Rogue One (2016)

People are making a big deal about it, but I don’t see it as any better than the rest of the movies in the franchise.

Faithful to the look and feel of the other Star Wars movies, but if you take away the nostalgia and effects, the actual drama is a bit thin. Perhaps more than the previous films, this one is mired in cool names for people and places, so many that it’s hard for anyone but the most die-hard Star Wars fans to keep straight.

Felicity is a pretty good fit for universe, with her look and accent and acting style. It’s too bad we won’t be seeing any more of her. Yen was great, but I wanted one more stickfighting action scene from him. K-2 is good. I really wish the actors were given proper training on how to shoot guns, because watching them flail around like children with toy guns makes it hard to take the militaristic and dramatic action sequences seriously. Perhaps it’s this sort of goofiness going all the way back to the Lucas days that gives this franchise some charm for some people.

The effects approach perfection, except for the CGI reanimations of Cushing and Fisher. They don’t look real, and it looks a bit creepy. They’re getting better, and they’re close, but something’s still not right.