Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I think I could definitely get used to this. 

A new Star Wars film every Christmas season? Especially if they're of this quality? 

Rogue One, the first of likely many "Star Wars Stories" has a lot riding on its shoulders. It's a for sure hit at the box office, of course, but can it be successful in telling a story that doesn't have much to do with the characters of old, or the ones introduced to us in last year's phenomenal comeback, The Force Awakens? As is the case with most things great, the internet now supposedly hates Force Awakens, but I still stand by my admiration for it, particularly when taking into consideration the weight it carried before release. Sure it may have been a bit of a nostalgia bomb and the focus on a big-planet-destroying-planet-weapon still irks me, but it effortlessly introduced a new cast of characters and continued the series' story in an exciting direction. 

This new film already has its story set in stone. We more or less know how it ends and that does effect it. It's almost impossible for it not to, but that means it has to be one hell of a movie to impress us given that we're aware of all that comes after. 

I'm happy to report then that Rogue One is a fantastic entry to the Star Wars canon. General audiences won't gobble it up as much as they did with TFA, but it's not necessarily for them. The Star Wars nerds (proud one right here!) will adore it and hold it in high regard, but it's still a crowdpleaser for all. It even makes the entire series as a whole somewhat better, if you can believe that, because of what gaps it fills in and the gravity it brings to these Star Wars that have never really felt like "war". 

The Last Blind Samurai: A Star Wars Story
Starring: not Tom Cruise

Well we haven't seen this before! /sarcasm

Director Gareth Edwards had to tap out of Godzilla's sequel in order to make this one -- a wise choice on his part -- albeit a bit of a bummer for fans. Turns out he was a fantastic choice as his sense of wondrous scale is expertly implemented in the finale and he handles himself decently well in the film's smaller moments too. For those unaware, aka the non-nerds, Rogue One is the story of the band of soldiers who discover and steal the Death Star plans for the Rebels. That means that it occurs before the original film, A New Hope and after Revenge of the Sith. Even without having been on screen previously, it's one of the key moments in the entire franchise and essentially sets up the whole original trilogy. The film's encased story is highly intriguing, especially on its bookends. The middle sags with some heavy exposition and just a general collection of cliches that it has to trope through, but it's nothing worse than "good" during those times. I do think it could have been trimmed slightly, but overall this is a tight, effective story. I came away wowed at the singularity of it -- for once a Hollywood blockbuster without a planned sequel (though you could argue it already has four of them) but also how phenomenal it does to effectively change the original trilogy for the better. Not only is a key plot aspect wholly explained, but this film brings with it a sense of normalization to a galaxy full of indestructible heroes, the Force, and larger than life villains. It makes it a little more human as lots of humans die to fight for the side they believe in. While I certainly missed my lightsaber battles, I was still entertained by the tricks that this one had to throw at me. 

Disney, with both Marvel and Lucasfilms now, has a knack for getting knockout casts and Rogue One is no exception. Though many of them may be unfamiliar faces to you, each of their characters is distinct, well utilized, and portrayed with skill. Felicity Jones leads the second female-led Star Wars tale in as many years as Jyn Erso. I won't say too much about her character as it kind of ruins the first 10 minutes of the film, but she was a great choice for a female badass. Equally as cool are Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk (providing most of the expertly-timed comedic relief), and the rest of the cast of misfits. Unfortunately, none of them are quite as iconic as Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, or the like, but that's likely somewhat by design. Some familiar faces are also back, whether physically or digitally recreated, and I'd say every callback to past friends or foes is pretty awesome. I've heard a lot of distaste for the digital recreation of a couple actors, but I'm not sure I really see the issue. Is it obvious the person's face is digital? Yeah. Is it still mightily impressive how accurate it is? Hell yeah. One that I don't think I'm spoiling see as how he's in the poster above is Darth Vader. Originally I was concerned that he was going to be shoehorned in for the sake of selling tickets. After it's all said and done, I don't think he needed to be in the film, but his scenes are still great, particularly the final one, and help to flesh that character out even more. Fans won't be disappointed.

Don't you hate it when you're on vacation and an AT-AT storms your beach?

What Rogue One is most successful at accomplishing though is its sense of scale. I think this movie, more than any of the previous seven, I finally "grasped" how powerful and destructive the Death Star is as you're more connected to it this time. Something the franchise never really addressed in the past are the people that inhabit this world that aren't a part of the core cast; they're seemingly stuck in this long elaborate war against the Empire. You feel that here, particularly in the finale. The finale is worth the price of admission alone and it took a movie that I was enjoying considerably to new heights. It's wonderfully filmed and edited, well paced, carries some emotional heft, and looks gorgeous. Not only are the special effects top notch in this film, not to mention the continued focus of practical effects, but Rogue One has probably some of the best cinematography that this franchise has seen yet. It plays wonderfully on a massive, long screen and I appreciated the frames that were allowed to breath, action or otherwise.

How I envision the walkway up to the entrance of my first house

Rogue One is a massive success for Disney and the Star Wars brand. In a way, this is the Suicide Squad film we were all looking for several months ago (still angry and disappointed BTW, Warner Brothers!) and it's a testament to how serious Disney is about making these films work. This was absolutely a worthwhile Star Wars story that needed to be told and with a universe this rich, I'm sure there are more begging for it *cough Knights of the Old Republic cough cough*. The film only suffers in a couple of minute ways, but with a finale like the one it presents, who's going to remember any of those anyway?

CONS:

• Lags in the middle for about 15-20 minutes. Heavy exposition and not super interesting
• It is now, officially, time for Star Wars to move past the Death Star or anything of the like. It doesn't hurt this film, but anymore future focus on it shows a significant lack of creativity when you have a galaxy this rich
• There isn't really a sense of mystery like there was last year. Much like with the prequel trilogy, we know how this all ends, and whether we like it or not, that removes a bit of the fun
• I think it could have used a slight trimming
• I imagine that newcomers to the franchise are left somewhat in the dust

PROS:

• Once again, Disney has gathered a superb cast to play a great band of characters. Each has their moment to shine and they feel unique
• Felicity Jones is a great new character to this galaxy as are many of her comrades
• Surprisingly very funny in the first half. All the jokes landed with my audience
• Excellent fan service with previous characters and little Easter Eggs. One scene in particular had fans in my theater cheering wildly
• Places some gravity and emotional heft within this galaxy. This is a story about real, normal people trying to do a extraordinary thing. I may have missed my lightsabers, but this was finally (somewhat) the war we've been looking for in "Star Wars"
• Fits effortlessly into the timeline and retroactively makes the entire original trilogy better because of the weight it adds and the huge plot aspect it explains
• One of the best finales in recent memory. It's a gorgeous space battle with Edwards' expert sense of scale that will amaze you
• Phenomenal special and practical effects
• As always, great sound editing and original score (even if it isn't by John Williams this time)
• Some of the best cinematography this franchise has seen yet
• The first "story" of the movie canon can boast that it'll likely be one of the best for a long time to come. A well constructed blockbuster that's thoughtful and fun as hell

Rath's Review Score | 9/10