Yesterday saw the delivery of father/son bonding through the lens of movie going.  As previously mentioned, going to the movies is a favorite of mine.  I love popcorn, candy, surrendering my troubles at the door and looking at another world through a magic window.  Movies are awesome.  There’s some spoilers here.

Zach and I enjoyed Rogue One in that we watched the whole thing and had moments of joy.  I caught far more easter eggs than he (Darth Vader’s Volcano Castle!), but we both walked out thinking it was “Okay.”  Maybe “Okay+.”  The AV Club gave it a B, which I agree with.  It’s a solid B, not in the B-Movie world where that’s not what B means, but in the sense that it was slightly above average, but nowhere near the greatest.

I wasn’t very invested in the story, but I’m sure some folks will be.  I really enjoyed the action set-pieces, the sarcastic droid, the Darth Vader blitzkrieg, the cameos, Mads Mikkelson – all the performances were fine.  It felt Star Warsy, yes, but it also didn’t overcome it’s very obvious existence as a “shut up and take my money” situation.  I’ll be very clear, unless Disney delivers at least three Phantom Menaces in a row, I will be seeing Star Wars movies in the theater.  Even then!

So, this was a Star Wars movie.  It felt unnecessary, even at the end, but I still enjoyed it.  My favorite part is the conceit of the Death Star designer purposefully placing the destructive mechanism used in New Hope – it was never quite a plot hole in my eyes, but it does make the whole thing a little neater.

So, Disney can make Star Wars movies and make them well.  I’m always happy to see a movie that’s well-shot, well-acted, even if the plot and character lack a bit.  My rating is Okay +, with Zach agreeing.