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| photo courtesy of theverge.com |
SPOILER FREE REVIEW
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the newest installment of the immensely
popular Star Wars franchise, and the
first standalone spinoff film from the main series since its acquisition by
Disney. Star Wars fanatics can rest assured: Rogue One is a brilliant addition to the Star Wars canon—the best Star
Wars film in years—that capitalizes on the opportunities of a standalone
outing by joining interstellar action with real emotional stakes.
Rogue One is a prequel to the original Star
Wars (1977), which most fans now know as Episode IV: A New Hope, and brings to life the events of that
film’s opening crawl. In Rogue One, a
band of rebels led by long-time freedom fighters Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor
embark on a perilous secret mission to apprehend plans to the Death Star, the
Empire’s new weapon capable of destroying entire planets in one devastating
shot. In the hope of saving the galaxy from this danger, the group will risk
not only their lives, but the Rebellion and the cause of freedom itself.
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| photo courtesy of collider.com |
Rogue One unites a fairly large ensemble cast, featuring some top-notch actors
as well as some emerging stars. The cast is the most diverse to yet populate
the galaxy far, far away. Jyn Erso plays Felicity Jones, Diego Luna plays
Cassian Andor, Wen Jiang is Baze Malbus, and Riz Ahmed is Bodhi Rook. Donnie
Yen of Ip Man martial art action fame
plays Chirrut Imwe, Alan Tudyk voices reprogrammed imperial droid K-2SO, and
Mads Mikkelsen plays Jyn’s father and Death Star architect, Galen. The standout
performances come from Ben Mendelsohn and Forest Whitaker, who play major
villain Director Orson Krennic and rebel splinter-cell leader Saw Gerrera,
respectively. -deep breath-
As mentioned above, Rogue One features a mature narrative that
is relatively contained and willing to invest in real stakes (which is a feat,
considering that anyone who has seen Star
Wars knows generally how the story will end). The movie carries much of
what we’ve come to expect from a (good) Star
Wars film: the dichotomy between good and evil, themes about hope and
friendship, intimate and grand cinematography, and cutting edge special effects
and action scenes. As such, Rogue One carries
enough weight about it to earn a place alongside the other installments.
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| photo courtesy of starwars.com |
What is most
interesting, however, is what is different from typical Star Wars iconography. There are some stylistic choices and
technical differences, of course, but what I mean is this: because the film
isn’t part of the main series, it doesn’t carry the baggage of the Skywalker
saga. There are certain expectations about what must happen and what is at
stake when we deal with this revered set of characters and symbols—expectations
that are not only opportunities, but also, in some sense, limitations. The Empire Strikes Back showed us that
the Skywalkers can endure real loss, but Return
of the Jedi demonstrates that everything will end up alright for them in
the end.
Rogue One is unencumbered by this association. It’s about fringe characters,
whose dealings are still critically important but less flashy than those of the
Skywalker family. There is no guarantee of success or happy ending, and that is
in large part what makes Rogue One such
an exciting experiment. The whole film carries with it a certain riskiness—we
get the feeling that our heroes really are riding on the edge of their seat,
risking their lives moment by moment against an enemy too powerful to
comprehend.
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| photo courtesy of businessinsider.com |
The narrative is not
perfect, of course. Rogue One, which
bears the mark of its modern filmmakers, isn’t quite the same caliber of film
as the original masterpieces. It starts fairly slowly (which is not a bad
thing, necessarily), and somewhat confusingly jumps around quite a bit toward
the beginning. It is not the friendliest to non-Star Wars fans; a casual viewer will enjoy the experience,
undoubtedly, but not on the same level as the hardcore fan. There are a few
silly plot moments, but the movie benefits from a strong prologue and
high-budget execution.
It’s also a pretty funny
movie, with levity interspersed among the severe drama a la Marvel. Most of
this is welcome, though there are a few Episode
I level cheesy dialogue misfires. The script, on whole, is fairly
solid—though again not of the same caliber as the originals—but gives way to clichés
and exposition dumps here and there.
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| photo courtesy of cheatsheet.com |
On the action front, Rogue One is top-tier. Most of the
action takes place during the last third of the film, which is both
edge-of-your-seat gripping and visually stunning. The CGI and camerawork is
executed nearly flawlessly, following in J.J. Abrams’ footsteps. Many fan
favorite set pieces are back for this go-around (which is appropriate, seeing
as it takes place so close to the originals in time-order), but this film also
introduces a number of exciting original ships/weapons/planets. There’s a fair
amount of indulging fan-service, which is mostly harmless and fun.
Rogue One captures that thrill and excitement that is so rare in
film these days, even with all our high-budget blockbusters—that thrill that is
the hallmark of Star Wars. There’s
nothing quite like it: that sense of escapism, adventure, and fun that
permeates this film universe. Fans and newcomers alike can root for the rebels
and cheer their small victories.
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| photo courtesy of wall.alphacoders.com |
The score contributes
mightily to the excitement, electrifying the action. Rogue One is the first Star
Wars movie not scored by legendary composer John Williams, but Michael Giacchino
takes the reins beautifully, crafting haunting and compelling themes. Of
course, the traditional themes we know and love are present as well—it wouldn’t
be Star Wars without them.
The most enticing part
of the film, undoubtedly, is the presence of film’s most iconic villain, Darth
Vader, who returns to the big screen in smashing fashion. The filmmakers are
careful to use him sparingly and with reason, and the result is a truly
frightening picture that honors and even furthers Vader’s legendary status.
Viewers who were disappointed with Vader’s depiction in the prequels will be
satisfied here; Vader is in his element: fearsome, immensely powerful, and
deserving of his reputation.
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| photo courtesy of idigitaltimes.com |
In keeping with the
impressive visuals from The Force Awakens
last year, Rogue One is beautiful
to behold. It seems weird to say that the Death Star is often one of the most
striking and marvelous images in the entire film, but that’s the case. There
are vast landscapes and cramped corners, vibrant colors and foreboding
grayscale. It seems that Disney and Lucasfilm are committed to continuing the
tradition of making Star Wars films an
absolute feast for the eyes, and it certainly inspires confidence to see it
executed so dazzlingly.
One of Rogue One’s most impressive
technological achievements is that it brings back two actors from the original
films using CGI. One of these plays a substantial role in the proceedings of
the film. The effort doesn’t quite ford the uncanny valley, but it marks a
brave and pioneering attempt at furthering the technology—which is something Star Wars has always done. Even if it
doesn’t quite succeed, then, it’s a worthy try. On a side note, there are some
interesting ethical dilemmas raised by the process—especially because one of
the actors has died since the originals were filmed.
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| photo courtesy of inverse.com |
A weakness of the film
is its treatment of the two main characters, Jyn and Cassian, who both get
somewhat shortchanged amidst the vast intergalactic struggle. The story remains
focused and the characters are mostly well-drawn, but the story could benefit
from lending them greater agency. They aren’t totally at the whim of the plot,
thankfully, but the motivations and choices could be stronger, especially for
Jyn.
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| photo courtesy of swiftfilm.com |
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