Rogue One

Star Wars Episode 3.5 was okay. Saggy midsection, character development was average (maybe applied to 1.5 characters at best), but a good cinematic gap-closer to expand upon what transpired in Episode 4.

I don't like how Gareth Edwards directs character interaction at times, so that why the character development feels more superficial and hollow, but he's good at the action sequences. The motivations of Jyn are too simplistic (perhaps to get the pacing back on track), but as with most prequels, the plotting is almost always done to reach a point where the audience is expecting already (in this case, Episode 4), so the story doesn't quite engage this particular movie viewer, but I knew that going in, and it's not an easy thing to surprise and still keep the storyline on track for the next installment.

The rest of the characters, san K2-SO (mainly for the laughs and basically being an "Iron Giant-inspired" droid with the personality of a Sheldon Cooper), didn't resonate with me at all. Pretty lackluster in the writing. They were all there to push the plot, not act in their own best interests, the "why" was too glossed over. One of the things that Episode 4 does well is lay out basic character motivations and build on them. Nowadays, that style of character development is lacking, I guess to me, it lacked a bit of cinematic soul, and feels like a cash-grab by Disney. Maybe it's just me, and I can accept that.

I saw the AMC Faux-MAX in 3D. The 3D presentation was average, not all that immersive, so I can't recommend the 3D, but the scale of the AT-AT's is where the IMAX footage helps in the presentation, but then you're stuck with the 3D part too. But you also get to see the 3rd act in a very large screen, so, eh, IMAX could be worth if you're a fan of the franchise.

I give it 2.75 stars or a grade of B-.