They actually picked the right actors and actress for the job! Who knew?
As of this writing, it’s been a little under two weeks since Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hit movie theaters in the United States. The movie is doing well at home and abroad, so it’s the right time to have a discussion about the film, its’ place in the Star Wars saga, and how the future of the franchise can evolve from some of the decisions during production. As for an opinion on the matter, I believe that I can sum up this movie in one sentence.
Rogue One is the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back.
Yes, you read that right. After the slight disappointment of The Force Awakens, this storied franchise has returned with a vengeance.
No Mary Sues Allowed.
Diego Luna does a great job as Cassian Andor, but watch for the team, too!
In a rarity for a lot of modern movies, Rogue One delivers a mix of veteran and new actors that genuinely look like they give a damn about the type of movie that they want to make. It starts with great leads. Felicity Jones sells this movie as Jyn Erso, turning a lonely rogue into someone that is very sympathetic. She is complemented by Mads Mikkelsen, who plays her father, Galen. It’s quite nice to see a film where the love between a father and daughter has a major impact on the story. While one could nitpick here and there, the performances make the story work in this case.
Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, and Forest Whitaker round out the cast as Cassian Andor, Chirrut Îmwe, Bodhi Rook, Baze Malbus, and Saw Gerrera, respectively. They are fine actors and deliver badass moments, representing the cobbled together nature of the Rebellion in a way that makes perfect sense. Without spoiling it, Luna and Yen are the most memorable of the bunch, but not quite as much as the last two on the list.
Ben Mendelsohn and Alan Tudyk overshadow much of the movie in their respective turns as Orson Krennic and K-2SO. Mendelsohn does a spectacular job of portraying a quietly psychotic fascist that’s jockeying for power, showing the inner workings of the Empire in a way that the other films did not. With that said, Alan Tudyk steals every single scene that he’s in. His performance seems to be a salute to HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic mixed with a pinch of C-3PO and Marvin the Paranoid Android.
None of the performances are bad, but there may be certain places where more screen time may have been justifiable. More on that later.
Do Your Job And Get Out.
Hey, we know where this is!
Rogue One chronicles the story of how the Rebel Alliance stole the Death Star plans. While the overall plot may be simple, this film is an inspiration because it had the guts to portray the horror and desperation of war and did not attempt to appeal to children in any meaningful way. Gareth Edwards managed to pull off a miracle by mixing a pitch-black war story with a bit of comedy and a few scenes that genuinely tug at the heart strings.
It’s shocking, but it works in almost every way.
A lot of other people have pointed out that there is quite a bit of fan service in the movie, but the vast majority of it is not distracting in the slightest. To show my complete and utter bias, I employ this tactic on a smaller scale in my books, but it makes sense from a world-building perspective no matter how you slice it. Most of our readers drink milk, so why wouldn’t all sorts of people in this galaxy drink blue milk on a regular basis?
A Technical Achievement.
Are there solar panels on that tank?
A part of what makes Rogue One so special is that it mixes old and new, but what you see on screen isn’t just there to be there. This film ties into A New Hope, so it makes sense that certain characters would be there. This film pushes the limits of movie magic in a way that serves the story quite nicely. There are two obvious “How did they do that?” moments in the third act, but it’s time to get into some minor spoilers to deal with the other, more prominent digital effects that seem to draw ire and praise.
Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin are in this movie.
Some pop culture commentators pointed out that the digital effects used to accomplish these portrayals approach the uncanny valley, but it’s difficult to tell where that comes from. Most people know that Peter Cushing has been deceased for 22 years and that Carrie Fisher was not 19 before her tragic passing yesterday. However, the work was done in such a way that it honored the characters without feeling cheap.
The Nitpicks.
More of this guy, please.
As previously mentioned, the teeny tiny flaws with this movie are due to the fact that we could have sat with the characters a bit more in certain circumstances. For instance, the love between Jyn and Galen is a principal theme in the movie. It would have been a bit more poignant if we could have seen Galen or his wife, Lyra (Valene Kane), teaching Jyn how to do something before the Empire comes in.
The same could be said for Baze and Chirrut. While the film gives us a good idea of who they are, it could have used a few minutes to cement their relationship with each other and the other characters. They seem like they have been friends for a long time, but there wasn’t quite enough banter to go along with it.
Both of these would have taken a few more minutes, but it doesn’t detract from the experience in a meaningful way.
Conclusion.
He never called anyone a meatbag, but that is okay!
In spite of a few little issues here and there, Rogue One is a stunning achievement that will make you believe in Star Wars again. As a labor of love and expansion of the franchise, Gareth Edwards and the entire cast and crew has something to be proud of on their filmography. The story is excellent, the cast sells this movie, the effects are jaw-dropping, and the themes are relatable without being too far out.
Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy have done their part to make entertainment great again. However, we’ll see what happens in one year’s time with Episode VIII.
Until then, may the Force be with us.
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