Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, Wen Jiang, Guy Henry, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, Jimmy Smits, James Earl Jones (voice), Anthony Daniels (voice), Warwick Davis
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Rating: R
Genre: Documentary
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: The Rebel Alliance works to steal plans for the Death Star.

Review:

Tim: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (the first two words are an awesome title, the last four are really stupid) was the second film of this new era of Star Wars. The Force Awakens blew me away in 2015, emerging as my favorite film of the year. Rogue One faced a slightly harder road- it was was a prequel (that word creates allergic reactions in this franchise), set directly before the original Star Wars. This film is really good- it's entertaining, looks incredible, and fills in some gaps in this universe. There's a lot to like in this very good film. And yet, the movie isn't great. It didn't make my top 10 list of 2016. Maybe that's okay- I didn't feel too disappointed with this very strong movie. It's a good reminder that no franchise is guaranteed great films every time out of the gate.

Perhaps the best part of this movie is the fact that it masterfully fixes one of the biggest Star Wars plot holes- that a giant structure like the Death Star could be destroyed with one single blast. Why would anyone create anything with such a glaring weakness? This whole film addresses that one concern and erases it. I loved that this movie told an entertaining story while fixing a major franchise issue. I give the film great credit for that.

A big reason why this film doesn't reach the heights of the previous film is because the characters really aren't that memorable. Rey, Finn, and Poe were immediately cool, remarkable characters. When that film ended, I couldn't wait to see their continued adventures. The characters here are cool in the moment, but they don't have any staying power. I had to double check to make sure I had "Jyn" correctly as the lead character. What's that charismatic dude with the beard's name? Or that funny robot? Or those two entertaining supporting characters? There's too many characters introduced and we don't get enough time devoted to any of them. That makes all of them feel underdeveloped- and so when they are in great peril at the end of the film, the emotional payoff isn't where it should be. This is yet another film that throws too much on the audience. This needed to be a more focused film.

The cast is good, though. Felicity Jones worked well in the lead role. I love her career trajectory and I hope she continues to be a headliner. I'd watch her in just about anything. She is fun to see here in the lead role of a Star Wars film. Diego Luna gave a good performance, but his character was way too bland an unmemorable. Alan Tudyk provided some nice levity as the voice of that robot (what's his name?). He gets some really funny one-liners. Ben Mendelsohn was good as one of the villains. I liked seeing Forest Whitaker, but couldn't help but feel like he was wasted here. His character wasn't as interesting as anyone believed it to be. Mads Mikkelsen was surprisingly good. It was fun seeing Jimmy Smits for a moments, although he didn't have much to do. Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang provided nice supporting roles, too. As a whole, I really did like the extensive, international cast. I just wish we got more time to care about the characters.

There are some really cool sequences here. The climactic battle on Scarif is certainly a highlight. It's one of the greatest battles this franchise has ever delivered. The way it ends was totally unexpected, but felt so appropriate. We also get a remarkable Darth Vader sequence, as well as several other cool moments sprinkled throughout the film. The movie is certainly entertaining.

I really enjoyed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While it doesn't reach the heights of The Force Awakens, maybe that's okay. As long as the key franchise films are incredible, it's probably fine for these anthology films to take more risks, knowing some of them may not pay off. There's nothing to be ashamed at here- this is an entertaining, effective movie. It's not as memorable or as powerful as other films in this franchise, but for a standalone story that wasn't meant to start its own series, you have to feel pretty good about this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens