Just got back from screening Rogue One
7PM show. No spoiler review.
The movie presented a pretty neat side of the Star Wars universe. It had the look and feel of the classic films but the polish of Force Awakens with modern effects and sound design.
Copyright Disney
It's a popcorn film.
Perhaps more gritty than other films in the franchise. Almost immediately it's apparent that we're not dealing with the stark black and white good and evil Star Wars movies are noted for. The extremes are there but it's tempered with the gray areas of the Empire conscripting the unwilling and rebels dealing with others in harsh terms. Even the rebellion looks to have a less than uniform regime as factions aren't exactly working together.
There is some time given to character development. There are quiet moments as well as the to be expected on-the-nose dialogue. There's a running theme of loss. Kind of a downer for a "fun" film. I suppose that's part of the irony of making wars in the stars a party in space.
Despite the dialogue the actors emote pretty well. At least for a space opera.
The story did a lot of jumping from planet to planet in the first two acts. This was a problem I had with Attack of the Clones as it seemed to divert your attention to and fro without the connective tissue required to vest your interest in the happenings on screen.
Effects are convincing even if now and then I knew we were looking at models on the screen. The combination of practical effects and CG mixed well to fool the eye. There are even some characters who appear even though it seems impossible from a movie-making perspective. If it weren't for the real-world knowledge of the state of the actors you would swear they were in front of the camera looking like they did almost 30 years ago. I won't say who because this is a spoiler free review.
Before I give you my verdict let me give you some reference.
You've probably never read a movie review by me so I should give you some background where I stand. I love Star Wars but only Episodes IV, V and VI. The prequels were largely a silly cartoon to me. Episode VII rehashed so much I wound up bored to tears. I'm one of those who revere Empire Strikes Back as the pinnacle of the franchise blending action, character development and intrigue more effectively than the others.
It's worth mentioning that I'm pretty hard on films in general. It's not often that I'm enchanted by a film's journey and simply don't want it to end. If you're not as harsh in your film critiques then there's a great chance you'll like Rogue One more than I did.
Unlike The Force Awakens this film didn't find the need to scratch the nostalgia itch raw. TFA step by step retreaded the events of previous movies to a tee. To the credit of Rogue One it tried some new things, showed us some new locales yet didn't blow it the way Episodes I-III did.
I'm willing to assert that if you like or love any of the Star Wars films you'll probably at least enjoy Rogue One. There were parts which left me scratching my head. Some parts had me just about to hate the movie but other parts drew me back in. To me it's a fairly flawed film with a smattering of must-see moments.
My verdict is I'm glad I saw it. I'm not eager to see it again. Maybe after a few years I'll come back to it for a home viewing.
In the end I felt let down by flaws inherent in prequels.
For starters whatever stakes there are you know the mission will succeed in retrieving the Death Star plans. Why? You saw Episode IV A New Hope didn't you? That's not a spoiler unless you simply missed all of Star Wars up to now.
Also given the proximity of this movie's timeline to A New Hope it's a mystery where all these new ship designs went. There are also some droids never mentioned or seen in the movies happening after Rogue One's story which stands out to me like a loose end. That may be nit-picking. I admitted earlier I'm pretty hard on movies. It's not because I'm full of myself. I just figure if I can think of it the movie producers probably thought of it too, yet left it in as a creative decision.
I'll leave it up to you if I'm full of myself or not. If you don't want to think too hard and have a fun action packed time in the theater give Rogue One a try. It's been a very long time since there's been a Star Wars film I recommend seeing.
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I like your review style. You should come work for me :-) just kiddin... I have not seen it myself, and I fear that it is cheap calories like Awakens. The thing they dont seem to understand is that the characterization is everything. Some of the lines that Han Solo has for instance. Makes a whole scene. His tells us who he is in a clever and entertaining way... no Disney is probably too gynocentric and occupied with endowing women with inherent powers and complete control. The male counterbalance actors look geaky or flawed... no masculine Solo type there
Thanks for the compliment. I agree completely that characterization has been lacking since the original trilogy. I wouldn't say it's back in full force this time around but it's an improvement over the vacant characters of some of the other movies.
It occurred to me that I didn't make mention of the female lead. I have no problem with balancing out the equation with some strong female characters. My issue with TFA lead characters is that they were infallible (except for the baddie). Rey was good at everything which made her a bland character. Not the strong characterization women deserved on screen nor the one Daisy Ridley was capable of playing.
Rogue One at least gave us a female lead character with some specific traits. She wasn't particularly flawed but she wasn't suddenly an expert in whatever the situation required.
Diego Luna's character wasn't over the top masculine but he had some tension in him. He grows in a similar fashion to Han Solo but it's underwhelming because his change of heart comes from out of nowhere. Well almost. Don't want to give away too much.
Wasn't planning to make a big deal about the gender roles. I love characters like Jack Burton, Indiana Jones, Han Solo but also Ripley, Sarah Connor, Thelma and Louise. Great characters are great characters.
The best part of Awakens is basically up until Rey appears. That skinny, upperclass looking little, selfabsorbed princess does not belong in Star Wars
Haven't seen Rogue One, but agree with your assessments of all the episodes. Disney completely fouled up Episode VII and I feel they have lost the plot by trying to get out at least an episode a year. Basically lost interest in Star Wars after the first three came out. This contrasts to the new Star Trek movies and the way everything was brought back to the start with a very good cast of actors.
Yes, it will be difficult to maintain quality productions with a 12 Month churn. At least the episodes will be spaced 2 years apart with side stories filling the gaps. My sincere hope is that they got their nostalgia fix handled by Episode VII paving the way for VIII and beyond to give us new stories and more variety in the rich Star Wars universe. Hints of it are in Rogue One but it didn't quite gel.
I definitely agree with your review. Way better than 'The Force Awakens' yet could have been better. Character depth was more thought out and much less 2-dimensional. The return of practical effects, coupled with a dab of CG looked much better than the cartoon prequels. I too was left with a palm on the forehead at certain scenes, but it wasn't quite enough to make me dislike it, quite like I disliked the last one.
Great? Well, could have been better, but at the same time wasn't near the abortion I was forced to sit through with Force Awakens. I would recommend it, as well
Flawed but enjoyable. Thanks for chiming in.