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[Surfinn]

The soundtrack just shipped today. Yay. It's one of the few big soundtracks that haven't leaked early. TFA leaked like a day or two beforehand, so that one was locked down pretty good too.



It'd be almost embarrassing if it weren't better than ROTJ.

You son offa bitch.

 

[Vampirolol]

And to think that I'm going to see this in like ten days... I hope that these good impressions aren't the typical neogaf honeymoon.

 

[Nibel]

All these positive impressions

I don't need it to be the best Star Wars movie of all time, I want it to be different and riskier than the Saga films and this seems to be the case

 

[Lifejumper]

Watched the movie today. I thought TFA was the better crafted movie. Still enjoyed it tho.

They totally redeemed vader after the 'NOOOOOOOO' scene in ROTS. Gawd damn.

EDIT:

All these positive impressions

I don't need it to be the best Star Wars movie of all time, I want it to be different and riskier than the Saga films and this seems to be the case

It totally is different and riskier than the Saga films. Gives me hope for the future of the franchise imo.

EDIT2: I think 3D is killing me. Fuck Avatar.

 

[bananafactory]

And to think that I'm going to see this in like ten days... I hope that these good impressions aren't the typical neogaf honeymoon.

That's no honeymoon...

 

[opoth]

I sure hope its better than ROTJ. It was just assumed it would be I think.

 

[Bolivar687]

If you haven't seen Rogue One yet, maybe watch new hope one last time to see it in the light that you always have but will never see again after knowing the events that lead up to there.

Damn anyone else who seen it feel this way?

 

[Boke1879]

Damn anyone else who seen it feel this way?

A lot of people say after seeing this movie. This and ANH feel like a duology. Like these two movies fit so well together. Some have also said it gives a new spin on the phrase "A New Hope"

I mean it's literally a prequel to the first movie. I think after watching this every time you watch ANH you'll be reminded of all the things that happened to get to this point.

 

[Surfinn]

Yep, Gareth Edwards didn't inspire much confidence for me and I thought all the trailers were pretty mediocre. I left the cinema awestruck, I actually couldn't believe what just happened. For fans of the originals, this is heaven.

I can't believe some of these comments. The hype is real..

A lot of people say after seeing this movie. This and ANH feel like a duology. Like these two movies fit so well together. Some have also said it gives a new spin on the phrase "A New Hope"

I mean it's literally a prequel to the first movie. I think after watching this every time you watch ANH you'll be reminded of all the things that happened to get to this point.

Wow never thought of it this way. Nice post. Hope I'll feel the same way.

 

[kopitarrulez_11]

Just saw the

Spoiler

vader

scene by accident, and I just giggled like a schoolgirl.

I can't wait to see it in the theater with the build up.

I know that's the only leak I'm watching I'm done now until tomorrow hahaha I just had too see

Spoiler

the main man slaying

 

[bonesmccoy]

It sucks to see folks on GAF take swipes at Whitta.

 

[kopitarrulez_11]

Empire, Star Wars, Force Awakens. Then this. And this is really close to TFA.

Also, almost all the dialog that you heard in the trailers isn't present at all in the movie. If like, half the visuals in the marketing never made it to the final cut, It's closer to like, 80% of the dialog in the marketing isn't here at all.

Which that's kind of a bummer because some scenes from those looked cool

 

[Vampirolol]

It sucks to see folks on GAF take swipes at Whitta.

Whatever, he wrote a Star Wars movie, something that probably none of his haters will ever achieve.

 

[btrboyev]

Whatever, he wrote a Star Wars movie, something that probably none of his haters will ever achieve.

True and not true. Most of what whitta wrote was probably scrapped.

 

[Toa TAK]

True and not true. Most of what whitta wrote was probably scrapped.

That's still a fuckton more than being bored though college gettin' that BioChem degree.

 

[Lebron]

Whatever, he wrote a Star Wars movie, something that probably none of his haters will ever achieve.

I wrote one too.

Yoda finds love before Episode 1.

 

[bonesmccoy]

True and not true. Most of what whitta wrote was probably scrapped.

See, this is where it gets weird. He contributed - significantly - to a Star Wars film. A *good* Star Wars film too. Something that you'd think many, if not most, people on GAF would love to have the chance do.

And yet there's this malignancy that seems to crop up here whenever his name gets mentioned. What's the point of trying to diminish what he did?

 

[Toa TAK]

I'd trade my current job to do whatever project that Whitta is on right now. That's the life, right? I mean, he did Star Wars. I don't know how much more envious I can get.

 

[Roders5]

See, this is where it gets weird. He contributed - significantly - to a Star Wars film. A *good* Star Wars film too. Something that you'd think many, if not most, people on GAF would love to have the chance do.

And yet there's this malignancy that seems to crop up here whenever his name gets mentioned. What's the point of trying to diminish what he did?

Have you ever worked with someone who is kind of shit at their job and you feel they don't deserve to have the position they have? I think that's how a lot of people view Gary, like he's somehow getting Hollywood writer pay checks even though he never wrote anything good. (I don't know enough of his work to judge).

Then there's the way he left here and deleted old comments. Also the time during the Sony hacks he was slammed in a leaked email was kind of funny.

 

[mrkgoo]

True and not true. Most of what whitta wrote was probably scrapped.

You don't know that.

And the foundation is super important. Any great success has all the mistakes to learn from, those mistakes are very important.

 

[Cheebo]

Whatever, he wrote a Star Wars movie, something that probably none of his haters will ever achieve.

Wellto be fair he no longer has a screenplay credit. Just one of the multiple to get story by. Which implies his script is pretty non-existent in the final film.

 

[-griffy-]

True and not true. Most of what whitta wrote was probably scrapped.

He still gets story credit. He still went to the premiere. He was still in the group shot with the director and cast.

 

[partime]

So should I watch Revenge of the Sith before jumping in, or is the movie pretty self contained?

 

[Bobby Roberts]

is the movie pretty self contained?

More than any other movie but Star Wars, really.

 

[H2intensity]

Cross posting from OT
Just coming from theatre and it blows my expectation. Its way better than the force awakens and i think the closest things to empire strikes back. That ending scene is impressive.

 

[sphagnum]

So should I watch Revenge of the Sith before jumping in, or is the movie pretty self contained?

Speed read through Catalyst.

 

[Sanctuary]

Yep, Gareth Edwards didn't inspire much confidence for me and I thought all the trailers were pretty mediocre. I left the cinema awestruck, I actually couldn't believe what just happened. For fans of the originals, this is heaven.

I am staying away from as much media regarding this movie as possible after the second trailer. I already knew that I was going to see it, so I didn't need more of it spoiled. Regardless, I did read some of the reviews on RT, and it's doing about what I expected. Some are complaining that it's a bit too bleak and depressing, but I want to actually see a Star Wars film again that has some bleakness to it and not just the canned, feel-good stuff. It's also supposed to have some of the best action sequences of any Star Wars film yet too.

Some of the reviews echo your sentiment too. Personally, even though we already know what happens overall, this movie looked more impressive to me than The Force Awakens did, although maybe that's just nostalgia and also liking even more practical effects. Already have our seats reserved for tomorrow night.

And to think that I'm going to see this in like ten days... I hope that these good impressions aren't the typical neogaf honeymoon.

It isn't just NeoGAF. You can easily find more positive impressions elswhere. Like a lot more. Although I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean anything. The Force Awakens had tons of positive buzz, and while I did enjoy the film, it wasn't even as good as Return of the Jedi (my least favorite of the original trilogy thanks to it being "Carebears defeat the Empire") and too much of a rehash for me.

 

[Mr Cola]

Really couldnt get into catalyst, sadly

 

[vareon]

Watched it last night, loved for how focused it was about. The plot was so tight. I only watched the initial trailer for this and was blown away.

Below are random very spoilery comments for the movie:

Spoiler

- Tarkin CGI looks weird to me. Probably because I know he's a CGI?
- Vader's role is small but is very appropriate considering he's a high level imperial. He doesn't feel tacked on.
- The entire movie was worth it for the final Vader scene. Damn.
- While I feel the plot is tight, it still relies a bit much on macguffin and literal plot device, so take that what you will
- There is no opening crawl.

Overall I feel like this is the first Star Wars film that was unburdened by the need to set up a sequel (well the sequels already happened) or continuing a story built up by previous one. It told what it wanted to tell and left with a bang.

 

[kswiston]

So this is Gareth Edwards' strongest film of his (short) career so far?

I have tickets for Sunday.

 

[Lifejumper]

So this is Gareth Edwards' strongest film of his (short) career so far?

I have tickets for Sunday.

It is. flawed but enjoyable.

 

[NewDust]

Just saw it earlier today.

I'm not a Star Wars fan in any way, only watched the originals this year (I'm 27) and haven't seen 2, 3 and TFA. But the trailers made this possibly my most anticipated movie f the year, after The Neon Demon.

For someone that only has a light understanding of the SW universe this movie was good. For the fan it's probably even better. The only drawback I had was that at a certain point you know where the story is heading. And while that is brilliantly shot (This is definitely te movie that best conveys scale of an SSD an AT-AT or of course the Death Star), story-wise it couldn't really excite me anymore.

Overall highly enjoyable, but a tad "unfulfilling". After much internal debate I'd still rate it a 4/5.

 

[Sanctuary]

I don't know how accurate this is, but this is exactly what I wanted to see in the movie:

Rogue One, more so than The Force Awakens, is a Star Wars fanatic’s wet dream. Contained yet expansive, nostalgic yet new, it introduces striking heroes and villains and fills its two hours and 13 minutes with a narrative that fits snugly into the canon. But where The Force Awakens leaned on a family-friendly appeal with its innocent do-gooder leads and tantrum-throwing baddie, Rogue One satisfies a darker itch. Its stakes are higher, soaring on the bombastic score of Michael Giacchino, which turns iconic themes into hard-charging new arrangements; its battles are more violent and militaristic. The scope of the mass casualties incurred in ground and air assaults between the Alliance rebels, Saw Gerrera’s insurgents, and the Empire’s heavily armed forces hammer home the costs of war.

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't also greatly anticipating The Force Stays Awake, but that movie should have a lot more breathing room to do its own thing instead of rehashing the past, just to set up a new timeline.

 

[maquiladora]

Looking forward to seeing this tomorrow.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

I'm seeing stuff about this being a bit darker. How kid friendly is this? For comparison, in TFA, I found the massacre in the beginning, and Poe getting interrogated right on the edge of too disturbing. Did some converting the kid's eyes at those points.

 

[Peter Ian Staker]

Just watched it finally. It's good.
Man those last 2-3 minutes make it difficult to have an objective first impression. They literally make you go in full "Rich Evans jerking the droid with a Vader mask" mode.
The first things I can say is that the characters are a bit weaker than TFA.
The art direction and the battle scenes are amazing. Seeing all the stylistic references to real conflicts is amazing.
Also I find the CGI is amazing despite the uncanny valley problems. We've come a long way from the clone army from ep2.

More than any other movie but Star Wars, really.

I have to disagree with you on that one. It's not necessary but seeing Ep4 will make you appreciate this movie more.

 

[professor_t]

So, is the general consensus that Vader fans will be pleased? Even if it's brief, I'd love to see a return to his characterization in ESB.

Note, I do NOT want to know any specifics. In fact, I don't know why I'm asking this. I'm just kind of a basket case because I still won't see the movie for another two days . . .

 

[Peter Ian Staker]

So, is the general consensus that Vader fans will be pleased? Even if it's brief, I'd love to see a return to his characterization in ESB.

Note, I do NOT want to know any specifics. In fact, I don't know why I'm asking this. I'm just kind of a basket case because I still won't see the movie for another two days . . .

Vader fans will be more than satisfied despite his limited screen time. They make the most of it.

 

[Toa TAK]

Vader fans will be more than satisfied despite his limited screen time. They make the most of it.

This makes me very excited.

 

[Fliesen]

I really loved the film.

in no way, shape or form would i say that it lacked 'heart'.
It had humour, it had gravitas, it had action. Sure, the characters aren't as ... loveable(?) as TFA, but that's because they're flawed and they barely have an entire movie to build a relationship to the audience.

It's a wonderfully made companion piece to ANH, much more than it bridges a gap between Episodes III and IV.

gonna watch it again as soon as i can.

Right now, i'd put it on an equal level as TFA, because it's just a ... different movie.
It's pretty much ESB > ANH > TFA = ROTJ = RO >>>>>>>> PM > RotS > AotC
for me, right now...

 

[professor_t]

Vader fans will be more than satisfied despite his limited screen time. They make the most of it.

 

[Boke1879]

I really loved the film.

in no way, shape or form would i say that it lacked 'heart'.
It had humour, it had gravitas, it had action.

It's a wonderfully made companion piece to ANH, much more than it bridges a gap between Episodes III and IV.

gonna watch it again as soon as i can.

I'll be watching it for the first time on Friday, but I'm pretty sure I'll be back on Saturday catching another showing.

 

[deleted]

OMG

Spoiler

Vader

😍

It's a bit uneven, but good. Very self contained, good characters but not the best chemistry within the group.
The side characters are arguably better than the leads.
Visually great, but also uneven - I'm not yet sure how to put it, but I feel like you can easily spot the reshoots. The lighting, the sets, the camera all look off in those scenes.
You have one right in the beginning too.

When VII is one end of the star wars possibilities, this is on the other end.
Loved what it dared to be, even if it's not as good as it could have been.

 

[Bronx-Man]

On one hand, this all sounds good.

On the other hand, I remember you people puffing up The Force Awakens real hard.

 

[J_Viper]

Damn, I guess the bad part of living in NY is that almost every theater has reserved seats, meaning they're all completely sold out for the weekend.

Welp, I gotta hope the Magic Johnson theater experience wasn't as terrible as it was last time.

 

[Wurst]

Just watched it. Meh. Didnt feel anything for the characters. Visuals were nice. Story didnt really Go anywhere for me.

Dialogue and jokes Fell flat for me. M2 was a neat concept but underutilized.

A friend with no Star wars knowledge felt utterly confused and didnt find the Imperium to be particularly Bad or villainous.. Hm..

 

[Trigonometrize.]

On one hand, this all sounds good.

On the other hand, I remember you people puffing up The Force Awakens real hard.

Remember though that TFA was a cultural phenomenon coming off some of the worst big budget movies ever. I'm expecting that we've gotten over that hype hump since we've already been through the song and dance with an at least decent Star Wars no more than a year ago.

 

[Boogalogist]

Just watched it. Meh. Didnt feel anything for the characters. Visuals were nice. Story didnt really Go anywhere for me.

Dialogue and jokes Fell flat for me. M2 was a neat concept but underutilized.

A friend with no Star wars knowledge felt utterly confused and didnt find the Imperium to be particularly Bad or villainous.. Hm..

The story ties in to Epi 4. What is M2?

Imperium? You mean Empire? Oh yeah,

Spoiler

testing weapons of mass destruction on Jedha with so many people in it

....not very villainous....huh?

 

[mrkgoo]

Just watched it. Meh. Didnt feel anything for the characters. Visuals were nice. Story didnt really Go anywhere for me.

Dialogue and jokes Fell flat for me. M2 was a neat concept but underutilized.

A friend with no Star wars knowledge felt utterly confused and didnt find the Imperium to be particularly Bad or villainous.. Hm..

I guess,

Spoiler

blowing up cities, and installations, even their own, and murdering their own engineers out of spite

doesn't count as particularly villainous these days.

 

[Sojgat]

Seen it twice now. Rankings:

Empire > A New Hope > Rogue One > Return of the Jedi > The Force Awakens >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Menace > Clones > Sith

Kind of in shock how much I liked this movie.