Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
(B or 3/4 stars)
Set right before events of 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (directed by Gareth Edwards, Godzilla) fills in an important chunk of backstory from the original trilogy - namely - how Princess Leia obtain the plans to the Death Star {you could call it episode 3.5, haha}. Simply put, the film follows the Rebel Alliance's plot to steal the plans for the Empire's in-development weapon of mass destruction known as the Death Star; which is roaming around the galaxy turning major cities into rubble. For the risky mission ahead, vet Rebel pilot Cassian Andor (an enjoyably cocky Diego Luna) & his trusty sidekick droid K-2SO (well-voiced by Alan Tudyk), are commanded to take along a former prisoner. Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is the prisoner/estranged daughter of the Empire's head engineer, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen).
The idea here is that her mere presence on the mission will help draw him out {for rescue or assassination}; forcing him to give up the sought-after diagram/plans. Along the way, after meeting with famed fighter Saw Gerrera (underused Forest Whitaker), our missionaries pick up stragglers Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), a blind man with Force-like powers, Baze Mulbus (Wen Jiang), & Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed, of Nightcrawler), a shuttle pilot who has deserted the Empire. But unsurprisingly, things don't go quite as planned for our 6-person rebel group as the Death Star's mastermind, evil Commander Krennic (creepy Ben Mendelsohn), begins to show off the Death Star's mass-destruction potential in order to impress both the Emperor ... and Lord Darth Vader. Trust, courage & teamwork are paramount for our 'hope'ful rebellion to succeed. Mayhem ensues.
So 'Rogue One' is a pretty solid standalone Star Wars entry. Although this film lacks the iconic opening crawl & rousing John Williams score, it still uses "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away". That, alone, transported me right into the intergalactic milieu. For 4 decades, SW fans have wondered why the Death Star had a design flaw that the Rebel Alliance could even think about utilizing. 'Rogue One' answers that very question. Tonally, 'Rogue One' is grittier & more downbeat, even when 'hope' is a main theme. Downbeat; punctuated by the knowledge that none of the characters here show-up in subsequent films {hint, hint}. The downbeat tone is off-set by moments of humor but, more humor & je ne sais quoi excitement would have helped me get through the dire, slow-going early sections.
Felicity Jones & Diego Luna are serviceable as main heroes Jyn & Cassian; both of whom have complicated pasts. In some ways, they're actually the opposite of Leia & Han Solo, with Jyn being the roguish heroine with an enigmatic reputation & Cassian the rebel with a complicated past. Their banter isn't as funny or fluid as Leia & Han's, but for that we have K-2SO, who drily, snarkily states the probability of success in each situation they're tossed into. The other supporting characters in 'Rogue One' are refreshingly diverse, with Chinese martial artists Wen Jiang & Donnie Yen humorously playing the blind warrior monk & his assassin pal. Add-in the likes of Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen & Forest Whitaker and you've got quite the varied cast. The odds are against this ragtag rebellion right from the start, & the film's epic battle sequences are absolutely the most violent of any Star Wars installment; including a Shakespearean-level of sad deaths. Young children will likely flock to the theater, but I'm not so sure this movie is for them, at all.
The scale & intensity of the 3rd act is off the charts. The stakes are high. The battles are incredible. Tragedy strikes often - as do the heroics. But it must be said that the 1st 2 acts preceding it don't rivet; at least, not for me. The whole war story/mission itself is fairly obvious and jarringly paced. When I say obvious, I mean: everything is soaked in the past. Yes, we want to know how Leia got the Death Star plans, but how about a brand new intergalactic story now?! The newly introduced characters + the plethora of subplots tossed our way are handled with ungainly expediency & fits-&-starts momentum. I wanted to care more than I did, but the emotional impact is limited. Also, while portions of this film are breakneck fast, loud, harrowing, funny ... it's not consistently engaging. I don't want to get too down on this. I always like seeing a strong heroine. The look of the film (cinematography, sets, action, special effects) is a wonder. And Darth Vader's (voiced again by James Earl Jones) two scenes are explosive. The film satisfies, but didn't consistently enthrall me throughout.
The idea here is that her mere presence on the mission will help draw him out {for rescue or assassination}; forcing him to give up the sought-after diagram/plans. Along the way, after meeting with famed fighter Saw Gerrera (underused Forest Whitaker), our missionaries pick up stragglers Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), a blind man with Force-like powers, Baze Mulbus (Wen Jiang), & Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed, of Nightcrawler), a shuttle pilot who has deserted the Empire. But unsurprisingly, things don't go quite as planned for our 6-person rebel group as the Death Star's mastermind, evil Commander Krennic (creepy Ben Mendelsohn), begins to show off the Death Star's mass-destruction potential in order to impress both the Emperor ... and Lord Darth Vader. Trust, courage & teamwork are paramount for our 'hope'ful rebellion to succeed. Mayhem ensues.
So 'Rogue One' is a pretty solid standalone Star Wars entry. Although this film lacks the iconic opening crawl & rousing John Williams score, it still uses "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away". That, alone, transported me right into the intergalactic milieu. For 4 decades, SW fans have wondered why the Death Star had a design flaw that the Rebel Alliance could even think about utilizing. 'Rogue One' answers that very question. Tonally, 'Rogue One' is grittier & more downbeat, even when 'hope' is a main theme. Downbeat; punctuated by the knowledge that none of the characters here show-up in subsequent films {hint, hint}. The downbeat tone is off-set by moments of humor but, more humor & je ne sais quoi excitement would have helped me get through the dire, slow-going early sections.
Felicity Jones & Diego Luna are serviceable as main heroes Jyn & Cassian; both of whom have complicated pasts. In some ways, they're actually the opposite of Leia & Han Solo, with Jyn being the roguish heroine with an enigmatic reputation & Cassian the rebel with a complicated past. Their banter isn't as funny or fluid as Leia & Han's, but for that we have K-2SO, who drily, snarkily states the probability of success in each situation they're tossed into. The other supporting characters in 'Rogue One' are refreshingly diverse, with Chinese martial artists Wen Jiang & Donnie Yen humorously playing the blind warrior monk & his assassin pal. Add-in the likes of Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen & Forest Whitaker and you've got quite the varied cast. The odds are against this ragtag rebellion right from the start, & the film's epic battle sequences are absolutely the most violent of any Star Wars installment; including a Shakespearean-level of sad deaths. Young children will likely flock to the theater, but I'm not so sure this movie is for them, at all.
The scale & intensity of the 3rd act is off the charts. The stakes are high. The battles are incredible. Tragedy strikes often - as do the heroics. But it must be said that the 1st 2 acts preceding it don't rivet; at least, not for me. The whole war story/mission itself is fairly obvious and jarringly paced. When I say obvious, I mean: everything is soaked in the past. Yes, we want to know how Leia got the Death Star plans, but how about a brand new intergalactic story now?! The newly introduced characters + the plethora of subplots tossed our way are handled with ungainly expediency & fits-&-starts momentum. I wanted to care more than I did, but the emotional impact is limited. Also, while portions of this film are breakneck fast, loud, harrowing, funny ... it's not consistently engaging. I don't want to get too down on this. I always like seeing a strong heroine. The look of the film (cinematography, sets, action, special effects) is a wonder. And Darth Vader's (voiced again by James Earl Jones) two scenes are explosive. The film satisfies, but didn't consistently enthrall me throughout.