Year: 2016
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, and Mads Mikkelsen
Tagline: A rebellion built on hope
Synopsis: "Rebel spies [manage] to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star."
Tagline: A rebellion built on hope
Synopsis: "Rebel spies [manage] to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star."
Review
Rogue One is awesome! I've always enjoyed Star Wars, but I didn't realize how big my inner Star Wars nerd was until I was watching the film and grinning ear to ear with each new tie-in to the other films. I geeked out quite a bit and enjoyed every minute of it.
It helps that Rogue One is also a solid film. In fact, I'd say it's better than The Force Awakens. I'd put it right after A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.
I can't really think of how to say more about this film without going into spoilers. So I'm not going to try. If you haven't seen Rogue One, stop reading and go see it.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I love R2-D2 and am usually amused by C-3PO. BB-8 is adorable. But K-2SO may be my new favorite droid. As a reprogrammed imperial droid, there's nothing cute or fun about his look. He's tall, dark, and intimidating. But he adds humor throughout the film: a droll humor that fits with the film and other characters. He's a no-nonsense droid. Just about everything out of his voice box could be in the quotes section.
K2's dry humor is needed; Rogue One has a darker tone, stressing the "war" in Star Wars. The final third of the film feels a bit like a WWII film, just in space with droids, aliens, and star cruisers. And the rest of the film shows a Rebellion that is divided, struggling, and not as morally tidy as A New Hope portrays. Trust and hope are ideals being thrown about by the leaders, but in the trenches things are muddier and those ideals aren't as readily embraced.
One of the great things Rogue One does is it gives that context to A New Hope. Princess Leia's urgent petulance makes sense. Han Solo's desire to steer clear of the Rebellion seems sensible. Luke's naivete is all the more clear. Moreover, the sacrifice of the Rogue One team makes the Death Star plans all the more valuable. The film also neatly (and I believe logically) explains why there was a weakness in the Death Star's fortifications to begin with.
When the third act came around, I was surprised just how tense it felt. There was a sense of urgency throughout the final battle and moments of the film. That's quite the feat for a film like this. No matter how many things go wrong or how many people die, we know they'll succeed in getting the plans to the Death Star to Princess Leia. Yet I still found myself on the edge of my seat, rooting for the characters and internally yelling "C'mon!" and "Just hand off the disk!" When you are still engaged even when you know the outcome, that's the sign of a well-crafted story.
Although not one of the main saga films, Rogue One feels every bit like a Star Wars film (even without the title crawl). The music is excellent as always. While there are new themes, the familiar themes show up as well. The visual effects was another area that hearkened back to the originals. The film uses miniatures! There's also plenty of CGI, but the fact they went back to Star Wars roots and used miniatures form some of the spaceships made me quite happy and made it feel more tied to A New Hope. The film also has plenty of "Easter eggs," cameos, and appearances by familiar characters. I was especially happy to see Bail Organa appear. Not only does it make sense, given he is Leia's adoptive father, it connects the prequel trilogy as well. (There is much that is wrong with the prequels, but I don't recall any problems with Senator Organa's role, which makes it a safe tie-in point.)
Based on A New Hope, it would be improbable to tell the Rogue One story without Governor Tarkin. I'm sure there were lengthy discussions about whether or not to recast Peter Cushing. The first scene he is "in," I'll admit it was a little jarring. But it was also neat to see Governor Tarkin as I remember him. So I accepted that it was (imperfect) CGI and rolled with it whatever scene he was in. I'm glad they went that route. As for Princess Leia, I found her to be a little more jarring. Perhaps that is because I've seen Carrie Fisher (may she rest in peace) grow older over the years. It worked, and I liked ending where they did, but it might also have worked if we had cut away before the white-clad princess ever turned around.
While there is much to enjoy about Rogue One, the standout scene is when Darth Vader walks down a hall. When the original trilogy came out, Darth Vader became one of the best cinematic villains ever. If the prequels tarnished some of that image, Rogue One polishes and reinstates him. His lair -- on Mustafar of all places -- puts Syndrome's lava fortress (from The Incredibles) to shame. Vader is calm and collected and a force to be reckoned with. And when he walks down that hall filled with cowering Rebel soldiers, we remember why he is such an awesome and enduring villain.
If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One. I look forward to seeing it again. And it makes me look forward to watching A New Hope again. May the Force be with you ... always.
It helps that Rogue One is also a solid film. In fact, I'd say it's better than The Force Awakens. I'd put it right after A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.
I can't really think of how to say more about this film without going into spoilers. So I'm not going to try. If you haven't seen Rogue One, stop reading and go see it.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I love R2-D2 and am usually amused by C-3PO. BB-8 is adorable. But K-2SO may be my new favorite droid. As a reprogrammed imperial droid, there's nothing cute or fun about his look. He's tall, dark, and intimidating. But he adds humor throughout the film: a droll humor that fits with the film and other characters. He's a no-nonsense droid. Just about everything out of his voice box could be in the quotes section.
K2's dry humor is needed; Rogue One has a darker tone, stressing the "war" in Star Wars. The final third of the film feels a bit like a WWII film, just in space with droids, aliens, and star cruisers. And the rest of the film shows a Rebellion that is divided, struggling, and not as morally tidy as A New Hope portrays. Trust and hope are ideals being thrown about by the leaders, but in the trenches things are muddier and those ideals aren't as readily embraced.
One of the great things Rogue One does is it gives that context to A New Hope. Princess Leia's urgent petulance makes sense. Han Solo's desire to steer clear of the Rebellion seems sensible. Luke's naivete is all the more clear. Moreover, the sacrifice of the Rogue One team makes the Death Star plans all the more valuable. The film also neatly (and I believe logically) explains why there was a weakness in the Death Star's fortifications to begin with.
When the third act came around, I was surprised just how tense it felt. There was a sense of urgency throughout the final battle and moments of the film. That's quite the feat for a film like this. No matter how many things go wrong or how many people die, we know they'll succeed in getting the plans to the Death Star to Princess Leia. Yet I still found myself on the edge of my seat, rooting for the characters and internally yelling "C'mon!" and "Just hand off the disk!" When you are still engaged even when you know the outcome, that's the sign of a well-crafted story.
Although not one of the main saga films, Rogue One feels every bit like a Star Wars film (even without the title crawl). The music is excellent as always. While there are new themes, the familiar themes show up as well. The visual effects was another area that hearkened back to the originals. The film uses miniatures! There's also plenty of CGI, but the fact they went back to Star Wars roots and used miniatures form some of the spaceships made me quite happy and made it feel more tied to A New Hope. The film also has plenty of "Easter eggs," cameos, and appearances by familiar characters. I was especially happy to see Bail Organa appear. Not only does it make sense, given he is Leia's adoptive father, it connects the prequel trilogy as well. (There is much that is wrong with the prequels, but I don't recall any problems with Senator Organa's role, which makes it a safe tie-in point.)
Based on A New Hope, it would be improbable to tell the Rogue One story without Governor Tarkin. I'm sure there were lengthy discussions about whether or not to recast Peter Cushing. The first scene he is "in," I'll admit it was a little jarring. But it was also neat to see Governor Tarkin as I remember him. So I accepted that it was (imperfect) CGI and rolled with it whatever scene he was in. I'm glad they went that route. As for Princess Leia, I found her to be a little more jarring. Perhaps that is because I've seen Carrie Fisher (may she rest in peace) grow older over the years. It worked, and I liked ending where they did, but it might also have worked if we had cut away before the white-clad princess ever turned around.
While there is much to enjoy about Rogue One, the standout scene is when Darth Vader walks down a hall. When the original trilogy came out, Darth Vader became one of the best cinematic villains ever. If the prequels tarnished some of that image, Rogue One polishes and reinstates him. His lair -- on Mustafar of all places -- puts Syndrome's lava fortress (from The Incredibles) to shame. Vader is calm and collected and a force to be reckoned with. And when he walks down that hall filled with cowering Rebel soldiers, we remember why he is such an awesome and enduring villain.
If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One. I look forward to seeing it again. And it makes me look forward to watching A New Hope again. May the Force be with you ... always.
Quotable Quotes
- "Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director." -- Darth Vader to Director Krennic
- "I'll be there for you, Jyn ... Cassian says I have to." -- K-2SO
- "I am one with the Force. The Force is with me." -- Chirrut Imwe
- "There were a lot of explosions for two people blending in." -- K-2SO to Cassian and Jyn
- "I've got a bad feeling about --" "K!" "Quiet!" -- K-2SO, Cassian, and Jyn
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