[b][i][u][DISCLAIMER]CAUTION: You're at your own risk should you open up the spoiler review in the second half of my thread![/u][/i][/b] [b]Post any spoilers within a spoiler bracket if you reply[/b] [b][u]Spoiler-free Review:[/u][/b] Overall I enjoyed the second half of the film far greater than the first. Pacing felt way off track for the first 70 or so minutes of the film and severely lacked depth. One undoubtable perk is that the entire film was visually stunning. Imagery is mainly what kept me locked to the screen and not elsewhere. Practical effects blended seamlessly with their digital counterparts. The progression of CGI over the past 11 years makes me long for an overhaul of the Prequels' digital effects , even though a good 90% of Episode III's CGI still holds up today IMO. In conclusion, I rate the film a 5.5/10. Story was shallow and characters undeveloped. Visuals were stunning and costumes & local [u][i]made[/i][/u] this film feel like Star Wars. Go and see the film, this was a shakeup experience, but no Batman V Superman. [b][u]Spoiler Review:[/u][/b] [spoiler] In the beginning there is no titular title crawl, just straight into space. Even with "Story" type content such as Battlefront II's campaign and The Force Unleashed, there was a title crawl that lead to a wide-angle space shot. Next is the rushed pacing of the movie. Within five minutes you are taken to fire different planets, AND THEY JUST [u]HAD[/u] to -blam!-ing tell you the location name of each new world... VIA TEXT IN THE BOTTOM, -blam!-ING, RIGHT! Half of those worlds are never revisited during the rest of the film and one is only brought up again for a flashback sequence... ONCE! The other being Yavin IV. There were cameos throughout the film, such as a Rebel intercom calling for a "General Syndula," and having the Ghost appear in the battle above Scarif; to having Jin bump into the Aqualish thug and his pig-nose friend from A New Hope and seeing R2-D2, C-3PO, Captain Antilles, and Princess Leia herself. The cameos were absolutely wonderful to discover. I already stressed visuals in the spoiler-free portion but HOT DAMN! That ground insertion and subsequent space battle on Scarif (and above) was phenomenal. Not to mention that in the final minutes we get to see the true badassery of Darth Vader cutting down about 11 ruble troops effortlessly as the Tantive IV escapes. You even get to see a Rebel Hammerhead cruiser slam into a disabled Star Destroyer and push [u]it[/u] into [u]another[/u] Star Destroyer The main cast pales in comparison to the side characters, with my favorite two performances made by K2 and Gov. Tarkin. The humor in the film wasn't forced and came in the form of mostly witty lines or actions that caught you off guard (I.e. K2 focusing on a console only to blindly fire his blaster at a Stormtrooper running down a hallway. Not sure yet where I'll mark this one, gotta have some time to stew it over. Nevertheless, go see the film and give me your thoughts and opinions.[/spoiler]