Review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) by Iampattyjack — 19 Dec 2016

In five years I will appreciate Rogue One more than I do today.

This is the first Star Wars movie with a major departure from the formula that viewers have come to expect from the franchise and it is instantly noticeable.

These major departures have both a positive and negative impact on the movie as a whole.

Throughout the film you will find yourself comfortable in the world of Star Wars for a moment, then the movie will make it aware you are watching the creation of someone else with their own ideas.

Watching this movie in the theater I felt conflicted as these new ideas were meddling with something that I have grown up with for years.

However after a night to sleep on the matter, I came to the conclusion that some of my perceived flaws in the movie will become all too important in the coming years.

Those who are a die hard Star Wars fan will notice this instantly.

The opening of the movie is drastically different than what you would expect from anything in the Star Wars universe. It delves straight into a frantic affair rather than the slow crawl of subtext that appear throughout the series.

There is a lack of screen wipes during scene changes, this might sound like a small detail, but in the grand scheme of Star Wars movies, this has always been a staple that felt extremely jarring for a first time viewing.

It’s these small details that don’t feel familiar which will have people annoyed or at least scratching their heads.

Also Darth Vader makes a pun. No, that should never happen again.

That being said, I appreciate the movie nonetheless.

This movie is not afraid to take risks and I greatly respect that.

While the previous filming decisions seem a bit jarring, many of the other changes to the Star Wars formula feel like a welcome addition to the universe.

The Rebel Alliance is shown to be something other than an angelic being to rid the galaxy of the big bad guys.

They make deals with extremists, fight guerrilla wars and hide within civilian populations. I love the expansion of ideals and it even warrants the idea that some were even content or happy with the empire in comparison.

The agents and main characters aren’t necessarily the good guys, they are just fighting for what they believe in. Many of them even fight for what the viewer may perceive as the wrong reasons, but the right cause.

There is so much in this movie that makes the conflict and galaxy feel more real than the main series.

Especially the third act, which is hands down the best part of the movie.

The final battle was magnificent from beginning to end, it felt like watching the Vietnam War in space. That is about the best thing I could ever imagine.

I could have had the entire movie be the story be about some random soldiers on this battlefield and it might have actually been a better film.

Unfortunately because of the highs of the third act it makes the first two acts look weak in comparison.

The film has some major pacing issues in the first act. Nothing quite seemed to flow properly and getting all the information before the film moved along to the next scene was challenging.

It feels like first portions of the movie were solely there to get towards the final act. That inherently makes it less fun to experience.

The film needed a couple more relaxed moments for the characters to build who they were for each other. They never quite felt like they cared for each other which in a movie about a squad of characters is really needed. The best comparison I can make is to Guardians of The Galaxy. The characters never had that moment of interaction that made them bond together through exploits which Guardians of The Galaxy pulled off with flying colors. This movie needed that to really put the exclamation point on the third act. In summary, I enjoyed the hell out of Rogue One despite some pacing issues and lack of character empathy. If you didn’t enjoy The Force Awakens because it felt like a retread of the original film, this will likely be a much more enjoyable affair. As a movie, it feels like a fresh take on the Star Wars universe. While that doesn’t always work the way intended, it sets up the ability for other directors and filmmakers in the future to do the same. I greatly respect that idea and look forward to see what is next. View the video version of this review here: https://www.youtube.