Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

84% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 264 reviews)

Runtime: 134 minutes

Directed by: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn... and yes, Peter Cushing

From: Disney

I'll admit this is not my best review. I've been preoccupied with things as of late and that won't be over with until late tomorrow night. Thus, don't expect any reviews until Monday night. Sorry about that. In short, I thought this movie was awesome, despite its flaws. I have some non-spoiler thoughts below:

As I've mentioned in other Star Wars reviews, I've watched and loved the original three movies since I was a little kid. Thus, I know this won't be the most unbiased opinion you'll find on Letterboxd concerning this motion picture. That said, hopefully my review will still have some merit to everyone.

I wasn't sure about the movie until I saw it last night. The general idea sounded awesome... a grittier look at the universe and seeing how things were set up for the '77 beginning of the franchise. Then there were the re-shoots and the composer changing. I was hoping that “the corporate idiots” I sometimes talk about here and talk about a lot outside of Letterboxd, that they'd ruin things by meddling when their presence was not needed at all.

Well, while I think there were a few too many one-liners and I don't think some of them were really needed, otherwise I loved this movie. I'll admit that I am also biased in enjoying the type of story where various and disparate characters come together to fight against overwhelming odds and use their various skills to win the battle or the war. It's one of the many reasons why I love the Mass Effect series of games. Here we get that as Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, and a few others have to come together and try to steal the plans for the Death Star. While we know the end result from having seen Star Wars, that doesn't make this any less exciting.

This was indeed a grittier look at the universe, more like a war film than a space opera. I was happy to see something different that nonetheless was obviously part of the same overall story. The Empire looked like serious threats (while it was obvious how and the action scenes (whether aerial or on the ground) are all great and they are all shot great and you can always figure out what's going on. The final act is tremendous. There is still plenty of fan service, for better or for worse. I wish we could have gotten to know some of the characters better but what we get, they are still quite entertaining. As many others have noted, the droid K-2SO was a big highlight. I presume the novel based on the movie will address that issue. The effects... the practical stuff was rad and most of the computer stuff was good, but still... I'll just say that certain things have not gotten past the Uncanny Valley aspect, although for me it wasn't a deal-breaker. The various ethical questions of this idea possibly becoming more popular, that is something else entirely. I hope it doesn't become a trend, as movie-making doesn't need more artificiality and phoniness, you know

I definitely understand why there are plenty of people who won't really care for the film. The focus on action and spectacle rather than making outstanding characters is a valid complaint. Yet even with its flaws, this worked like gangbusters for me. Then again, I enjoyed the director's Godzilla, which is even more a divisive movie. The scale, the score, the general war theme, Darth Vader being a badass, the lush beautiful new worlds, and some bold choices that were made with the story that you wouldn't expect considering this is a Disney production... I am thankful my initial concerns were unwarranted.