The ROTJ Production Bib Fortuna Maquette that I am pretty sure is in Saw's hangout:
A little background on me in case you don't know. I am a Star Wars fan in VERY narrow and weirdly particular ways as an adult. I was born in '73 so of course I experienced the first wave of the cultural phenomenon that was Star Wars. I eschew the digital Special Editions and yearn for the dated but glorious work ILM did. I am a Star Wars MODEL nerd more than anything at this point, and Rogue One, though digital in nature, looked like it was going to pay respectul attention to the details that I personally find important in a Star Wars movie. And it did, and I am happy/relieved.
Saw it last night in 3D IMAX and will again tonight in 2D, which I greatly prefer.
So that being said, I am hoping like hell that the 2D will mitigate some of the terrible "Uncanny Valley" Tarkin and Leia. I understand their inclusion (Tarkin anyway) and it serves the story and is not gratuitous. And he doesn't even feel over used to be honest... I like the way he behaves as a character, and he sounds and looks CLOSE to Cushing.... but no cigar. So while I admire the effort, they took me COMPLETELY out of the film because it was so weird/cartoony. Vader also seemed off - too "puffy/fan-built" looking in some ways and too clean as he appears post ANH, James Earl Jones' voice is showing his age (nothing we can do about that, the fella in in his mid 80s), and while I applaud the ANH helmet (it gave me a RUSH to see such reddish lenses and the tiny chin grill), the gloves and shape seemed off on his physique, and he just didn't sound/act like ANH Vader. I was hoping for the tinny super angry tone of voice. Seeing him light up a bunch of poor Rebel Fleet Troopers was pretty great though, but if he had looked dirty/smudgy/sooty like he does in ANH, when he's standing on that docking bay platform at the very end? Now THAT would have gone a long way to bridge the Rogue One Vader to ANH Vader. But I don't think he did... I need to check tonight. He just seemed too "perfect" looking.
Jyn Erso as an adult is introduced as a criminal and the transition to rebel is pretty abrupt. I guess the experience of seeing her holographic father will do that? I feel that character arc was a little disconnected or that we could have gotten a little more on her, but I do appreciate how the Rebellion was basically just using her - the Rebel Alliance is pretty disjointed and savage, which is a vibe you don't really get from the original trilogy - and I liked the expansion of them in that regard. I liked The Guardians of the Whills idea/member(s) more than I expected to, the rebels again were well cast and dressed for their parts, and their indecisiveness echoed how the Republic (and sadly real world governments) behave/d, so no problems there. Loved the Kyber crystal being part of the on screen mythos now. The Imperial Defector Pilot guy gets a funny Doc Brown from BTTF moment, and I liked the disgusting mind sucker creature that Saw employed. That felt fresh and new in a Star Wars film. Almost like something out of Dune.
Krennic was a great addition to the pantheon of characters. Pretty much every one was, to be honest. The blue milk cameo got a chuckle out of me, Ponda Baba and Dr Evazan did too. Artoo and Threepio were neatly checked off the list, lol. Seeing Gold Leader and Red Leader again was shocking and wonderful - I teared up a little. I was not expecting to see them and it was an absolute rush to see Y-Wings bomb (but where the HELL were they on the tarmacs on Yavin? Put at least ONE in the fore or middle ground, *****!! Gimme consistency with ANH!!!). The Hammerhead ship ramming into the Star Destroyer scene was AMAZING and I cannot wait to see that again tonight. Poor poor Blue Squadron. Blue Leader seemed like a badass, Ron Swanson mustache and all. As a model nerd to the core, I was pleased with how the ships looked, and am sated.
Seeing Vader's castle on Mustafar was a cool shock - nice to see them recycling the cooler ideas we have known about for decades. And I swear I also saw the Twilek "maquette" sculpt of Bib Fortuna in Saw's hangout. Well played, art department/creature effects nerds. Seeing the DS plan relay race and Blockade Runner escape was a thrill, but then they had to go and show The Polar Express Leia face and I was once again creeped OUT. Right at the damn end. Buuuut seeing Vader coldly angrily look at it from the docking bay was pretty badass. It is a delicate thing, stitching stories to beloved chapters of the saga, and they did an excellent job. If I could just get over the creepy Tarkin and Leia, I would have almost no problems with this movie.
Which leads me to the music... it feels like a close approximation of a Star Wars score, but it's NOT, so I kept feeling like something was off, tonally.
I put this at number three behind ANH and Empire, now that I have slept on it, but The Force Awakens had better character development... buuuut Rogue One is a war movie, and it seems like we usually don't get to know the meat very well before it falls into the grinder. So I'm okay with that.