Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) - Review
Originally published July, 2017If you haven't already read my various reviews of the Star Wars films, you may not realize that I used to consider myself a Star Wars fan. I once enjoyed traversing down the extended universe into the various video games and written fiction. Then, at some point, I suddenly realized that I didn't care anymore. The various video games stopped pulling me in like they used to, and I couldn't have cared less about new movies further expanding upon the universe. Thus, I was not the least bit interested in another movie that decided to, yet again, retread the same old part of the timeline that has been covered over and over in film, books, and video games. Even after hearing about "how great" Rogue One was, I still had pretty tempered expectations. Afterall, everyone was enamored with Episode VII, which didn't impress me that much.
Nonetheless, I chose to watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on my flight home from vacation. I admit, my cynicism made me more reluctant to enjoy the movie than I should have allowed. However, after finally giving it the chance it deserved, I found that this was, in fact, one of the best movies to use the Star Wars label. Rogue One is a good movie and would have done perfectly fine in another sci-fi or fantasy universe all the same.
Pros
Pacing of the movie moves quickly and doesn't linger long
Variety of locales
Comedy works for the most part
Complex characters with complex dilemmas (gasp! I wasn't sure they still existed in the Star Wars universe!)
Subtlety—another trait not common with Star Wars—is used well
Stakes are high, as are the chances of death for characters, raising the tension
Action is well-shot, well-choreographed, and not overwrought with lightsabers
Film clears up a very old and obvious plot-hole to the original movie in a simple, but believable way
Darth Vader has his best on-screen moment in the franchise; he gets to be something of a slasher-villain like Jason Vorhees
Cons
Some actors/characters featured heavily in the marketing barely serve a purpose
Peter Cushing's digital appearance would have been more acceptable if it had only been in the movie for just a brief time, but it is overused and a frequent visit to the uncanny valley
Felicity Jones is not the greatest lead
Certain annoying Star Wars tropes still rear their ugly head from time to time
Plot and Thoughts
Rogue One follows the story of Jyn Erso, a young woman with a dumb Star War name and a rough childhood. In a dramatic opening, a young Jyn witnesses her mother killed and her father abducted by the Galactic Empire to develop and construct the Death Star from the original SW film. At the risk being capture by the Empire and used as collateral against her father, she is forced to go into hiding. The film skips over her adolescence, but we are informed later that she learned how to be a space rogue from a rebel extremist, played by Forest Whitaker, who slowly went insane from paranoia and is now so extreme that even the Rebellion wants nothing to do with him. Now as an adult, the rebels capture Jyn and force her to help them on their mission to assassinate some VIPs. Due to her rebellious nature, and some personal reasons, she is rather reluctant to help.
Likewise, Cassian Andor, the rebel commando handling their mission, has his own reservations about everything. He has some significant trust issues, yet ends up surrounding himself with people he should have every reason to distrust. He, like Jyn, is a troubled character forced to do some regrettable things, such as killing a helpless witness to save his own skin and the mission. Through some solid acting, we can see his regret in doing such dirty deeds and understand that he's a flawed and troubled character without needing the usual exposition dump we get from a typical Star Wars movie. As a result, he and the other supporting characters feel more realized and fleshed out.
While Episode VII was very much a retreading of familiar material, symbolism, and subject-matter, Rouge One somehow manages to be fresh, despite its deep ties to the Star Wars universe. While Episode VII was basically a remake of the original movie from the 70's, Rogue One manages to tell a much more interesting story than anything about the building of the same old Death Star has any right to be. I mean, they built and equivalent of the Death Star in three different movies—now a fourth. How could they possibly make a story centered around the construction of the darn thing interesting or relevant? For one thing, Rogue One provides characters with actual depth, inner conflict, and interesting flaws.
Part of why people like Han Solo and Darth Vader so much has to do with the fact that there are layers to their characters that make some of their choices throughout their respective trilogies somewhat conflicted. They're the most interesting characters because there is more to their thought-process and decision-making than simply doing the right or wrong thing. Rogue One's protagonists are damaged and troubled individuals, who are forced to do things they don't want to do. They have to deal with the conflict of choosing to do the right thing for themselves, or doing the right thing for their cause.
It's surprising then that the primary villain that we must endure through the film is such a chump. He doesn't seem like a real threat like Vader, or even a ruthless official like Peter Cushing's Tarken or Domnall Gleeson's General Hux. He's just a tool who happens to look like Paul Gleason from The Breakfast Club and whose speech is impeded by a lisp or dentures issue that occasionally crops up. It is certainly a new take for a Star Wars villain, so I'll give it some props for going in a different direction, but he always seemed like a nuisance more than a threat. I suppose that's the point when you consider the story of Rogue One is that a group of ragtag outcasts cause so much damage to the Empire simply because it's run by doofs like this guy. Though I still preferred him to the walking uncanny valley of Peter Cushing's likeness.
The last thing I want to praise Rogue One for is its restraint. There are various small moments in the movie where it could have taken the familiar, cliché route to finish the scene, but it doesn't. There are a few that feel a little too on-the-nose in their playful references, like when one of them starts to say "I have a bad feeling about this" until another interrupts. But, most of the time, the scenes still manage to be fun and surprising. Even when you're expecting something like a kiss, or climactic finale to a moment, it goes in a slightly different direction that isn't over the top. It's all very un-Star Wars. Perhaps that is why they chose make Star Wars part of the subtitle, rather than the other way around. Regardless of their reasons, I appreciate the decision to avoid most of the trappings of the franchise and be its own thing.
TL;DR (Conclusion)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a surprisingly satisfying entry in the Star Wars cannon. It may not be literally progressing the story of the universe further, but it finally feels like a the franchise is evolving and moving in the right direction, stylistically. The film moves at a brisk pace. It uses interesting and flawed characters to tell an, otherwise, all-too-familiar story. The action is fun, exciting, and tense. Rogue One managed to be as gratifyingly un-Star Wars as possible by making some smart decisions and showing restraint in the right spots. Hopefully its stylistic and financial success help propel future films in risky and new directions. Definitely one of the better movies in the franchise.
Do you agree or disagree? Tell me what you think in the comments!
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