Directed by Gareth Edwards (2016)
by Susan Panaway

It’s been about a year since Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens was released. When this movie was announced, most Star Wars fans were pumped for it, but also very anxious. Would it be any good? Would they rely too much on past characters? Who shot first? However, it lived up to the hype. Like every good action/adventure film, it was fun. It felt like the audience was a bunch of estranged high school buddies reunited. We laughed, cried, and got nerdy together. Nostalgia at its finest.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is different. It doesn't have that same feeling of intimacy that The Force Awakens has. There were no lines on opening night. Fewer people dressed up. There were even several open seats. Normally, these things would be great for audience members, but not for Star Wars. I’m all about waiting in line and dressing up like a droid. I get it though. This film felt forced. Do we really need to know how the plans for The Death Star were discovered? Not really, but yeah. I found myself getting bored at times. Some of the fighting scenes felt long. Lots of blasters. The minor cameos were nice, but really unnecessary. There was also this weird romance thing going on between the main characters. There is no love in space. The only character I became attached to was K-2SO, a droid that looked an awful lot like The Iron Giant. Everyone else was forgettable, much like most of the film.

At the end, the audience clapped. We continued to support our team, Star Wars, but in our hearts we knew this was not its best season.

Overall rating: meh