Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set just before Star Wars: A New Hope, following a band of Rebel soldiers who uncover the Empire's plan to build a superweapon and their harrowing mission to try and steal those Death Star plans that kick off the Star Wars story.
Four years ago when Disney announced the earth-shattering news that they had purchased Lucasfilm and were making new Star Wars movies, one of the more interesting - and concerning - elements of the reveal was that they would not only be giving us new Episodic movies, but that they would also be giving us "Anthology" movies that worked much like spin-offs into various ends of the Star Wars Galaxy. While the excitement was strong for Episode 7, I was concerned that these "Anthology" movies would be nothing more than cash grabs and even after The Force Awakens I fearfully wondered if Disney could truly venture beyond the core story and still manage to feel worthwhile. Would the first of these Star Wars Stories, Rogue One, live up to this fear? Or would it prove that the galaxy of Star Wars truly is open for new and exciting stories?
What I Loved
- A Period of Civil War
- Rogue One's most fantastic element is it's ability to use unprecedented quality of action to further blur the lines of good and bad in the Star Wars universe.
- A Larger World
- The connective tissues laid in Rogue One towards the rest of the Star Wars franchise is mostly organic and significant, varying from small missable cameos to majorly significant roles.
- If You Can't Tell...
- Star Wars has always been a franchise of groundbreaking visuals, and Rogue One place itself right back on top of that heap in a way that The Force Awakens wasn't interested in.
What I Liked
- Show Me a Hero
- Rogue One's two main protagonists are engaging and unique, but it's supporting cast fades into the background of a crowded lineup.
- As Good as Their Villain
- Orson Krennic is an enjoyable and imposing enemy to the heroes, but his potential is left somewhat unmet thanks to other villains being introduced.
What I Disliked
- A Long Time Ago
- Rogue One's unique timeframe creates a heavy reliance on exposition early in the movie, which takes time away from development and could have been easily avoided with a traditional opening crawl.
A Period of Civil War
The biggest achievement Rogue One can boast is how well it expanded and enhanced our view of the Civil War that engulfed the galaxy prior to New Hope. It does this in two distinctly successful ways: giving us a small perspective of the average citizen as well as the massive perspective of a galactic battle.
Previously, our only experience with the Rebellion and the Empire was from Luke Skywalker, an idyllic outsider living far from the true conflict. The original trilogy presents a very black and white portrayal of the Rebellion as the shining heroes and the Empire as chaotic villains. In Rogue One, we are given a look at what life in an uncertain galaxy would truly be like and why the Rebellion is not the White Hat Saviors that they were shown as originally.
Early in the movie, there is an action scene in a crowded city street. Here, we see a group of Rebels ambushing a group of Imperials with stark similarities to the American Revolution or even a modern terrorist attack. During this scene, you cannot help but think of the perspective that a common citizen would have on this event. They are seeing the Government hold the planet only to have a group of violent citizens attack in public with explosions and blasters. This brings a new depth to the willingness of the Rebellion to bend morality as well as the fear it could instill in citizens. Sure the Empire is rough, but because of the Rebel Alliance, this planet erupted into chaos.
There is also a large action set piece in the third act and without spoiling anything, the scale and scope of this action is purely unprecedented in Star Wars. This battle helps prove just how large and expansive this war was and that it stretched far beyond a few scrapes between the Falcon and some TIE Fighters. It is also breathtaking just how outgunned and outmanned the Rebellion is at this point, showing the desperation they felt to find any form of hope that could present itself, especially in the face of a brand new superweapon: The Death Star.
Into a Larger World
One of my biggest questions going into this movie was just how it would tie into the larger Star Wars universe. Would it feel organic and enhance the story overall or would it feel forced and end up harming continuity? After the Star Wars Prequels had a sprinkle of both scenarios, I was hesitant. However I think Rogue One's connections to the original trilogy - New Hope, specifically - feel organic and necessary. Tie ins pop up when they can but never get in the way of telling the story that Rogue One was here to tell.
Many of the best connections pop up as small easter eggs and cameos. Background lines of dialogue or characters seen for brief moments. These small connections help flesh out the world connecting not only to the original trilogy but to the new canon outside of the movies as well as the old Expanded Universe. However these small nuggets will surely be initially buried in our minds by the larger more imposing connections that play major roles throughout the movie. All of these connections (which I will get into in a later, spoiler-filled post) felt natural to the point where the story would have had to jump through hoops to avoid having them. They also show a true level of confidence by Star Wars and Disney to break new ground and not be afraid to touch an all-time classic like New Hope. I was waiting for a groan moment akin to Yoda with Chewie that would feel forced and harmful, but the connections all managed to avoid that level of shameless fan service.
If You Can't Tell, Does it Really Matter?
Star Wars has always been a franchise known for breaking new ground visually, from the practical effects and widened lenses of New Hope to the mainstreaming of digital filming it the Attack of the Clones. A complaint I had towards The Force Awakens was that it did not seem to break this new ground and instead relied on reforging the traditions of old. While that had its own appeal, Rogue One manages to go back to what makes Star Wars important and change the game of visual effects.
The action of this movie is truly unlike anything else in the franchise, especially in its climactic battles. The way that this film was able to blend practicality with CG was astounding, giving it a true sense of mass scale that was lacking in The Force Awakens. It set a high standard for the Sci-Fi action that Star Wars can bring and it will be hard for the action movies of the next year to live up to what was seen here.
There is also a particular element of the visual effects in this movie that is fairly divisive among fans. Some called it off-putting and obvious, but I would call it groundbreaking and impressive. Without going into spoiler territory, there is a CG element to a character that I think will go down to define this movie's addition to filmmaking, for better or worse. While it may have been slightly jarring at first, I think it shows just how far we have come in visual effects in only the last decade and what could be possible in a few years if this particular brand of effects is further developed. You can read more on this element in a future spoiler post, but for now I will head on.
Show Me a Hero
This movie took up the hard task of relying (nearly) entirely on new characters unestablished in the Star Wars films. Some of these work very well. Jyn Erso is a strong lead with a genuine development over the course of the movie. She is driving as a protagonist and Felicity Jones is very convincing as the distant criminal turned Rebel. After controversy thrown towards The Force Awakens for its lack of diversity and a overdue push for female representation in action movies, Jyn Erson is a great addition to ever-growing lineup of Star Wars heroes. Diego Luna's Cassian Andor is also a standout by helping to give the Rebellion a darker edge while also showing his own grey outlook towards the necessities of war. His dark side brings new depth to the Rebel Alliance and enhances the gritty feeling of the film right from his initial introduction.
While those main leads are strong, many of the supporting cast feels like their potential was not fully met. They're each given a moment or two to shine, but are not given the amount of time needed to develop a strong bond or propel a true character arch. In particular, Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrara is a standout of missed potential. With a fantastic actor playing a character ripped from The Clone Wars animated series, this could have been a massive step forward for the connection and setup potential with the new canon. However in the end he is mostly a plot device and exposition giver, and Whitaker's performances stands out as the weakest of the film, talking in a strange, suffocated voice that, while it fits with the character's situation, still stood out as weak among stronger more natural performances.
Overall, the main cast of heroes are all compelling even within the single movie they are currently contained to, but several characters are surrounded by missed potential, mostly due to the limitations presented by a single film with a very large cast and story.
Only as Good as their Villain
The main villain of this movie, Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic, is a fairly well established antagonist. His motivations are clear and the conflict he presents within the Empire is very interesting. He is vying for power on the Death Star and desperate to prove himself after spending decades building the weapon. His desperation to be established as a powerful member of the Empire's associates helps his motivations be simple and clear and not convoluted by a complex and unreliable master plan. Mendelsohn stands out as a restrained villain not suited for the loud yells and screams that similar antagonists rely on. His steady pragmatism and wormy appeal make him similar to Littlefinger from Game of Thrones or other political manipulators. However there are also moments where he is pushed to the edge and shows the cracks beneath his skin.
The defining flaw of this character is ultimately a lack of development. Early on he begins to get overshadowed by another villain and while his role in the end of the film is substantially satisfying, he is sure to be forgotten in favor of yet another villain whose presence at the end of the movie is sure to be the main element of movie-related conversation for the next few weeks. I think Krennic could have truly shined if he had been given more screentime in favor of the other character introduced, but in the end he is a serviceable antagonist even if he will not rank among the greats.
A Long Time Ago
The largest flaw of this movie comes in it's earliest moments. After a strong opening scene establishing the characters and timeline, we are treated to a fair portion of the movie that is used as exposition, resulting in some strange pacing issues and rushed sequences. I understand the concept of removing the opening crawl to separate the anthology films from the saga episodes, but I think this movie could have benefited tremendously from including one. We are thrust into a new timeframe with new characters and I would imagine that somebody popping this BluRay a few years from now or showing up at the theater next week for a new Star Wars movie could feel very lost and overwhelmed trying to figure out when and where they are and who exactly is there with them. If you did not know the premise going in, you could have a lot of catching up to do in the early half of this movie.
A simple opening crawl to establish that this is indeed during the events of the Civil War leading to new hope and that the Rebellion has just learned of a deadly battle station could quickly establish the setting and be able to cut out the exposition that litters the front end of this film. This could have helped service the characters and plot overall by dedicating more time to development and less time to explaining to the new viewers that yes, the Death Star is still there and no the Empire has not been defeated by Luke just yet.
Built on Hope
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a movie ripe with potential. It had the potential to fail, to sew the seeds of Disney's butchering of Star Wars and fuel the outcry once again that this franchise was going to be dead in the water. However it also had the potential for greatness, to establish Star Wars as a franchise beyond it's episodic limitations and establish a new perspective of fascinating characters and stories that the Star Wars Saga as it was could not have brought us. In the end, it came down towards the positive end, although it was not without flaws.
The visuals and action were top tier for movies and the connective tissue towards the original trilogy was organic and heavily impactful. While the lead characters were strong, the supporting cast was weaker and the exposition-heavy opening act does weaken the movie overall. However Rogue One blasted away my worries towards the future of the Star Wars franchise and managed to defy my expectations. I am beyond excited for the future of these Star Wars Anthologies and am already waiting in desperation for Episode 8 to continue our core saga story, almost exactly a year from today.
Thanks so much for reading! I'm Tristan Mayer and this is my entertainment blog, The Film Fan Awakens. If you want to keep up with my posts here, including an upcoming spoiler discussion of how Rogue One affected the franchise overall, you can follow me here on Blogspot or on Facebook and Twitter. Have a great end of the year and may the force (of others) be with you!
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