Film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

[Shale]

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Movie Blurb by Shale
December 16, 2016

Rogue One Poster

This movie is made for Star Wars fans. Srsly, if you have not followed the whole series of Star Wars movies from Star Wars IV, the first one in 1977 then don't bother seeing this one because you will be lost. You will need to know the backstory, especially Star Wars III and IV, where this one fits. While it is a prequel like I, II, & III I suppose it would be numbered Star Wars 3.5.

This is the story of the war between the Empire and Rebels when the Death Star was being built. Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) a reluctant engineer working on the Death Star was in hiding but gets found by Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) the director of that weapons project who comes for him. He is taken back to the Death Star but his young daughter Jyn goes into hiding.

Orson & Galen

Thirteen years later Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) a defecting Imperial pilot tells the Rebellion of the planet destroying weapon. That is when Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is commandeered into the rebellion to help find her father for details of this weapon. She is to work with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) a Rebel Alliance Intelligence officer and his captured and reprogrammed Imperial enforcer droid K-2SO.

Cassian & Jyn

So, that's the plan and of course to carry it out there will be resistance from the Imperial forces with much death & destruction both in space and on planets/moons. This is basically a war movie with a little espionage intrigue woven thru it. Perhaps with the current brutal tragedy in Allepo Syria my mindset is compromised, but I found the war scenes actually disturbing - not the unreal wars of space fiction.

Rebel Fighters Going to Battle

Anyhow, this movie is the prequel to Star Wars IV and so there are Imperial Walkers, huge space cruisers and X-wing craft, with better special effects than previous movies. With the advent of this CGI technology you will even see Imperial Governor Grand Moff Tarkin aboard the Death Star looking just as Peter Cushing did in 1977. Of course Darth Vader is more machine than he is human so no prob looking like he did back then. He still has James Earl Jones voice. There is a cameo by R2D2 & C3PO. Probably a lot of little references that I missed that the Nerd Collective will document.

I really enjoyed the movie, just as 84% of the aggregate critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 90% of audiences. Their consensus was ""Rogue One draws deep on Star Wars mythology while breaking new narrative and aesthetic ground ..."

 

[What 23]

I didn't like the racial propaganda/social justice warrior propaganda.

I understand how it could apply to the narrative, and I understand that the empire is supposed to be based off of the Nazis in some sense, but every single evil imperial is basically the same people you would find fighting for the Nazis in WWII (in the first films all the rebels were basically white, as well, not that they should continue to be, but neither should the "Nazis" then). Again, you have a defector from the empire who is non-white, like before (he seems to be Pakistani British). Really, I am not meaning to throw hate, as I don't have any ill feeling against these people alone- as people. What I hate in this context is the lack of diversity, or the identity of the Empire as "white men". It seems to show that anything white-alone is evil. Just evil. I don't like to get locked into racial ... alignment, because fuck, I don't even join "groups", let alone just because they're white (although around strangers I am much more likely to go to the White ones, so there is that...), but there are just problems here.

There is an intentional casting here, and it is meant to show non-white males (and this white, British female...like the last movie) being brave, leading, having the idea, being the hero. I don't mean to say there is no representation of people who look like me, or that they are cast exclusively negatively. There are, and they are not. I am not trying to cry like a widdle baby about it either. But when I see intentional.. placement of things, I have to analyze it. And when I see a pattern, I have to notice it. The pattern here is that white people aren't good unless they're with everyone else. "Equality", but not quite...

Not to mention, though I guess I am now, the most evil of the good guys (main) is the "whitest" (most European). Again, not trying to be an immature crybaby over it, but the lack of diversity- the double standards and lack of consistency in "liberal-world" drive me a bit mad sometimes.

Come to think of it: "Defector"....

Nazis considered certain people defective, or undesirable. First "defect" was Black, in the first of the new films. Second "defect" was South Asian- this film. This is propaganda.

............

Anyway, I hope my observations I shared here don't detract from others, and I hope to not have this devolve into a piss-match, or whatever. If you don't like what I have to say, and only want to call me racist or whatever, please, I'd rather you just ignore this and add your own original thoughts.

I may see it again, tonight, with my brother.

Again, I don't mean to throw hate at it. While watching it, I enjoyed it, for a lot of part. It is definitely a different "Star Wars". Not quite like the others... Meant as a telling of the wider universe/characters supporting the main known ones. Not that I am a complete nerd for it, but I appreciate it.

One of my biggest gripes is against the CGI humans. I understand it's really difficult, so I'm not that hard on it, but it did seem to knock it down a little. I can see how it was perhaps seen as necessary to the story-line, but, I think it may have fared better to do differently... Perhaps get real actors, and slightly alter them in subtle ways, but also use camera angles, lighting and timing/don't show them long, or too obviously. They weren't used a lot, but it for me it felt kind of like it cheapened it.

 

[mal3volent]

It's not a secret that they have made an effort to make the new cast more diverse for the newer films. When you look at how overwhelmingly white and male episodes 1-6 are, I think your argument is ridiculous.

I think they should have done a screen crawl at the beginning. I don't care if its not part of the main saga, it still would have helped non book readers like me to understand exactly what was going on in that first scene.

All the action sequences were incredible. I don't think people appreciate how difficult it is to make those scenes so fluid and coherent. The last 10 or 15 minutes or so was so impressive and memorable.

 

[jpgrdnr]

I really liked the production design, just completely over the top. It could have been a really bad movie, the script was somewhat shaky in parts but the cast managed to elevate it.
Some amazing fanservice.

 

[What 23]

When you look at how overwhelmingly white and male episodes 1-6 are, I think your argument is ridiculous.

The Empire remains overwhelmingly white and male. That is precisely my argument. That and certain placement of things (such as races, behavior, yada).

This isn't "diversity". The star also remains white. Creamy.

It's really rather cheap.


I don't want to ruin the party, though, so whatever. Have fun.

 

[mal3volent]

There's no party to ruin...I have a lot of criticisms of the film. I just don't get what you are so mad about. I thought you were referring to how the heroes in the new films were purposely cast as minorities. If that wasn't your point, I guess I'm just lost.

Kristian Harloff from the Jedi Council on youtube was really disappointed with the score. I didn't think too much about it at first, but that has always been a huge element and it did seem kind of unfamiliar in Rogue One. I look forward to watching it again to pick up on some of these smaller things.

 

[jpgrdnr]

Kristian Harloff from the Jedi Council on youtube was really disappointed with the score. I didn't think too much about it at first, but that has always been a huge element and it did seem kind of unfamiliar in Rogue One. I look forward to watching it again to pick up on some of these smaller things.

The score seemed a bit weak as well, but its not the original movies...so its hard to compare.

 

[Speed King]

I just happened to be tripping when I saw this. I thought it was very good and much better then the first Disney Star Wars release. It made me interested in Star Wars again.

 

[LandsUnknown]

I just happened to be tripping when I saw this. I thought it was very good and much better then the first Disney Star Wars release. It made me interested in Star Wars again.

That sounds awesome. I feel like that would be an awesome movie to watch while tripping.

 

[Speed King]

Tripping, watching it in 3D on edibles.
Yeah, I believe that enhanced the movie a little bit.

 

[Signtist]

I preferred this to 'The Force Awakens'.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I preferred this to 'The Force Awakens'.

Who doesn't? TFA was literally the worst thing that ever happened to Star Wars, it almost ruined the entire series for me because I was scared every movie after would be like it.

Fuck you, J.J. Abrams! Quit ruining good sci-fi/fantasy series and come up with your own ideas for once! Poor, poor Star Trek and Star Wars... what did they do to deserve such a fate?!

 

[malakaix]

I just finished watching this, absolutely fantastic. I found this so much more enjoyable and coherent than TFA which seemed like a total mess.

Loved the darker style even if it doesn't fit in with the Star Wars universe.

 

[Durzo1258]

I haven't watched TFA and not going to.
But Rogue One was far better than I expected.

 

[CFC]

I found it so boring, I had to get my phone out and start faffing around playing Scrabble for much of it. It could have been condensed to half the length.

 

[socko]

I liked it. Generally, the Disney episodes are far far better than the earlier Lucas film episodes. Some of his were so bad that they were unwatchable - Jar Jar, Ewoks, etc. The exception is the first episode from 1977 which is my favorite. One thing Disney needs to improve on is teh atmosphere. Starwars 1977 had an atmosphere that made it feel epic or historic. Not really the right word, but it had something special. Disney did it in other films but has not yet done it with Starwars.