Review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) by Adrianernesto N — 07 Jul 2017

Given that I reviewed Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year, as a Star Wars fan by my own definition, I thought I would offer my own opinions on the newest installation of the franchise. These are, of course, my own opinions.

While Rogue One isn't a mainstream Star Wars movie, some have hailed it as superior fare to the prequels and a match for the originals; with this in mind, I will treat it with the same Star Wars zeal as I would for any other.

First, and to be congratulated heartily for it as well, Rogue One corrects the fatal flaw of the Force Awakens in its laudable creativity; from a plethora of planets, unique vehicles and species, Rogue One for me was what the Force Awakens should have been: highly respectful of the originals, NOT a copy of them. The Empire in particular was done well, with an array of vehicles and new stormtroopers; what the movie does best is its impressive, sweeping visuals of planetary proportions. One confidence I did have going into Rogue One was in its director: Gareth Edwards who also directed Godzilla. While that was a so-so movie, he knew how to set up great scenes. (Those Death Star and AT-AT scenes!!!) - side note: the blast radius of those AT-ATs was very small...

The knowledge of the Star Wars universe in the movie made me appreciate the movie that much more: the Endar Spire from Knights of the Old Republic? The Stormtroopers talking about the T-15? And many others allowed for a more reminiscent Star Wars experience. It showed that the makers actually cared about researching Star Wars lore, which is a plus.

That being said the movie was not without its faults, some of which disappointed me highly. Please keep in mind that these are general movie points, and less Star Wars movie points, though the frivolous treatment of the force and mediocre music are dismaying patterns carried over from the Force Awakens. But as I have already discussed such treatment in my previous review, I will concentrate more on what is unique to Rogue One.

Fault Number One: The characters. This was a little shocking considering it was something the Force Awakens did very well, and disappointing for Disney's record. None of these characters from Jyn to Cassian feel human save for the only nonhuman, the reprogrammed Imperial Droid - K-2SO - , though the defected Imperial Pilot comes tantalizingly close. They serve merely as conduits for the continuation of the story rather than participants in the story itself. This is manifested best, but not exclusively, through the movie's dialogue.

Fault Number Two: THE DIALOGUE IS CANDY. Explanation: In the originals, the prequels, or even (yes even) the Force Awakens, dialogue statements required thought and could give long lasting sustenance (less in the prequels): "I'm looking for a great warrior." "Wars make not one great." "The reward would be more than you could imagine!" "I don't know, I can imagine quite a bit." The dialogue from Rogue One is designed for function, yet nearly every sentence uttered merely restates what the audience should already feel from its laudably powerful visuals. A good way to prove this point (true or false) is to watch the movie on mute. As a silent movie, Rogue One does quite well. The audience hardly learns anything different in the movie from its dialogue, and, in fact, could possibly interpret their own dialogue for a more engrossing, emotional experience. Take Rogue One's opening scene: everyone can discern what is going on without auditory aid. The second purpose of the dialogue in Rogue One is entertainment for the moment: K-2SO when a fellow droid is shot, "You knew that wasn't me?" Donnie Yen's funny, "I am blind!" "I will be with you...the Captain said I had to." "Rebellion begins with hope." "I am one with the Force, the Force is with me.".

None of these statements require any form of thought, save for whatever generalities an individual can scrounge up to attribute meaning. ("Rebellion begins with hope." Yes...so does every Bank Heist. So does every War of Conquest. I would have thought Rebellion began with frustration, anger, violence, or something that would induce people to take up arms against either injustice or indifference. Instead it serves as a vague reminder of that movie that made lots and lots of cash.).

The characters didn't seem to be cared for: none (with the exception of K-2SO and ALMOST, the Imperial Pilot) grew at all during the progression of this film. Thus when the end came and the blast from the Death Star was about to consume the two protagonists on the beautiful, sunlit beach after delivering its plans so that others might fight on - a scene of potentially great emotion - I felt something wrong: nothing. In fact, I wanted them to get the scene over with so that we could get back to the space battle above. The characters were not given time, nor the quality to be fleshed out. I wanted to feel for them; however these were character TYPES not PEOPLE, thus, while each were given strong introductions, they never developed beyond them, which was frustrating given their strong introductions.

Fault Number Three: The first half of the movie follows modern storytelling techniques (rapid changing of scenes/flashback merging), a problem I feel that transcends Star Wars in movies, video games, and literature alike, so I will not dwell on the subject for the purpose of this review. It replicates the so-called 'stream of consciousness' that undermines (remember, of course, these are my opinions) the foundation of good story-telling. By contrast, the originals (except perhaps Six) were excellently paced in reflection/action.

And last, Fault Number Four: When will the Stormtroopers learn to aim? Remember when Jyn is in the middle of the street with Cassian after saving that crying girl and Stormtroopers round the corner with a straight shot at her? I counted six misses (and she hardly even moved!!!) but I think there were more. During the final battle, Stormtroopers witlessly funnel themselves out with the coordination of a Call of Duty random Deathmatch. Only the dark troopers were okay, but they decided to forget their training at the end. (Would have been cooler if Donnie Yen had been shot multiple times, but still he moved forward...).

As a personal note concerning the severity of my particular concerns: I rebuke the movie because it's Star Wars. I enjoy Star Wars more so than many other movies, and it holds a special place in my creative and artistic development. I enjoyed Rogue One; it is NOT a bad movie. It is a fine movie. Is it a good Star Wars movie? No. It is as if the Force Awakens and Rogue One traded concepts! Characters for creativity: of the two, creativity is more pertinent for me as Star Wars, so naturally I prefer Rogue One's direction for future Star Wars Movies. But characters are more pertinent to me for a movie. Why can we not have both? Moana had efficient dialogue with more meaning in its first song than Rogue One in its entire movie! I know Disney can do it.

But again I see all over media outlets an inundation of praise and excitement. The heart of Star Wars, as we saw happen in the Prequels, is lost amid the fantastic laser sound effects, the explosions, the cameos, and that is all Star Wars fans seem to require. For me, Star Wars created a culture, and like all cultures, it had MEANING. Like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, it incorporated real mythology and theology into its universe, from Christian Chivalry to influences from Sophocles' plays. It is living and vibrant and real, despite being far, far away.

I am willing to give Disney one last chance for Star Wars Episode 8. I pray everyone else is right in assuming Disney merely copied Episode 4 for 7 to 'establish a firm foundation' in order to spring to more creative and meaningful content. Otherwise this feels like the end of times for Star Wars: a repetitive nature fueled far more by corporate interests than artistic, and powered by fans unable or unwilling to see the difference.

Thank you.