My Thoughts on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Disclaimer: This article will contain some spoilers. I will do my best to keep them to a minimum, but if you haven’t yet seen Rogue One and intend to, then I highly recommend watching the movie before reading this. Well friends, the latest installment of the recently revitalized Star Wars film franchise has hit theatres, and like last year, everyone is talking about it, so I find it only natural to put in my two cents.

So, was Rogue One a good movie? Yes. Was it a good Star Wars movie? Also yes, though I’d hesitate to call it a great Star Wars movie, but then, I don’t think it was ever meant to be, and in a way, that’s part of what makes the movie work. What I mean by that I hope will become apparent in the body of this article. Before we get into the meat of the film and the reasons why it worked overall, I need to get my two biggest gripes with the film off my chest. First, there’s the musical score. The music’s not bad per se, it just sounded off. The first couple of notes sounded identical to the iconic Star Wars main theme, but from there the score trails off into something entirely different. It’s like someone offering you a candy bar but then pulling it away and punching you in the gut. Speaking of music however, a slightly off sounding score is small potatoes compared to the movie’s biggest and most unforgivable sin. See, people often get cynical about Star Wars. They like to nitpick the films, crack jokes and have a few cheep laughs at the expense of some of the movie’s more obvious flaws, but when a Star Wars fan sits down in the theatre and the words “Star Wars” appear on the screen in big letters accompanied by the unmistakable theme, all that cynicism melts away and we once again remember what it was like the first time we ever saw a Star Wars film. However, Rogue One chose not to include the opening text crawl that has become synonymous with the series. I understand why, as they’re trying to emphasize the fact that this is a side story, separate from the main series of films, but it still felt like a betrayal. Because of this, the film had to work harder to win me over than any other Star Wars film to date, and yes, that includes the prequels as I’ll freely admit to enjoying watching them in theatres. With that rant out of the way, let’s talk about how this movie eventually DID win me over, starting with the characters. I’ll admit, while there’s nothing wrong with the main character Jyn Erso, there wasn’t really much to her. Don’t get me wrong, Jyn is a perfectly serviceable lead and Felicity Jones did a fine job with what she had to work with, but she doesn’t have much else going for her and her “rebellions are built on hope” speech from the trailer feels very forced. For me, the far more interesting lead was Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, a soldier in the rebellion who has been in this war since he was a child. Near the end of the film, he has a much more effective speech where he says that he and many others have done some terrible things in the name of the rebellion, many of which haunt him. However, he continues on carrying out these acts because he knows that the cause for which he fights is worth any sacrifice. Literally the only way he is able to live with himself is to remain devoted to toppling the empire. That’s pretty fascinating and fairly unique for a Star Wars protagonist. The supporting characters are pretty cool as well. Alan Tudyk provides the voice and motion capture for K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid who manages to be one of the most entertaining and likeable comedic characters in the franchise. Martial artist Donnie Yen does a great job a blind warrior devoted to the force. Forest Whitaker brings an incredible presence as Jyn’s former mentor and rebel extremist Saw Gerrera. Ben Mendelsohn plays the villain of the piece, Krennic, an imperial officer with something to prove. All in all, it’s a solid mix. However, as good as many of the new characters are, it wouldn’t be a Star Wars movie without some fan service thrown in. I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of CGI human characters, but the computer recreation of the late Peter Cushing and to a lesser extent the young Carrie Fischer were among some of the best I’ve ever seen. It truly felt as if Cushing had risen from the grave to reprise the roll of Grand Moff Tarquin. However, that was nothing compared to what came later. If I had to pinpoint one specific moment as the one that ultimately got me fully behind this film, it would be the brief yet oh so satisfying appearance of the one, the only, Darth Vader in all his glory. I just want to take a moment to express how great it feels to once again see Darth Vader on the big screen as the intimidating and badass character we all remember from the original trilogy. Vader is of one of if not the most iconic characters in all of Star Wars and one of the most instantly recognizable villains in all of fiction and I for one am so grateful that our final memory of this character won’t be him shouting “No” at the end of Revenge of the Sith. However, the characters are just a small part of why this film should ultimately be remembered as a success. As I said earlier, this film is trying to separate itself from the main series of Star Wars films and one of the ways it does so is by reminding us all that the entire franchise is about war. The Star Wars films are undeniable classics but when you watch them you know that when all is said and done, Luke will triumph over the emperor and everyone will live happily ever after. That’s all well and good, but we must remember that the second word of the series is “Wars” and it is a sad fact of reality that many war stories don’t have happy endings. Such is the case with this film. The third act features a small contingent of rebel soldiers assaulting an imperial citadel in order to steel the Death Star plans, and though we know that they are successful, they don’t make it out alive. That’s right, all those characters we’ve grown to know and love over the course of the film, the funny droid, the blind warrior and even the two leads, don’t survive to see the peace that their actions would ultimately bring about. There is no medal ceremony at the end, nor any party with a bunch of Ewoks, just a few moments before death in which their only comfort is the knowledge that their sacrifice was not in vain. One of the final scene of the film sees our two leads, on a beach watching as the entire base is destroyed by the Death Star and embracing as they are both engulfed by the ensuing explosion. It is a hauntingly beautiful scene and something not often seen in this franchise. In conclusion, Rogue One was an exceptional film. It wasn’t as grandiose as last year’s The Force awakens, and it wasn’t trying to be. This film showed us that the rebellion was much bigger than just the adventures of Luke Skywalker and it did so beautifully. Is it the best film in the franchise, not by a long shot, but if you love Star Wars, you will definitely get something out of this.