After acquiring Lucasfilm for $4 billion, Disney understandably played things safe regarding the first Star Wars movie in ten years. The Force Awakens was an enjoyable, well-made continuation of the franchise that did its best to channel nostalgia while avoiding some of the pitfalls that resulted in the prequel trilogy’s mixed reception. On the downside, it suffered from having little ambition, a side effect of lazily rehashing a whole bunch of elements from the original trilogy. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story doesn’t arrive in theaters with quite the colossal level of hype that The Force Awakens did, but there’s no mistaking it as anything but one of 2016’s biggest blockbusters. It also manages to deliver in a year full of letdowns. Overcoming an uneven start and lack of a memorable ensemble cast, Rogue One entertains and adds a couple compelling layers to the Star Wars mythos.
Since the film’s events lead right up to A New Hope, several parts of the outcome will be predictable to anyone with basic Star Wars knowledge. Despite these narrative constraints, it feels like the fresher Disney entry. There’s a looming sense of dread and uncertainty about the fates of many characters due to their absences in later movies. Whereas The Force Awakens seemed to cram the Starkiller base into its climax to fill a checklist of obligatory Star Wars elements, Rogue One maintains consistent focus on the original Death Star and the enormous threat it poses. Viewers have previously seen the Empire’s ultimate weapon destroy a planet, but for the first time they’re treated to an up close perspective of its tremendous destructive power. As a bonus, the Death Star’s rather convenient weakness is explained, cleverly patching up a longstanding plothole for many fans. Rogue One‘s self-contained nature works to its benefit and leads to proper investment in its stakes.
Common complaints towards Gareth Edwards’ 2014 version of Godzilla were the limited appearances of its title character and his tendency to cut away from the action at questionable moments. It’s hard to imagine the same criticisms applying this time. There’s no shortage of ground and space battles featuring star destroyers, TIE fighters, AT-AT walkers, and stormtroopers galore, and they all come together in an excellent third act. Rogue One follows up on The Force Awakens‘ grittier aesthetics that harkened back to episodes IV-VI and contrasted to the sleek and shiny prequels. Familiar characters include Grand Moff Tarkin (a CGI version of the late Peter Cushing) and Darth Vader (voiced once again by James Earl Jones). Vader’s brief but intense appearances are befitting to the character’s iconic status. One could certainly argue his abilities have never been shown better in a certain brutal scene.
Rogue One‘s many new faces fall short of its returning ones. Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is a loner turned rebel whose connection to her father is vital to the story, but she’s bland personality-wise. Fellow prominent rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) similarly fails to leave much of an impression. That’s a shame, considering that through him, moral lines among the good guys are blurred like never seen before in the series. The rebel alliance in Rogue One does not hesitate to kill (and not in self defense) to achieve its goals. The fault may lie more on the script than the performances, but Jyn and Cassian are ultimately forgettable leads who are overshadowed by supporting cast members; Rey and Finn they are not.
Displaying better camaraderie are Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and Baze (Jiang Wang), who play off each other well as a possibly force-sensitive, blind monk and a battle-weary soldier. Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) is a key part of Jyn’s past, though Whitaker is given little to do besides serving as a bridge between plot points. Jyn’s father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), an Imperial scientist who reluctantly plays a major part in the Death Star’s development, is a mirror to the ethical grey area seen in Cassian. Snarky security droid K2SO has some of the best lines and makes one wonder why the Empire doesn’t deploy more of its kind rather than cannon fodder stormtroopers. Ben Mendelsohn plays Director Krennic with a good deal of menace, and may even elicit a tiny bit of sympathy through his futile attempts to gain recognition from Tarkin and Vader. Unfortunately for him, the Empire turns out to be no exception when it comes to office politics and the curse of middle management.
As it starts by rapidly hopping from planet to planet, Rogue One takes some time to get going and the meandering pace may cause impatience. However, once momentum builds, it establishes itself as a worthy addition to Star Wars. Although there are plenty of old references and cameos, for the first time jedi, lightsabers, and the ways of the force are largely missing. Instead, the main focus is on a pivotal moment in the rebellion, concluding in grand tragedy and triumph. Rogue One is a solid holdover for the upcoming Episode VIII; if it’s any indication, we may be in for something bold.
Dogomon 