Freedom Reborn

Darth Vader.  He may not be the main villain, but he will have a role.  While originally rumored that Hayden Christensen would be reprising his (in armor) role of Darth Vader, it will be now played by Spencer Wilding, who has a history of playing "henchmen" or mo-cap doubles including White Walkers in Game of Thrones, Kilowog in Green Lantern and Peter Quill's Walkman thief in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Though not confirmed, I can't imagine James Earl Jones not reprising his vocal role that he filled in Episode III and through his 4 episodes in Rebels.

http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/04/star-wars-exclusive-rogue-ones-darth-vader-casting-revealed/

Doesn't it feature Luke (a post-Star Wars Luke, so no jedi training yet) beating Darth Vader in a lightsaber fight?

Supposedly the spirit of Obi Wan helps Luke defeat Vader.

First of all, the characters and cameos in this movie were just PACKED!!  I initially thought it was just the few that's been reported, Saw Gerrera, Darth Vader, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma.  And if that were it I would have been like "Oh, that's pretty cool."  But the rumored appearance of Grand Moff Tarkin wasn't just a cameo.  You could tell it was CGI, but it was damn good, it wasn't repetitive lines, but it was completely in-character.  Peter Cushing pretty much got a post-death credit for acting in a 2016 movie.  But more than that we got a cameo from Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba("you best watch yourself/We're wanted men."), Jan Dodanna(played by GoTs Barristan Selmy), C-3PO, R2-D2, Captain Antillies, Jon Vander(Gold Leader) and Garven Dreis(Red Leader) seemlessly cut from ANH and spliced into here.  Lastly and one of those LOL "Oh Shizzle!" moments was the last scene where another CGI'ed Carrie Fisher as Leia getting the last word(can remember if she actually said a new hope or just hope), which was effectively MOMENTS before Episode IV begins with scenes almost MATCHING the first ones from Star Wars.

Speaking of last scenes, the last 10 minutes with another previously seen character, Darth Vader, which I thought just was going to be a extended cameo with Director Krennic, but his last scene when Tarkin called in the Devastator that smashed the rebel fleet and boarded the rebel frigate and when he tore through an entire squad of rebel soldiers like he had a freaking SW: Battlefront CHEAT CODE was EPPPPPICCCC!!!!!!

As for the rest of the movie, the story was pretty straight forward, Galen Erso the father of Jyn Erso and scientist behind the Death Star built in a flaw("the flaw/chain reaction") and the rebels undertake a mission to retrieve the plans.  Some players play rather minor or introductory roles(Saw Gerrera, who looked nothing like he did from TCW(eyes, hair, hairline, haircut and color, body type, etc), which lead to a similar "fated" meet-up or gathering of a crew Bodhi, Chirruk and Baze.  Some things were rather haphazard of flimsy, but the writing was strong and the last battle on Sarif was massive and pretty intense.  It was one thing to see the rbels storming the beach, but then to come across AT-AT staring dead at them was harrowing!  The showdown with Krennic and Jyn/Cassian wasn't as climatic as I would have thought.  But these are pretty minor gripes.  It was a war!  And when the Rebel fleet arrived(with Red and Gold squadrons) to join the battle was timely and action packed.  I was a bit let down when the Alliance Council decided AGAINST sending an assault, but it ended up being just a handful of soldiers at first.  Additionally, it was a nice touch when Bail Organa and Mon Mothma had the side conversation about the "general he worked with from the Clone Wars" and someone he trusted to take the plans to him.

Overall, it set up Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope PERFECTLY.  Way better than the Prequel trilogy could have done.  And I'm not one to poo-poo the prequels, but there is a 19 year gap.  This bridges that gap.  Gave us more insight on Vader.  More background with Tarkin, the leadership of the Rebel Alliance, the flaw in the Death Star and the battle/victory where they retrieved the plans.  It gave Star Wars fans what Star Wars fans thought they wanted to see from a Star Wars movie.  The styling, the setting, the music, the scope.  Fun and swashbuckling characters, familiar characters, running and gunning from the Empire, comical droids, epic space battles, intense blaster fights, Darth Vader "darthvadering".  Everything!

The hammerhead corvettes the Lothal/Fulcrum rebels helped Princess Leia steal had a pivotal role in turning the tide of the battle in Rogue One.  Nice touch from those who want to see ever more connected universes!

The biggest surprise though was the appearance of Grand Moff Tarkin.  Or at least a digital version of him who only slightly entered the uncanny valley and I can't quite put my finger on what didn't look right.  Still, he was one of the best digital humans I've seen to date.

There is also a digital Princess Leia that's a little less successful, but is necessary as it ends as a direct lead in to ANH.  And I do mean directly - her ship breaks away from the besieged battleship with Darth Vader about to pursue.

And yes, if my line earlier didn't confirm it, all the main characters die.  Even the droid.  They all go out well, except for the Imperial Commander who's a weaselly character to begin with, but they all die.  So prepare yourself for that.

Mon Mothma flat out says in Episode IV that a large number of people died getting that information, so it shouldn't be too much of a shock.

I am curious how the dead Bothans are addressed though.  Do many Bothans die?

No.  The "Many Bothans died to get this information" was said in Episode VI in reference to the second Death Star, not this one.

No Bothans were harmed in the making of this film.

And it really shouldn't be spoiler material, but this movie is pretty much the first two paragraphs of the opening crawl to the original Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope

"It is a period of civil war.  Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.  During the battle Rebel spies managed to steal the secret plans to the Empires ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR..."

Given how the movie ends and all.  I hope it does, but somehow expect it not to.

There are only two significant problems with the film, as a film. 

1) The 'holy city' of Jedha and its temple have some significance that is really skimmed over in the movie.  What exactly it had to do with the Jedi and how its guardians were related is really fuzzy.  It also seems a bit off that the Empire would need to gather crystals from this temple OR that there could be enough there for any big purpose.

2) Captain Andor's decision NOT to shoot Jyn's father seemed mostly unearned.  They skipped over the part where they really developed a connection that would justify that decision OR failed to provide him with enough context to make him really question his orders.  Her relaying the message is a good start, but it needs a bit more, considering how ruthlessly we've already seen him act.

Continuity/Star Wars problems, all very minor:
1) The final battle doesn't really feel like a 'victory' as the credits scrawl describes it in A New Hope. 

2) While it doesn't expressly contradict ANH, Leia's being present at the battle and escaping from it does seem to be an implicit contradiction, as she claims diplomatic immunity and seems to think that story would hold up with the Senate.

3) The presence of V-Wings, though cool, is a bit odd, considering they aren't seen in any other Rebel forces in the movies that follow, chronologically. 

I was actually worried that continuity errors and departures would abound and would take me out of the film, despite being minor things, but it was so good and they were so few that I hardly noticed. 

Yeah, it might not have seemed to be a victory with the Alliance fleet getting broken and everyone dying.  But their main objective was the plans, which they were able to successfully transmit.  So I suppose it was a victory...

From a certain point of view.

And while I do agree with what you were saying about character development particularly with the guardians, but when you say "this is Star Wars" that is EXACTLY how I felt.  We were watching a Star Wars movie.  I'm not going to talk bad about Episode 7, but Abrams did play it safe.  Edwards seemed to go out his way to make the anti-saga film and it worked.

all these kids playing the role of characters who die violently makes me a bit uncomfortable.

children recreating scenes from moments before their character avatars died horribly. 

Is Rogue One a Star Wars movie? I don't recall seeing the words 'Star Wars' during the film.  :lol:

The part of the movie I'll never forget was Tarkin and his CGI face. They tried so hard and it's just not there yet. I found it really distracting and I literally missed all the dialogue in his first scene while studying his face. I'm okay with CGI Tarkin - I just found it very distracting. Really happy they included the character though, always liked him.

Vader was awesome in this. That end scene on the ship was really sweet, and even his meeting with Krennic was a nice touch.

I though it was good choice to kill the cast, but I feel it all happened too close together. I would have mixed it up a little more, kill one of them earlier, maybe have one or two survive even. Some of the death's were pretty touching too. But Saw's seemed a little pointless.

R2 and 3P0 continue their streak of being of in every film. I wonder when that will finally end?

I think the victory they were retroactively referring to was the sneak attack on the Imperial research facility earlier in the film, not the final battle.  That one was more successful.

since you then dont give a crap when they all die.