Rogue One - A Star Wars Story - Movie Review

I'm a big Star Wars fan since I was a little. Eps IV was amazing, and I still held up to this day that Eps V is the best Star Wars among them all. I personally loved Star Wars Eps VII. (Which I already write the review of it last year in here). So here we are, another year, another Star Wars movie! And this time is a spin off movie. It takes place between Eps III and Eps IV. Or should I call it, it's Star Wars Eps 3.8 Final Chapter Prologue (HD ver)? (I'm sorry, Kingdom Hearts fans, I can't help it. The similarities are uncanny XP)
So jokes aside, This movie is directed by Gareth Edwards, the one who is responsible for Godzilla (2014) which honestly let me dissapointed. When I watch this movie, I was kinda worried about that. But my god, I was wrong. So how was the movie? Let's just jump into the review, shall we?

Story
In Eps IV, there's Death Star, the weapon of mass destruction that could destroy a planet in one shot! And in this movie, it's the story about how that Death Star's plan got stolen. You know. that title crawl at the beginning of Eps IV.

I just have to put it here, to make sure that we are in the same page. 

 My thoughts on the movie

1. First of all, this movie is a breath of fresh air for me. It feels like "different" Star Wars movie that I'm already familiar with. In this movie, it feels like that we see a "different" side of War on that galaxy far far away. The wars seems more realistic and gritty this time. Of all times, we see that the Rebellion is the good guy and the Empire is the bad one. And Rebellion seems "clean". But it's different in this movie. We will see a morally ambiguous moments from the Rebellion side which make them have to "dirty" their hands because they have to make the call for it. 
2. I must say, this movie is the PREQUEL that we deserve and we need! It added a new layer to the plot. And that layer added a new perspective on how we see this universe in a whole. And it answers the BIG question if you watched Eps IV. 
3. Just like any other Star Wars movies (prequels are not included). This movie has some witty and quirky dialogue. And every humor in this movie doesn't feel forced at all. *pun intended
4. In my opinion, the main characters in this movie are very likeable. They have their own role in this movie, and they serve a purpose until the end of movie. They are there for a reason. K-2SO is the best character! Somehow I feel that he is Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory) in Star Wars Universe! 
5. For those who expect to see a lot of Darth Vader in this movie, well, He's not in this movie that much. But when he do, OH MY GOD! I feel like that Darth Vader finally redeemed his image from the Prequel Trilogy. From a whiny teenager who used "I don't like sand. It's coarse, rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere." as a pick up line to the most badass and menacing villain in the movie ever!
6. This movie has the most intense battle of all Star Wars battle ever! The stakes are high! And also there are some brilliant moments in the battle. It was really engaging, fun, and intense!
7. The soundtrack is done by Michael Giacchino, and maybe it's just me, the soundtrack doesn't really stood out to me. But it's still atmospheric and suits the tone of the movie.

One of the problem with this movie is just I wish we got more a background story on the main characters. Like Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus. They seem that they have been friends for a very long time. But we don't get a glimpse of their past in this movie unfortunately. The other problem in this movie is the pacing on the first act. It was really fast and it goes all over the place to introduce the characters and so on. But that doesn't take my overall enjoyment to this movie

So here comes the final verdict. Should you watch Rogue One : A Star Wars Story? If you are a long time Star Wars fan, You SHOULD watch this movie! For a new comer, this is not the best way to start your Star Wars experience. My recommendation to the new comer is at least you have to watch Eps IV first before you watch this movie. That'd make you have a better understanding of the overall movie! XD. Rogue one is an awesome movie, It is very entertaining. It feels like a "different" Star Wars movie, but it's still a Star Wars movie. And this is the prequel that we deserve! As a long time Star Wars fan, I'm satisfied with this movie!

So that's it from me guys, I hope that you will find this review useful. This is Reikichi, signing out!