Film: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Director: Gareth Edwards
Rating: PG-13
There are few film franchises or brands in general as iconic as Star Wars. As a film franchise, it has had multiple films over the past 40 years, bridging the gaps of generations of people of all walks of life. Not to mention, Star Wars also changed the way films were made, with innovative, yet cost-effective effects that, for the most part age fairly well, minus those of A New Hope, granted they have a dated charm to them, to the point where some claim Star Wars as "the death of cinema." After a prequel trilogy that leaves fans divided to this day on deciding whether they were good films or not (I fall into the camp of not thinking so, though I still enjoy Revenge of the Sith), a new trilogy of films have been conceived, helmed this time by Disney. Not only that, but a reworking of the expanded universe was put into place prior to the new films, decanonizing the original Star Wars Expanded Universe that while I myself am peeved by this decision, acknowledge that much of the EU was convoluted, filled with stories that contradict canon with each other and also having some ridiculous ideas as well. After rehashing the EU and announcing a trilogy of films for a new generation of fans, there also came with it an announcement of a new series of side story films within the Star Wars saga, the first of which would revolve around the obtaining of the Death Star plans, while also showcasing a more desperate rebel alliance that were more disadvantaged. That film would be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Rogue One is a film that lays the groundwork for other Star Wars side-story films to follow suit in, expanding the canon and lore of the films in a more easily accessible way to those who don't watch the TV shows, read the novels or read the comics. It's more easily consumed this way, considering the films follow major plot points or characters, as the other side stories will center around Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi. There are two questions that come to mind when viewing Rogue One: 1.) Does it perform well as an expansion of the Star Wars lore, along with showcasing a story that is of great importance to the lore of Star Wars? 2.) Without the backing of the Star Wars brand, how does Rogue One perform as a standalone film? The first question can be answered easily; Yes, it does do its job well of expanding the universe of Star Wars, expanding upon how "The Force" is viewed in the Age of the Empire, while also showing the desperation of the Rebellion against the arrogant, yet intimidating Empire. However, when you remove the branding from this film and look at it as a film by itself, the flaws start to seep in, with a plot that is not very well paced, characters that, while entertaining, are not well developed, and goes a little overboard on the computer generated effects.
Let's start with the plot; After being rescued from an imperial prison camp for crimes against the Empire, Jyn Erso, a rebellious woman, joins the Rebel Alliance to fight against the Empire while accompanied by Cassian Andor, a disciplined captain of the Rebellion, Chirrut Imwe, a blind, force sensitive warrior, Baze Malbus, a mercenary and Chirrut's companion, Bodhi Rook, an imperial cargo pilot who defected from the Empire, and K-2SO, a reprogrammed imperial officer droid with a dry, sarcastic personality. They set off on a dangerous mission to obtain the plans for the Death Star, the Empire's secret weapon to obtain order in the galaxy. Plans of which Jyn Erso's father, Galen Erso, designed to have a flaw in the design that could be exploited in the future to potentially bring peace and freedom to the galaxy.
Themes of desperation, hope, and faith are the main focus in Rogue One, with such actions being portrayed by the cast in this film. Desperation is heavily showcased in the actions of the rebellion, presenting how much of a disadvantage they have against the Empire, such as Cassian shooting a fellow rebel in the back to cover his tracks and prevent the latter's potential capture. Hope is a central basis of how the Rebel Alliance was formed and is used, alongside faith, as a basis for their actions and fight against the Empire, even if the odds are entirely stacked against them.
Rogue One's presentation is much grittier compared to the mainline of Star Wars films, with the color palette utilizing cool, mute colors to set the tone visually. While it also takes some time to showcase the worlds within the universe, the film presents them in a very negative light to set the tone; dirty, rundown, oppressed by the Empire as opposed to the typical wonder and intrigued set by the main Star Wars films. This tone is complimented by much of the personalities of the characters themselves: disciplined, tense, rebellious, even sarcastic. There isn't a lot of positivity in this film. If there was, it would kill the vibe the film was going for.
The plot unfortunately is not that well paced, and tends to drag at points, along with having some pointless scenes, like Rook's interrogation to see if he's telling the truth about his origins. The third act of the film is the strongest point of the film, however, there are points at the Battle of Scarif that tend to drag on, such as the scenes in the Imperial Archives, where the plans for the Death Star are being kept.
As far as characters go, while they are engaging, they aren't exactly the most developed. The film does offer some origins for the characters, but the film doesn't allow time for the characters to develop themselves, or with each other, other than Jyn and Cassian, and even then, the characters don't exactly have that much chemistry with each other (though their actors make it work), or any of the companion characters that accompany them, with a few exceptions. It's a great deal that the characters are engaging, with the ones that come to mind are Chirrut and K-2SO being the highlights; Chirrut's faith in the Force, along with showcasing such faith, along with his famous line "I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me," lead him to being one of the more beloved characters from this film, along with his relationship with Baze, his companion and skeptic of the force until the end, showcasing, in a way, a religious person and a non-religious one who have mutual respect for each other. K-2SO brings with him a dry, sarcastic personality, a byproduct of his reprogramming. K-2SO brings many chuckles, even if he doesn't have quite as much dialogue as the others. Such humor makes sense given the setting of the film; with so much turmoil and oppression going around, one would have a personality filled with sarcasm, even if it is unexpectedly attached to a reprogrammed Imperial droid. The lack of development on these characters however puts a bit of a damper on the impact of their deaths at the end of the film, as it would have had a bigger impact if the characters were better developed, and not only just engaging through their endearing personalities.
A criticism shared by critics is Rogue One's overuse of computer generated effects, a notion that I agree with to a degree. There is nothing inherently wrong with CGI; when used well, it looks great, especially with the technology available now and potentially in the near future as tech continues to progress. However, in the case of Rogue One, criticism was drawn mainly towards its use for Grand Moff Tarkin, as the actor who portrayed Tarkin, Peter Cushing, had passed away before the film was even a concept. They decided to use motion capture to recreate Tarkin, and... well, while it looks great as far as CGI recreations go, it falls into the uncanny valley as he clearly looks fake, especially when he moves his mouth and eyes. Same criticism applies for the younger, computer generated version of Princess Leia at the end of the film, though it doesn't have the same prominence as Tarkin, who has quite a bit of screen time in Rogue One. Because of how fake Tarkin looks, there are times where I get sucked out of the film and know that Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) is essentially talking to empty space.
I do praise much of the action in Rogue One. Much of the action is built up very well, as there is a lot of build up to it over the course of the film, which works well, as a time period like this would have plenty of tension. The biggest highlight of course is the third act with the Battle of Scarif, witnessing the tension build up and up and up and up, and released with a fantastic sequence filled with action, drama, and high stakes. Of course, I can't talk about the end of Rogue One without talking about Darth Vader's scene at the end, the perfect blend of fan service, while also showcasing just how terrifying of a villain he is as he decimates Rebel soldiers like they are nothing to him. It's just perfect!
Overall, I do enjoy Rogue One. It does a good job as a Star Wars film, has great acting, engaging characters, and fantastic action sequences. However, the shortcomings show in the lack of character development, shaky pacing of the plot, and slight overuse of CGI, mainly in the case for Grand Moff Tarkin. I hope that the upcoming Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi films can learn from this film and showcase their versatility as films and expansion of the Star Wars lore and canon. *Hopes and prays that Solo: A Star Wars Story is good despite the development hiccups*
Verdict: 7/10 (Had a good time and glad that some of Felicity Jones' lines in the reveal trailer were cut, because the delivery on those were not great)
Themes of desperation, hope, and faith are the main focus in Rogue One, with such actions being portrayed by the cast in this film. Desperation is heavily showcased in the actions of the rebellion, presenting how much of a disadvantage they have against the Empire, such as Cassian shooting a fellow rebel in the back to cover his tracks and prevent the latter's potential capture. Hope is a central basis of how the Rebel Alliance was formed and is used, alongside faith, as a basis for their actions and fight against the Empire, even if the odds are entirely stacked against them.
Rogue One's presentation is much grittier compared to the mainline of Star Wars films, with the color palette utilizing cool, mute colors to set the tone visually. While it also takes some time to showcase the worlds within the universe, the film presents them in a very negative light to set the tone; dirty, rundown, oppressed by the Empire as opposed to the typical wonder and intrigued set by the main Star Wars films. This tone is complimented by much of the personalities of the characters themselves: disciplined, tense, rebellious, even sarcastic. There isn't a lot of positivity in this film. If there was, it would kill the vibe the film was going for.
The plot unfortunately is not that well paced, and tends to drag at points, along with having some pointless scenes, like Rook's interrogation to see if he's telling the truth about his origins. The third act of the film is the strongest point of the film, however, there are points at the Battle of Scarif that tend to drag on, such as the scenes in the Imperial Archives, where the plans for the Death Star are being kept.
As far as characters go, while they are engaging, they aren't exactly the most developed. The film does offer some origins for the characters, but the film doesn't allow time for the characters to develop themselves, or with each other, other than Jyn and Cassian, and even then, the characters don't exactly have that much chemistry with each other (though their actors make it work), or any of the companion characters that accompany them, with a few exceptions. It's a great deal that the characters are engaging, with the ones that come to mind are Chirrut and K-2SO being the highlights; Chirrut's faith in the Force, along with showcasing such faith, along with his famous line "I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me," lead him to being one of the more beloved characters from this film, along with his relationship with Baze, his companion and skeptic of the force until the end, showcasing, in a way, a religious person and a non-religious one who have mutual respect for each other. K-2SO brings with him a dry, sarcastic personality, a byproduct of his reprogramming. K-2SO brings many chuckles, even if he doesn't have quite as much dialogue as the others. Such humor makes sense given the setting of the film; with so much turmoil and oppression going around, one would have a personality filled with sarcasm, even if it is unexpectedly attached to a reprogrammed Imperial droid. The lack of development on these characters however puts a bit of a damper on the impact of their deaths at the end of the film, as it would have had a bigger impact if the characters were better developed, and not only just engaging through their endearing personalities.
A criticism shared by critics is Rogue One's overuse of computer generated effects, a notion that I agree with to a degree. There is nothing inherently wrong with CGI; when used well, it looks great, especially with the technology available now and potentially in the near future as tech continues to progress. However, in the case of Rogue One, criticism was drawn mainly towards its use for Grand Moff Tarkin, as the actor who portrayed Tarkin, Peter Cushing, had passed away before the film was even a concept. They decided to use motion capture to recreate Tarkin, and... well, while it looks great as far as CGI recreations go, it falls into the uncanny valley as he clearly looks fake, especially when he moves his mouth and eyes. Same criticism applies for the younger, computer generated version of Princess Leia at the end of the film, though it doesn't have the same prominence as Tarkin, who has quite a bit of screen time in Rogue One. Because of how fake Tarkin looks, there are times where I get sucked out of the film and know that Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) is essentially talking to empty space.
I do praise much of the action in Rogue One. Much of the action is built up very well, as there is a lot of build up to it over the course of the film, which works well, as a time period like this would have plenty of tension. The biggest highlight of course is the third act with the Battle of Scarif, witnessing the tension build up and up and up and up, and released with a fantastic sequence filled with action, drama, and high stakes. Of course, I can't talk about the end of Rogue One without talking about Darth Vader's scene at the end, the perfect blend of fan service, while also showcasing just how terrifying of a villain he is as he decimates Rebel soldiers like they are nothing to him. It's just perfect!
Overall, I do enjoy Rogue One. It does a good job as a Star Wars film, has great acting, engaging characters, and fantastic action sequences. However, the shortcomings show in the lack of character development, shaky pacing of the plot, and slight overuse of CGI, mainly in the case for Grand Moff Tarkin. I hope that the upcoming Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi films can learn from this film and showcase their versatility as films and expansion of the Star Wars lore and canon. *Hopes and prays that Solo: A Star Wars Story is good despite the development hiccups*
Verdict: 7/10 (Had a good time and glad that some of Felicity Jones' lines in the reveal trailer were cut, because the delivery on those were not great)
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