Rogue One is not a star wars movie. It’s a movie set in the
star wars universe. It does not follow
the formulas used in episodes I through VI. This is important because judging
it as a Star Wars movie might leave you disappointed. It does not have the
iconic power the good Star Wars movies have. If you judge it on its merits
however it is a great movie. It’s creative, it’s fun, and it doesn’t rely on
nostalgia nearly as much as The Force Awakens.
It wasn’t prefect, but it is a film that has earned its place in a
storied franchise.
Rogue One is the tale of Jyn Olyo: the daughter of an
imperial scientist. Along with a team of rebels she seeks to obtain the
blueprints of the Empires new super weapon: The Death Star. Opposing them is
Director Orson Krennic: a high ranking imperial officer leading the development
of the battle station. The movie paints a dark picture of the Star Wars
universe under imperial rule: rebel groups are willing to use any means
necessary, including torture and murder to overthrow an empire with no regard
for individual rights or life. Great villains like Vader are largely kept in
the background, as are great heroes like Mon Motha and Leia. This movie focuses
on the people doing the dirty work on both sides. The characters are often put
in morally dubious positions for the sake of their cause. This isn’t your
parents Star Wars. There is an actual grey area and the films better for
it.
Rogue One took risks, something that the Force Awakens decided
not to do. I’ve written about risks before, but this time most of the risks
worked out. Especially at the beginning, Rogue One doesn’t feel like a Star
Wars movie. But I soon got over that as I was drawn in by great Characters and
excellent world building. There were a few fan service-like references to the
old movies, but compared to The Force Awakens it didn’t feel like it was
constantly trying to tap into forty year old magic. Rogue One can almost stand
on its own: something that cannot be said of any Star Wars film since the
original trilogy.
Where the movie is weak is some of its dialogue. Overall the
dialogue is good but not great. But when they get to the speeches it feels like
they were reaching for the cliché. The
dialogue is not bad but it’s not as good as it could be. For us nerds there are
also some inconsistencies. Why are R2D2 still on Yavin IV when they should
already be on the Tantive IV? Little things like this should have been caught
by some anal fan boy and dealt with pre-release. Lack of internal consistency
is always disappointing. Some may also find the CGI inserts of characters from
the original series like Tarkin Jarring. Last there are a few ass-pulls. Like in
most action movies the characters sometimes do things that are pretty much physically
impossible. Jedi could get away with that because the force, but that doesn’t
fly here. There were at least two times where I was saying “bullshit” at
impossible feats.
Flaws aside, Rogue One is a great film. It’s one worth
seeing and a worthy addition to the franchise. Various naysayers on the
internet should not be listened to. It’s not iconic like the first trilogy, but
it’s new and fresh. It doesn’t try to be Star Wars, and that’s why it works so
well. I can only hope Disney keeps up this level of work.
8 out of 10.
-Gedaemon
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