Rogue One was a gamble in some ways for Disney because it is the first stand alone Star Wars movie. It sets itself apart from the saga entries by maintaining it is a Star Wars Story. As such it starts and ends within the confines of it’s own runtime and will not (for now…the Han Solo standalone may contradict this) continue in a sequel. Instead Rogue One is a film that takes place in the time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and more to the point this is the Star Wars story which reveals how the Rebel Alliance were able to get a hold of the Death Star plans that play such a vital role in A New Hope.
It feels great to be able to say that director Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) is successful with Rogue One. Edwards presents Star Wars like we have never seen it before. Rogue One puts the WAR in Star Wars, at once both ground level gritty while still taking place in a universe with infinite scope. Whether the action is planet or space based. Ground or air. It doesn’t matter. Edwards makes the audience feel apart of it without ever feeling overwhelmed. Make no mistake this is also darker – perhaps the darkest – Star Wars movie to date. The action seems more direct, more real than in previous films and it lends an extra weight to the film, as do the characters and overall gritty tone of Rogue One.
Speaking of the characters, this film boasts an spectacular cast. An ensemble that is both refreshing and relevant. If the films only plus point was it’s forward thinking in multi cultural casting it would have been a worthy badge of honour but thankfully the stellar cast is the tip of the ice berg. Character wise the standouts for me are Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) and ex imperial droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). Jones is able to convey so much of who Jyn is without the aid of tons of explanatory dialogue and is surprisingly at ease with the action the film calls upon from Erso. Yen as Chirrut is a scene stealer almost as much as K-2SO. Chirrut’s faith is inspiring, granting insights into the Force that are new and exciting and he kicks a ton of arse too. The true scene stealer though is Tudyk’s K-2SO. This droid doesn’t care about tact! He will just speak his mind and has no filter and is the source of a lot of the film’s much needed lighter moments.
Disney and Edwards need credit for once again demonstrating how practical will always be king over heavy CGI. The effects work in Rogue One is outstanding. Sadly there’s one or two key standouts, which while I can’t say how the filmmakers could have handled it better, do highlight a reliance on CGI. Not to the extent I was taken out of the film though. Another slight issue I had was the score of the film. It’s not bad. Not by any means and works alongside the film well but I couldn’t hum you a sample from the Rogue One score. There is no standout example of the score, something Star Wars is well known for, yet the same can be said for Episode VII’s. That too was a solid score but it was missing that one standout musical number.
As the first standalone Star Wars movie Rogue One is a success. It captures the magic of Star Wars but carves out it’s own identity. Edwards and Disney have showcased how these stand alone films can expand the Star Wars universe in ways the saga films cannot and I can’t wait to see what’s next after the Han Solo movie. The possibilities are endless.
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