Plot synopsis: Rogue one is a prequel to a new hope, following Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as a rogue agent tasked with retrieving the plans for the death star in hopes of putting a stop to the empire’s destruction. Along for the ride are Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), an unlikely group who form out of need to see an end to the empire’s tyranny.
Director: Gareth Edwards
General thoughts
To go into this movie your expectations must be lowered. That doesn’t mean rogue one is a bad film, it simply means that it is what it is: a spin off story. I appreciated that it didn’t attempt to be “the newest addition to the franchise”- casual fans of Star Wars will have no problem skipping this movie. The film references it’s predecessors in a much more natural and almost respectful way, giving seasoned fans a taste of the classic movies we all know and love whilst also keeping its’ distance and recognizing that the magic of the films it is attempting to come before is impossible to replicate.
Details
Rogue one is an action-packed film- especially towards the climax with the beach battle- however personally I found the battles slow and tedious- save for an action scene at the end (which I’ll save for the spoiler section down below). Having come back from my viewing 3 hours ago I can remember about 50% of the last beach battle which took up about 20 minutes of the movie’s run time. This battle was hyped in the trailers however they were weak, slow, and didn’t come close to the emotion achieved through the battle in the Force Awakens. The final stand-off between Rey and Kylo Ren is memorable and arguably legendary because it brought together two characters who were formidable and that we cared about- but the battle between Jyn and Krennic seemed forced, and frankly I didn’t care about it. I knew Krennic was going to pop up, it wasn’t surprising, and it honestly didn’t matter to me who came out the other side of it!
This lack of empathy also brings me to my next negative about the film- it’s characterization. The only character names I know off the top of my head right now are Jyn Erso, Cassian something, and Galen Erso- and not for lack of trying! Backstory of the characters in this film can be nearly 100% delivered with a “hello! my name is ___, and I am _____”name tag. While exposition is sometimes unavoidable in film, this film really takes the cake of some of the weakest I’ve seen; we know nothing of these character’s motivations for being involved in the rebellion, or their reason for even staying together.All throughout the film Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen’s characters stay with these strangers who they have no allegiance to, with no need to aid them or any motivation to help the rebellion itself except for a couple of crystals being taken. These characters and the plot seems like it exists conveniently, with a “just roll with it” mentality that becomes exhausting- particularly with all the confusing planet hopping we do within the first 10 minutes of the film.
However, this film does have some redeeming qualities. All these negatives make it seem like this is a bad film and not worth your time or money- it isn’t. The CGI- for the most part- is amazing. Gareth Edwards seems like a director who is comfortable with CGI, having directed 2014’s Godzilla– and it does work well in key scenes such as the use of the ATATs. The space battles are also amazing in this film. Whilst previous entrances into the franchise give the viewer the X-Wing, star destroyer, and others screen time- in my opinion Rogue one is the first entry that actually used them, the way they would be used in a battle. forget pew, pew pew, BOOM– this film actually takes a step back, and thinks cleverly about how to win- which makes the payoff much better as it feels like the character’s successes were actually earned, instead of brought about by chance.
*SPOILER TERRITORY*
***do not continue if you do not want to be spoiled as to the ending of this movie- You’ve been warned!***
Darth Vader is great in this film, as he is in previous films. Although he shows up for about 2 scenes, clocking in at around 5 minutes total-however James Earl Jones’s iconic voice -and Lord Vader’s classic puns- evoke a nostalgic memory of an amazing character. In particular, his fight scene in the corridor with rebels carrying the death star’s plans honestly amazed me. From the moment he lit up the corridor with the red glow of his light saber, I knew I was in for a ride. The choreography in this scene was something I was really impressed by- It reminded you that this is a trained Jedi, merciless, who can get his hands dirty. Not just some sand obsessed kid with a rat tail, I guess.
A problem I had with the ending, however, was that it was so abrupt. CGI Carrie Fischer- an unholy mix of computers and “skin”- barely has enough time to spit out the word “hope” before Gareth Edward’s giant name invades my eye sockets, causing me to recoil into my seat. The movie gave me no time to make the connection to the next movies’ events, much less to think about the awesome fight scene that just occurred. While Leia’s line perfectly matched the tone it was going for, it actually needed to give me a minute to process it before having to tell me who made this movie.
Speaking of CGI- The cameos in this movie were simply unnecessary, save for one. R2-D2 and C-3PO’s cameo was short, sweet, and hit the nail on the head because it didn’t shove it in your face. However CGI Peter Cushing (AKA Guy Henry/ Stephen Stanton) as Grand Moff Tarkin felt like a 4-year-old child jumping up and down in your face, screaming for attention. The character’s introduction was perfect, respectful, and a great callback to a beloved character and missed actor- however from the moment he turned around, it ruined the character for me. Given that the model is clearly CGI to any person, all it does is distract you from the story, staring at a weird computerized thing which is in fact trying to deliver you plot. The addition of this character wasn’t needed and just felt like a dumb, cheap, “only 80’s kids remember” moment- which seems to last the whole film, as he just keeps coming back!
Summary
For me, this movie isn’t worth a cinema ticket; it’s worth a purchase on DVD or rental. While it somewhat builds on the universe with details such as an explanation for the glaringly obvious weakness in the death star- It’s a movie that knows it’s a secondary story, acts like it, and doesn’t try to convince you otherwise. Ultimate fans will find this movie interesting however it is in no way needed to fill in crucial details- It’s simply there to be enjoyed, which I can watch and respect. Viewers won’t be bored by this film- however it’s likely you’ll find yourself dual-screening at some points. However when this film reels you in, it gets you; Hook, line and sinker.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Thanks for reading! Any extra comments or opinions on the film? Let me know! As always, it’s just a film- keep opinions respectful. Hope you enjoyed!
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