Review: Rogue One (the second time around + novelizations)

I've now seen Rogue One for the second time, and it turns out I have enough thoughts to make an entirely new post about it. Here's my first review, in which I point out that I had something of a delayed reaction to the film: I enjoyed it while it lasted without being blown away – and yet on mulling it over in my head over the next few weeks, I ended up really enjoying it in hindsight.

The second time around was a different experience. Knowing what would happen took the suspense out of the film, but conversely allowed me to pay more attention to what was actually happening. So though my first review states that I preferred the second half of the movie to the first, this time around I had the exact opposite reaction. This time it was much clearer what was going on in the rather chaotic first half when it came to characters and events, whereas I grew a little restless once things streamlined into the final act. 

Review: Rogue One

I wrote in my last Links and Updates post that I'd hopefully have this review up by the next day – hah! I had to put off writing for a week or so, as my initial reaction to Rogue One was not complete and absolute positivity. I enjoyed it without being blown away or bursting into tears or feeling desperate to see it again, yet having mulled it around in my brain over Christmas, some of its choices and innovations have started to work their magic. Since then I've been pretty consumed by what it delivered. Call it a delayed reaction.

But first let me remind you that Rogue One has been surrounded by the usual internet discourse on issues of diversity, politics, feminism, sexism and so on, to the point where it's making my head spin. On the one hand there are those who decided to boycott the film because of some perceived "anti-white" agenda, and others that are annoyed at the lack of women of colour across the entire Star Wars canon. Obviously I'm vastly more sympathetic toward one of these points-of-view than the other (hint: it's the latter) but there comes a point when I just want to sit down and watch a movie.

So I'm going to do myself a favour (and perhaps you as well) by judging Rogue One strictly on its own merits. This is a review of the movie, not the drama that surrounds it. For the most part.