, but having a father with such a reputation doesn't make her a woman that people want to rally behind.
The set up to the movie is at times slow and more often than not forgettable. The climax is absolutely inspired. Set on a tropical planet where the actual plans to the Death Star are housed, here is the meaning of "war" when we mention "Star Wars." Combat on the ground, fighters in the air, and the search for the electronic data inside the base, this is a beyond brilliant finale that builds and builds and builds with razor precision. This is not to mention the incorporation of characters from the original trilogy (included with a bit of movie magic and some wonderful nostalgia). I never thought Star Wars was a movie that could be gritty and certainly didn't need to be. This movie ends so perfectly that it surely puts all the other films to shame and leaves on such a euphoric high note that I can't imagine a reason to dispute it. Someone once said that the story doesn't matter as long as you "wow them in the end," and my is this a good ending.
Flaws. Like I said there are several. The clever filmmaking and style of the movie all but washed over me and helped me look past it. As I mentioned the set up to the movie is at times slow and mostly forgettable. The Rebels fly from planet to planet and we find ourselves at a distance with very little to care about. Second, the special effects. I'm sure this movie will be a front-runner for an Oscar this coming year, but not without questionable moments. Grand Moff Tarkin (the sly villain from the first film and Vader's second-hand man) is recreated with a bafflingly-eerie use of CGI, replicating Peter Cushing's persona on screen to reprise the character. Why he wasn't just cast with another actor is beyond me. Every moment he is on screen I found myself disturbed by the almost-human appearance of the character and completely lost as to focus of the story. The same goes for a quick glance of Princess Leia... Yes, today's CGI is good, but it's not that good.
I strongly recommend the film if only because of the end. It works so hard to tie up loose ends and create a unified story that it could almost get away with murder if it wanted to. I didn't even mention Darth Vader's reprise. This is famously the first Star Wars movie not to feature a Jedi or a lightsaber battle, but the final scene with Vader takes the cake as one of the most sinister and perfect moments in the entire series. A quick moment where we finally see all that Darth Vader can accomplish with the dark side. There's no other way to say it: it was "bad ass." Thank God George Lucas finally sold the rights to these movies. Of course we thank him for the ideas, but look at the two movies that have been released back-to-back. This is a golden age of space operas.
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