"So what's all the buzz about Star Wars?" an average non-fan might ask. Aside from being the biggest, most epic space opera in cinema of all time, there are literally multiple stories to uncover in the massive galaxy the original built over forty years ago. From the various expanded material written throughout the years to the many video games indulging in cool ideas for players to try themselves, there's almost no where the saga hasn't gone (except maybe R-rated territory if you're talking the movies -- which Revenge of the Sith almost was). As of the release of The Force Awakens, there have been more and more side projects for Star Wars releasing in between each new main saga installment. With the release of The Last Jedi just around the corner, I thought I'd go back and take a look at last year's surprise spin-off hit, Rogue One. Right off the bat, it's clear that the movie is rather different from its predecessors as it is the only live action -- I say that because there's also the animated Clone Wars movie -- Star Wars film to not feature an opening crawl, but the differences don't stop there.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
The film is a direct prequel to the original Star Wars (better known as Episode IV: A New Hope) and is perhaps the most mandatory prequel story in the whole saga. In it, a young criminal named Jyn Erso (played by Felicity Jones) is rescued from Imperial labor by the Rebel Alliance. With help from intel officer, Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna), she is tasked with finding her father, Galen (played by Mads Mikkelson), in order that they may acquire more information on the Galactic Empire's superweapon, the Death Star of which he has reluctantly helped construct for years. Meanwhile, a defect Imperial pilot named Bohdi Rook (played by Riz Ahmed) has been tasked with delivering Galen's message, which reveals a flaw in the Death Star; a flaw that, if exploited, will pave way for the Alliance to destroy it should they get their hands on the plans. As they team up with the likes of Chirrut Îmwe (played by Donnie Yen), Baze Malbus (played by Jiang Wen), and K-2SO (played by Alan Tudyk), they must conquer any and all odds stacked against them to retrieve the Death Star plans and ultimately bring hope to the galaxy no matter the sacrifices they make.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
The film is a direct prequel to the original Star Wars (better known as Episode IV: A New Hope) and is perhaps the most mandatory prequel story in the whole saga. In it, a young criminal named Jyn Erso (played by Felicity Jones) is rescued from Imperial labor by the Rebel Alliance. With help from intel officer, Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna), she is tasked with finding her father, Galen (played by Mads Mikkelson), in order that they may acquire more information on the Galactic Empire's superweapon, the Death Star of which he has reluctantly helped construct for years. Meanwhile, a defect Imperial pilot named Bohdi Rook (played by Riz Ahmed) has been tasked with delivering Galen's message, which reveals a flaw in the Death Star; a flaw that, if exploited, will pave way for the Alliance to destroy it should they get their hands on the plans. As they team up with the likes of Chirrut Îmwe (played by Donnie Yen), Baze Malbus (played by Jiang Wen), and K-2SO (played by Alan Tudyk), they must conquer any and all odds stacked against them to retrieve the Death Star plans and ultimately bring hope to the galaxy no matter the sacrifices they make.
For starters, the entire plotline gives us a deeper look into the Star Wars galaxy and answers the one crucial question many nitpicking viewers have had for years: why was the Death Star so easy to destroy? To some this movie's sole existence is to justify that with Galen Erso's explanation, but I see it as more than just simply that. Whereas the Original Trilogy only gave us hints toward life in the galaxy under the Empire's rule, this gives us an up close and personal glimpse at it. Details like the Stormtroopers roaming the streets of Jedha City to the skirmishes incited by Saw Gerrera's extremists show that the many conflicts of the Galactic Civil War weren't just limited to good vs. evil; there were obvious grey areas and even the main characters show that. Innocent as she looks, Jyn is clearly ready to break the necks of anybody who crosses her while Cassian is very much the opposite -- is essentially a hired killer who recognizes his poor choices even under the cause of the Rebellion. Though we have seen many grey areas throughout the Star Wars mythos, it's nice to see a more down to earth take on the worlds and characters that, while sci fi to us, very much realistically depict war from an average person's viewpoint.
Speaking of the characters, one of many complaints I hear is that the characters (especially the Rogue One squad) aren't developed enough and that they don't resonate with us like those from the main saga. Well, I'm here to tell you that that's the point; the objective of the movie is not to make us care about those Rebel spies mentioned in the opening crawl of A New Hope, but rather show how the Death Star plans were acquired and add some humanity to the conflict. To have everyone talk extensively of their backstories would have likely weighed the film down to a point where we're distracted from rooting for them to work together to complete the mission. For example, Saw Gerrera (played by Forrest Whitaker) had a presence in only the first act without us even knowing much about his story -- except for those who watch The Clone Wars, which I hardly did -- and died as if sacrificing himself when he barely left an impression. To some, that may have been too quick of an entrance/exit that means nothing other than for him to reunite with Jyn and show her father's message, though it's made clear that he's a physically broken person ("There's not much of me left.") and is tired of running from danger by the time the Death Star fires for the first time. All in all, the fact that all the new cast members die off in the end not only is a different way to cap off a Star Wars film (especially in Disney's case), but each of the cast gets enough development to where we're hopeful that they'll overcome all odds while not too depressed the moment the movie's over.
Though most of the movie's down sides are easy to rectify, the main negative I can agree on with this movie is its use of CGI to recreate dead or aging actors. I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about when I say that the way they used CG to essentially resurrect Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin and de-age Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia at the time didn't turn out as well as you might think. Despite noble efforts on the special effects crew's department, it's just too easy to tell they only animated someone's likeness over another actor's face; in other words it doesn't look real enough. Specifically with Tarkin, the moment you see his head turn around as the Death Star finishes construction, the way his face moves as he talks is so clearly animated, I almost thought I was watching one of the animated shows for a second. That said, prosthetics might have done the trick in a more authentic manner given that the actor they chose looks like a young Peter Cushing and could easily pull off his voice that, had they gone that route, I would have though maybe they brought the actor back to life just for this movie. And I know not what they could have done better to re-capture the likeness of young Carrie Fisher (as she was still alive at the time the movie came out -- RIP Carrie Fisher), yet it somehow goes back and forth from looking real to not real in the matter of the only 12 seconds she's on screen. Even so, the scene itself ties in perfectly with the movie's message of "rebellions are built on hope" without completely disregarding Luke's role in the next chronological installment and was a neat way to end the movie.
Of course, it's a Star Wars film so I can't let slip by just how fantastically the environments shown are visually represented. From the out of this world yet somehow real worldly vibe of the Erso's home planet to the sunny, beachy landscape of Scarif, each planet is filled with stunning landscapes that really draw the viewer into another world while somehow also remaining grounded -- the same contrast that's found throughout the film in its world and characters. It's clear that the designers knew what era of Star Wars they were designing after and it shows throughout the movie. The inclusion of Yavin 4 only serves to amplify that and seeing it come back wasn't just mandatory, but also seeing it from different angles as well as the Mon Mothma look-a-like were enough to excite me about seeing the OT era from a different angle. Even in the beginning of the film, the planet we first meet Cassian on has its own contrast, showing at first a bright and shiny city like that of the Prequel Trilogy before panning down into a more rugged, shady city similar to the Original Trilogy. Each locale was immersive in its own way and definitely made for a welcome way to revisit the era.
Naturally, the action scenes are just as mandatory and, my golly, are there many show stealers in this one. Whereas the previous films prominently featured acrobatic swordplay Jedi fights with only a handful of blaster action on the side, Rogue One deviates with a multitude of more realistic action set pieces many of which are very stellar and noteworthy. From Chirrut's blind Force-based hand-to-hand combat to the amazing X-Wing space fights we're given in the third act, the whole film somehow manages to create unique action set pieces without ever featuring on a lightsaber duel, which is saying something for a film of its series. Where in the pacing was a tad off in the first two acts and the action wasn't as engaging, the entire third act battle at Scarif is undeniably the highlight of the story; between the multiple perspectives shown from the ground to the sprawling aerial combat between the X-Wings and TIE Fighters, I was once again a young boy watching the exciting Battle of Hoth yet again, only this time better! And if that wasn't enough to keep me on the edge of my seat, the immediate follow up to that scene with Darth Vader slaughtering Rebels in a darkened hallway absolutely did not disappoint. Aside from Vader barely appearing hardly in the film up to that point, him breathing in the shadows, igniting his lightsaber, deflecting the Rebels' blaster bolts, and slashing/choking them in all sorts of dynamic ways has forever cemented that scene in my mind as the best scene in the movie as well as the best portrayal of the character of Darth Vader on film to date! I could literally nerd out on it for days at a time if I wanted!
Lest we not forget to mention the acting; it was fairly good. Not exactly the most masterful acting of all time, but it definitely wasn't prequel levels of terrible. Felicity Jones, though she played the part of Jyn Erso well, sort of maintained a bit of an angry expression throughout the movie even after her emotional moment where her character discovers the truth about her father, which I guess signals further the need for viewers to not get too attached to her. Ben Mendelssohn's Krennic, on the other hand, though I can't say he was the best antagonist in all of Star Wars, really nails the persona of a man who isn't recognized for his achievement as a result of ignoring simple oversights. He's just trying too hard to be the best and doesn't succeed and Mendelssohn did a good job pulling that off. The other actors all did a fine job of playing their parts even though they hardly ever got emotional, but then again that was the point. James Earl Jones, of course, returns to voice Darth Vader, and though his voice isn't given much of a presence in the two scenes where Vader's present, he actually cracks a joke that's guaranteed to make any fan of the Force choke crack up with ease. However, the real show stealers would have to be Alan Tudyk's K-2SO and Donnie Yen's Chirrut. K's snarky personality gives him the most funny lines of them all (i.e.: "Congratulations. You are being rescued. Try not to resist.") and even Chirrut's one liners (i.e.: "Are you kidding me? I am blind!") make him a fun presence to have throughout the film. And that's what the film was to me: gritty, dramatic Star Wars fun.
Overall, the film was great despite its flaws and really offers us a taste of what the additional Star Wars spin-offs may be like in years to come. Despite complaints involving the use of CG-plastered faces to recreate old familiar faces, the story answered our questions and took us into new, but familiar territory, the characters were developed enough to not distract from the main premise, the environments beautifully constructed and rendered, the action managed to stay fresh while also providing edge-of-your-seat enjoyment, and the acting was fairly well done. If anything, I'd rank this somewhere between The Force Awakens and Return of the Jedi in terms of my favorite Star Wars overall. That said the film gets a solid B and a worth watching recommendation from me to any Star Wars fan and beyond!
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
