Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Film Review

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It’s really hard for me to be objective on something with the name Star Wars in it. As a kid, the movies would play on a constant loop, and the toys from the series were the hardest to let go of. Somewhere between 9 and 16 years old, it faded from thought.

Then in 1993 – when I was just getting into building my own computers for games – a little game from Lucas Arts came out called Star Wars: X-Wing. Like a flash in my heart, my love came back all over again, only more so because I could suddenly fly the fighters the Rebellion used against the empire. To exacerbate the flights of fancy, this was also around the time I discovered Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars: Heir to The Empire series in the bookstore and I was elated with reading about the continuing story of a few of my favorite people. I tell you, dear reader, all of this so that you may understand; if I’m being too hard on this movie, it’s because I’m trying to be honest with you, and probably myself.

So, Rogue One, here we go: Jyn Erso, a Rebellion soldier and criminal, is about to experience her biggest challenge yet when Mon Mothma sets her out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. With help from the Rebels, a master swordsman, and non-allied forces, Jyn will be in for something bigger than she thinks. Sounds great, no? It is great, but there is another way to say all of this with slightly less detail:

“It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.

During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy….” A lot of you may recognize this, it’s the exact crawl from Star Wars: A New Hope. Hope, a word they not only say a lot in this movie, they all but wink directly into the camera whenever it is said.

Speaking of crawls this movie doesn’t have one, what it does have making it different than the other movies in the universe, is a cold open introducing us to Jyn Erso ( Felicity Jones), our heroine, and Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), our villain of the movie. In all, the cold open was a great way to introduce us to our main players and give us a really good idea as to what their motivations are. Some may say that a crawl is necessary to help them feel like they are watching a Star Wars movie, but what really helped me get into the movie was the first few words just before the open; “A long time ago in a galaxy far away:”.

Ladies and Gentlemen, buckle up, it’s a Star Wars movie.

What Worked

I need to get this out of the way first and foremost. Did you ever look at Darth Vader and think “Sure he looks intimidating, and he has the breathing that can make you uncomfortable, and he has that finger-pinchy thing he does and suddenly folks can’t breathe, but I can just run from him, right?” How about all the nopes on that one. We finally see just how terribly terrifying, and titanic the Dark Lord can be in full armor. Its five minutes of the movie that will stay with me for all of its beauty in execution.

Have you ever looked at Chewbacca and wondered what sort of things he was actually saying and just how funny that might be? Well, you get that here in the form Of K-2SO, a reprogramed Imperial security enforcer droid, portrayed by Alan Tudyk both in voice and motion capture. There is something to be said about one’s ability to make a walking file cabinet look cute and warm. It sounds silly to say that, especially with all the personality that BB-8 had, but K-2 was charming, I instantly liked him and he served as a great way to have a little humor throughout the movie.

Chirrut Imwe ( Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), I could get carried away telling you about these two, so I will do my best not spoil it for you. These two are really hard to not get drawn into, and they come in a package deal. Imwe is a blind spiritual warrior monk and Baze is a freelance assassin who became the devoted protector to Imwe. In some ways, they function as an audience surrogate, calling out our leads when they are about to do something dumb. They also serve as a moral compass of sorts while reminding us that anything is possible. Their relationship is endearing and funny, and you are instantly taken with them.

Gareth Edwards is becoming one of my favorite directors today. There is something in how he sees the world that is lovely. He creates several moments where there is very nearly a pressure laid on the viewer by just how large and imposing a building, planet, or vehicle is portrayed. Hey, did you ever think that something massive can sneak up on you? Well leave it to the director of Godzilla and Monsters to do just that. He honestly pulled off a Star Wars movie that felt the same yet slightly different than what came before. Much like how Marvel gives us shots that are nearly straight out of the pages of a comic, what Edwards gives us are shots that are very reminiscent to Ralph Mcquarrie’s concept art from the 1970s.

What Was OK

It’s a little unfair of me to ding the following, saying that it didn’t work. The elements that were great were so much so that I found I wanted more of just that. Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) was good, I felt for her and I loved the idea of a strong female lead. I wanted her to feel stronger though. In some ways she played too much to her “I was abandoned” motivation, and that was disappointing to see. I would have rather it seem more like “I was abandoned and kicked butt” air about it. Unfortunately it didn’t read like that. She was a great character, but she didn’t have the charisma to out-shine elements like K-2SO, Imwe, and Malbus.

Look, I know we aren’t supposed to like the villain of a story, but can he at least be competently intimidating? Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) was not that in any way. He played very much like a child that just wanted to have his way with no care for the cost. Mendelsohn was wasted in this role as he does conniving and slimy so well, but this role was something different.  It required someone who looked prim and proper, and it’s hard not seeing Mendelsohn with a cigarette hanging from his lip after he has just proved he is 5 steps ahead of you. Mendelsohn has so much going on behind his eyes, but this character doesn’t and it creates a conflict.

Ever watch a long running TV show and play “Hey it’s that guy!”, it’s fun right? It’s what makes television so inviting and involving. Well, it’s also what works with movies that share a universe. In the quiet moments you can look in the background or at a fleeting moment and make an instant connection to something else you know about that world. When a production takes the time to really make sure those through lines are there, it truly helps add several layers to what you are seeing. It invites the viewer to really get into the movie almost making them feel like it’s happening around them.

I am a really big fan of this in movies, and Rogue One peppers these moments throughout the movie well. I felt invested when I noticed these moments, however the pacing bugs me, and it brings to question if creating these moments hurt the production by any means. At times it felt like they were shining a great big light on the moment and not letting it happen organically. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing some old favorites, but be subtler than I am at it.

What Doesn’t Work

Holy Uncanny Valley, Batman! The vast majority of the CGI in the movie works, as you have to expect from a Star Wars movie, however, they very nearly dug someone up who really did need to be in this movie. Unfortunately though, it looked like they pulled this characters imagery from a Lucas Arts video game. It’s rough and unnatural, something that I expect to see in the Hall of Presidents the next time I visit Disney. Fortunately they took a few years off another actor competently enough to make you marvel at them.

The Score, what can I say about the score? Well, have you ever bought one of those collection albums of a certain era only to discover the songs were recorded by a cover band? Well, I have… once… never again. I use this comparison as a tool to tell you that the score is missing something. It doesn’t have the same sort of heart. John Williams would hit you hard with a full on blast to the senses bringing the big bombastic moments of the movie to a full crescendo. Michael Giacchino is much more subdued, and therefore isn’t as noticeable through the movie, or just a little off from center in tone. When it comes to the score, the moment that jumps out the most are the ending credits. It’s the moment John William’s score is used almost as an exclamation point at the end of a sentence.

There, I’ve done it. I, a man-child so desperately holding on to the memories of my youth, have managed to quantify my feelings for Rogue One in a very adult like manner. It’s easy to get swept up in the buzz a movie gets and become almost hyperbolic about them. I personally think that I’m not doing anyone favors by doing so. As a big nerd who has read the books, played the games, very nearly lived in this world of imagination, I felt I was home again. I had my heart broken by the story itself and not by the production choices. I found something that gave me the choice to look deeper than what was just in the film on a surface level.

I learned that as Star Wars continues its mission to branch out into other characters and their stories, Rogue One has left me with an undeniable feeling of a new hope.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is now playing in theaters worldwide
Starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk
Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy
Directed by Gareth Edwards