Film: Rogue One

Don't tell the nephews, I'm supposed to be seeing it with them in January.

This year's Star Wars film is a self-contained story that sits between parts 3 and 4 and is based on how the rebels got their hands on the Death Star plans. My review doesn't really matter, you've probably already seen it, so here are my observations instead, which I've tried to keep spoiler-free. 

I'm not sure how two of the cameo appearances are in the scene they're in. It doesn't fit their timeline.

This films serves as a much better intro to part 4 than part 3 does.

It's definitely a self-contained story and works because of that. 

The Akbar look-a-like is sitting in a chair that looks like it was made from B&Q plumbing parts.

If there's a small character, it's probably Warwick Davis playing him. This theory still stands.

IpMan has a great line about being blind.

There's a great scene showing the stormtroopers inability to shoot straight.

The ending is superb!

Some of the CGI is so good you're not going to think they're using it. 

We're familiar with red and yellow group. Star Wars was supposed to have a blue group too but were cut due the colour clashing with the green-screen. We have blue group in this film using the original footage (OK, that's a spoiler but it's a good one)

Forrest Whittaker's character moves weirdly.

When the west is not getting on with the Saudi's it's perhaps not too clever to blow up a city called Jeda in the film. In their defence it probably has something to do with Jedi, so is ok.

The beach battle looks like a nod to the Normandy landings. Some of the guys are even wearing old war helmets.

A lot of the scenes in the trailer don't appear in the final film. How much rework was done in post-production?