Laughter, tears, and quite possibly the best third act in any Star Wars movie, all of that's
what I experienced when I watched Gareth Edwards' Rogue One!
Rogue One's been marketed as a standalone story within the Star Wars universe, but while
it is tonally different from the other movies, timing-wise it fits super-snugly before the
events of the first movie in the original trilogy.
And for fans of the franchise, there are plenty of cameos and hat tips to previous instalments.
But what about the new cast?
Well, it's a really solid ensemble of actors, many of whom really make you care for their
characters and give some stand-out turns in the process.
Unlike Daisy Ridley, who was pretty much an unknown quantity before The Force Awakens,
you've probably already seen Felicity Jones in movies such as The Theory of Everything.
So, it's absolutely no surprise that, as the rebellious Jyn Erso, Jones can play drama
and tender moments to the max, but it's fantastic to also see her so successfully pull out all
the stops when it comes to some fierce, badass action.
As K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial security guard, Alan Tudyk gets to play a character
who has no filter but a great line in backchat, saying whatever pops into his droid head,
which results in a multitude of snark-filled laugh-out-loud moments that show off Tudyk's
perfect comic timing.
Donnie Yen brings a wonderful sense of calm and composure to his blind monk character
Chirrut Imwe, and Yen's incredible martial arts and athletic abilities are also on full
display in some thrilling action scenes.
And I loved the on-screen chemistry Yen has with Jiang Wen, who plays his soldier friend
Baze Malbus.
Both actors really brought out the beautiful bond between their two characters to great
effect.
As cargo pilot Bodhi, Riz Ahmed puts in a fine performance, and as Rebel Intelligence
Officer Cassian, Diego Luna gets to deliver the hell out of a particularly stirring speech.
While Ben Mendelsohn is suitably unsettling as the deliciously villainous and ambitious
Director Krennic, and stands out visually thanks to excellent work in the costume department
by designers David Crossman and Glyn Dillon.
In the role of Jyn Erso's father, Galen, Mads Mikkelsen brings out his character's strength
and suffering, even during moments of exposition.
After seeing the trailers, I've got to admit I was a bit worried about Forest Whitaker's
line as outlaw rebel Saw Gerrera, 'save the rebellion, save the dream', which every time
I saw it at the cinema, screamed Heroes' 'Save the cheerleader, save the world' to me, and
not in a good way.
So, I was glad to see that it plays out in a much less cheesy way in the final movie,
and it's actually said in what I felt was a much more plaintive tone.
See, context is everything!
Oh, and a certain character from the previous films returns to give you chills!
I really liked the way he's introduced when we see him fully and I was fine with the amount
he appears in the film.
With so many new characters and locations to introduce, Rogue One does take its time
to build up a full head of steam and there is some knotty plotting and certain inelegant
character shifts, which means it's a while before things get going with the meat of the
movie.
Of course, there's been a lot of talk of long reshoots and just how much of Chris Weitz's
script was reworked by the Bourne movies' Tony Gilroy.
How many of those changes fed into some of the film's issues and how many strengthened
it is difficult to say with absolute certainty.
The film I'm reviewing here is obviously the one I saw in front of me on the big screen,
and in this Rogue One, director Gareth Edwards has made a bold film that's darker in tone
than previous Star Wars outings, that does not shy away from the complexities and violence
of warfare, and that introduces conflicted characters, many of whom worked their way
right into my affections.
And when the film is at its best, we find ourselves in the middle of a heist and a war
movie with vibes of Saving Private Ryan meets The Dirty Dozen, via Black Hawk Down and The
Hurt Locker.
In terms of spectacle, Rogue One is dazzling.
There are so many heart-stopping and stirring scenes in the movie that brought tears to
my eyes and they build up to an all-encompassing, incredible crescendo.
And as the film moves into its final phase, its editors keep niftily cutting between a
variety of characters and locations, ramping up the tension.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser, who's known for Zero Dark Thirty, takes us right in to
the middle of the action, getting down and dirty to full gritty effect, making us feel
every blast and explosion, as he weaves between obstacles and enemies, just as our heroes
do, amid the dust, smoke and sand.
During action scenes, the camera is fluid and often handheld, and apparently director
Edwards regularly operated it himself, so kudos also goes to him for the film's final
look and for also managing to give us both amazing scale in the movie while still often
keeping action grounded on a more personal level.
Edwards and cinematographer Fraser also make great use of the various locations where they
filmed, including the Maldives, for example, they really bring out the contrast between
beautiful beach-side settings and the full-on horror of war as things are blown to smithereens
beside sapphire waters.
And perfectly matching the movie's naturalistic cinematography is Doug Chiang and Neil Lamont's
production design, which brings out the realistically rough edges of the Star Wars world.
For some superb stunt choreography and some truly explosive scenes, props also go to stunt
coordinator Rob Inch, who worked on The Force Awakens and Captain Phillips, and to Oscar-winning
special effects supervisor Neil Corbould, whose effects you'll have seen in Kingsman
and Black Hawk Down.
And, of course, it couldn't be a Star Wars movie without some spectacular visual effects,
and for those we have to thank Star Wars veteran John Knoll, who also came up with the original
idea for Rogue One, as well as Mohen Leo, who worked on Ant-Man and The Martian.
There are some absolutely stunning moments set out in space as well as on various planets
and moons, and so many of the scenes of destruction, which we see from both god's and worm's eye
views, are obviously properly devastating but also, almost perversely, things of extreme
beauty.
The only place where I'd say the VFX were slightly off was with the face of one particular
character.
I think they did a good job getting 80% of the way there in a tough situation, but at
first I did find it distracting, though later I got used to it, so it didn't spoil the movie
for me.
And, of course, I've gotta give a shout-out to BAFTA-winning Neal Scanlan and his Creature
Effects team for their work on the movie's many new cool alien life forms and droids.
As so often happens with the Star Wars movies, some of their work flies by all too quickly,
so I can't wait to see it on DVD so I can take a lingering look over some of their new
creations.
With his score for Rogue One, composer Michael Giacchino has now completed the full Disney
composing package, adding Star Wars to his scores for Disney animation Zootopia, Disney's
live action Tomorrowland, numerous Pixar films, and Marvel's Doctor Strange.
And what a great job he's done here too!
And there's even some lovely little moments blended in at appropriate points from John
Williams' original Star Wars themes, which always make me feel like a little kid again.
To sum up: Rogue One is full of both stunning spectacle and genuinely moving moments, and
introduces some engaging new characters given life by an ensemble of accomplished actors.
Though the film does take a while to rev up and move through some thorny plot moments,
the pay-off is so worth it that it's entirely possible that you'll leave the cinema on a
super-high, like I did!
Rogue One is the Star Wars prequel I've been looking for, and there's so much the film
gets right that, for me, it's up there with the very best Star Wars movies and its final
act is mind-blowing cinema.
And I'm really looking forward to watching it again.
So, I'm giving Rogue One 4 and a half out of 5 Flicks.
Now, what did you think of Rogue One?
Who are your favourite new characters?
And how do you think it compares to the other Star Wars movies?
Let me know in the comments below!
Coming up soon, I'll have more Rogue One videos including my easter egg guide to the movie.
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