Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk

Synopsis:
The daughter of a top Imperial scientist is recruited by the Rebel Alliance to get information on the Empire's new superweapon.

Impressions:
When I heard they were going to have these side stories between the entries in the Sequel Trilogy, I was a little worried it would dilute the franchise's impact. I had a favorable opinion of director Gareth Edwards from his Godzilla, so I was cautiously optimistic. Then there were the reshoots and the political spat prompting the #DumpStarWars movement. The trailers seemed promising and I was going to give the film its fair shake. So what did I think? It's good. Dang good. Now let me elaborate on that.

I've frequently said how much I love the "used future" look and this film has it in spades. The Erso homestead, for instance, is filthy and it's great. This is a very gritty movie not just in terms of aesthetics but also in the narrative and motivations of the characters. I like that we get to see the darker side of the Alliance and a more extreme anti-Imperial faction. Not that there's anything to make the Empire look better to equalize the shades of grey any, but that's not really a problem. (I wouldn't be opposed to a more Empire-centric story at some point in the future, though.)

I'd heard complaints about the characters when the trailers came out, but I was fairly satisfied with how they turned out. I particularly liked Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Alan Tudyk's K-2SO, and the duo of Donnie Yen's Chirrut Imwe and Jiang Wen's Baze Malbus. I found the main villain Krennic to be a bit underwhelming, but that's mostly because you naturally compare him to the big Imperial heavyweights, so it's actually kind of nice that he's at his core a petty bureaucrat trying to make it big in a game he's not equipped to win at. It's fairly pragmatic how they bring Peter Cushing back from the grave via digital magic as Tarkin. Yes, you can tell it's CG, but it's really good CG and it's probably better than trying to find a lookalike or doing a terrible makeup job like they did for Episode III. Also, while Darth Vader's screentime is brief, they make the most of it. ^_^

Now, in the off chance you were actually concerned enough to consider the #DumpStarWars bandwagon, Bob Iger's assurances are correct and there's no clumsy overt political message based on current events in one direction or the other. I know most viewers don't want to bother with such political scraps, but I thought I should address the controversy for whatever it's worth.

I've heard a lot of people propose Michael Giacchino as a successor to John Williams and based on his work, I feel there's merit to the idea. This film gives him his shot to show his stuff. While the music doesn't have the same impact as John Williams' work, it feels organic with the franchise and should Williams decide to hang up his conductor's baton before the Sequel Trilogy is complete, I'm pretty confident the music department will be in good hands.

I was a little leery about Episode VII and was blown away. While this wasn't quite as impactful, it's still an amazing film and has given me confidence in the side stories to come. I will warn anyone with younglings to think twice before bringing them along. This is a dark, adult story and isn't really appropriate for anyone younger than their teens (though the decision is of course in the hands of you, the parents and guardians). This one has a place in the collection, but before then, get to the theaters and show it some love.

Rating:
Own It