Review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) by Mick N — 14 Jun 2018

A Rogue agent in all of the right ways, this superb Star Wars Story might have much of the franchise's storied mythology running through its DNA but its edgy design and execution speaks of a bold and exciting jump into a new hyperspace for the historic series. In this PG-13-rated sci-fi adventure, the daughter (Felicity Jones) of an Imperial scientist (Mads Mikkelsen) joins the Rebel Alliance in a risky move to steal the Death Star plans.

Part sci-fi flick, part sequel, part war movie, part prequel, and part character-driven adventure, Rogue One is many things to many moviegoers but the whole package proves quite entertaining, able to satisfy new fans while pacifying most long-time diehards save for the true curmudgeons. As the central plot involves the blueprint for the Death Star, a key plotpoint in the first act of Star Wars Episode IV from 1977, it's not spoilerish to say that the franchise's latest entry leads right up into that very same flick. It shares much with that vaunted classic, including characters (some beloved, some minor) and interlinking storylines (some kickass, some Easter egged). In fact, it even spackles (fearing a deadly backlash, the words "improve upon" will be avoided) certain plotholes from the original trilogy and provides audiences with a throughline to the second trilogy. This intermingling of past, present, and future gets done exceedingly well, especially considering these strands never sacrifice the crackerjack standalone story at the movie's center. Set during Imperial-Rebel wartime, this is a Beings-on-a-Mission film involving a disparate group of humanoids, aliens and one hilariously sarcastic droid (think: The Darth-y Dozen). Though it's a one-off, it never feels completely foreign from what's come before. In fact, because it bridges generations so well, it feels rather organic. Where Rogue One smartly diverges from the trilogies, however, is in regards to presentation. The famous scroll at the outset of all preceding chapters gets nixed, as do the wipes and dissolves that were nods to the Golden Age of H'Wood that spawned the Buck Rogers serials which in turn inspired Star Wars. At this juncture, audiences know that everything old is new again (they're seeing a companion piece to a 40+ year-old iconic film that digitally recreates the late Peter Cushing, for Chrissakes) and they don't need to look into the past any more than they improbably have. To this end, director Gareth Edwards (Monsters) uses a decent amount of hand-held in incorporating an overall grittier style than the franchise has ever seen.

Working from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, screenwriters Chris Weitz (About a Boy) and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) weave in a roster of fascinating characters that don't get short-changed by the action and excitement around them. Though Jones's Jyn Erso makes a fantastically solid lead, everybody stands and delivers. Forest Whitaker, for example, gives an intriguing turn as Saw Gerrera, a character first introduced in the animated Star Wars TV spin-off series, The Clone Wars. Again, we get the mixing of old and new, with the new being a very fresh performance. Perhaps, more than any film in the franchise since Episode IV, Rogue One refreshingly interjects more Eastern philosophy into the fray through the characters of Chirrut Îmwe (a blind warrior who puts faith in the Force to hone and guide his hands, played by Donnie Yen) as well as Baze Malbus (a mercenary who was once the protector of a sacred temple, played by Wen Jiang). They also provide a great deal of humorous moments, which the often deathly serious film uses to its full advantage. Indeed, the entire package is an even mix--tone, genre, casting, and style...not unlike a certain landmark film 41 years ago in a galaxy far far away.

To Sum It All Up: One for the Ages.