Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) - Movie Review
- Red
- Apr 11, 2023
- 3 min read
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Rogue One puts a fun spin on Star Wars, blending the Sci-Fi aspects with conventions of the war movie genre - making the Empire feel more threatening than ever.
Rogue one follows a band of rebels fighting against the Empire in their attempts to steal the Death Star plans.
The movie introduces a bunch of brand new characters. These character introductions are good, but I never felt like I got to know our heroes well enough to be entirely invested in them. This affected the stakes of the film a little for me - I never cared all that much about these particular rebels. It would've been nice to have more quiet moments with our characters, primarily the leads, Jyn Erso & Cassian Andor. After watching Andor's 12 episode TV series and now rewatching Rogue One, he feels far more hollow and bland in the film. Rogue One certainly would've benefited from developing its characters more.
The acting is decent, but nobody stands out all that much. The droid K2SO brings comedic relief to the film which is used in moderation. It's easy for the droids to become irritating, so thankfully Rogue One didn't fall into this trap.
Ben Mendelsohn was a good addition to the cast as villain Orson Krennic. The film does a great job of giving us insight into the Empire, complimenting and expanding on the first Star Wars film, A New Hope.
Darth Vader is used sparingly which enhances his intimidating nature. Vader's hallway scene at the end of the film features a fantastic blend of choreography, music and direction which leaves the viewer stunned.
Rogue One uses CGI to bring back Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin over 2 decades after the actor's passing. Surprisingly, the character looks impressive and fits into the scenes well. Although its movement feels a bit too fluid to be completely human, it absolutely is a very convincing animation.
Generally, the VFX are stellar. Every planet, ship and blaster shot looks realistic yet retains its sci-fi look. I love how the movie enhances not only A New Hope, but also the world of Star Wars by exploring new concepts that can now be visualised thanks to the improvement in technology.
The pacing of the first act is rather fast, and I found the editing to be choppy. During the second act, the fast pace nearly comes to a half, before picking back up again for the finale. It's clear that the film underwent some reshoots - it definitely had an effect on the final product.
The movie's writing is decent and its central themes are interesting. The character of Galen Erso intrigued me the most and reminded me of J. Robert Oppenheimer, who will be the subject of a biopic later in 2023. I wish this was explored deeper.
One of my favourite cinematographers of recent times is the talented Greig Fraser, whose work on The Batman, Dune and Zero Dark Thirty has received much praise. In Rogue One, his shots are as visually-pleasing as ever. Some planets' colours look slightly dull, although this was likely intentional - showing how the Empire has sucked the life out of the galaxy. His composition and use of colour is sublime and proves that he is one of the greatest working cinematographers at present.
The superb third act of the movie is set on the newly introduced planet, Scarif. This tropical planet is unlike anything we've seen before in Star Wars - yet again, another fresh addition which improves on the Star Wars galaxy.
Most viewers agree that the highlight of Rogue One is its third act. The audience feel the urgency and threat of the Empire as our heroes die one after another. The decision to kill all the heroes was a big risk, but it certainly payed off as it made for an extremely dramatic ending. Although we know that the heroes will succeed in their mission (as we have seen A New Hope), the movie does a good job of making us doubt ourselves, keeping the action tense and very entertaining.
Michael Giacchino's score compliments the film nicely and feels just Star Wars-y enough without feeling like an aspiring John Williams score. It's fresh and new, but still feels like Star Wars music at its core.
Rogue One's ending is a mix between the feeings of victory and devastating loss. The viewer feels all these emotions and is blown away by Vader's final scene. As the final credits scroll, we feel satisfied and impressed by the movie, but we forget about its issues during its first 2 acts.
Whilst Rogue One is wildly entertaining and accomplishes incredible feats, its flaws hold it back from reaching its entire potential. It's enjoyable for sure, but isn't perfect at all.
Watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on Disney Plus
Comments