'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Mixing. 

The opening crawl of A New Hope reads as follows "It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy…." 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story tells the daring mission the Rebel Alliance undergoes to obtain the Death Star plans. Last year, The Force Awakens faced the challenge of revitalizing the Star Wars brand and succeeded tremendously. Now, Rogue One is tasked with a different assignment as Disney and Lucasfilm seek to enlarge the Star Wars universe with a series of Star Wars spinoffs, or Star Wars Stories. Rogue One is the first Star Wars Story or anthology film set in the Star Wars universe not focused on the Skywalker family, it appears that duty is being relegated to the Saga films (Episode I, II, III, IV, and so on). 

As a spin-off, Rogue One has ample opportunity to play outside the typical Star Wars Saga sandbox and there were many things done that I had never seen in a Star Wars film before (nothing groundbreaking but all new for this franchise in particular) but don't fear, a few Saga consistences were maintained and there's an abundant number of easter eggs, references, and cameos for eagle-eyed/eared fans to look/listen for (I won't go into detail for fear of ruining any of my reader's experiences by spoiling something they weren't aware of). 

Director Gareth Edwards was burdened with the duty of telling the first of these Star Wars Stories and I feel he delivered by concentrating on the "war" aspect of Star Wars. Edwards ensures the action sequences are gritty and grimy as they're a little different than what we're used to with a D-Day/Vietnam/heist element present throughout the epic third act. Edwards also brings a stunning sense of scale to the picture as you can feel the Empire's over-looming presence on the galaxy all throughout the film, whether it be the massive Imperial Star Destoyers floating above Jedha or the immense Death Star in orbit overhead.

The screenwriting and storytelling team behind Rogue One consisting of Tony Gilroy, Chris Weitz, John Knoll, and Gary Whitta manage to complicate the battle between Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire by conveying the heroes and antagonists as not simply good or evil, actually inhabiting a morally ambiguous gray area. They managed to piece together a thrilling tale that stands on it's own but with enough connections, charming new characters, and twists to satisfy fans and feel like an effective set-up to the events of A New Hope (So much so that when I got home last evening I watched A New Hope again). There was a lot of talk this summer about Rogue One undergoing extensive reshoots but you can't tell whatsoever that there was any drama behind the scenes because the finished product keeps a consistent tone and concentration on the story at hand.

Rogue One is actually one of the most impressive technical achievements from Lucasfilm to date as practical gritty Original Trilogy-esque production design and streamlined state-of-the art visual effects blend together to bring creatures, droids, planets, and even a few familiar faces to life that will be more than enough to convince and delight the hardcore fanbase and franchise newcomers.

One thing many may notice about Rogue One is that it's the first Star Wars film not to be scored by John Williams, with Michael Giacchino taking the duties of composer and believe it or not Giacchino's score will stand alongside Williams' as a strength of the franchise. Giacchino creates sweeping epic original orchestrations deserving of a space opera bearing the Star Wars banner that feel inspired by Williams' classic themes rather than riffs on the composer's iconic work.

It wouldn't be a Star Wars movie without a group of likable personalities and Rogue One's all star diverse cast brings just that. Felicity Jones leads proceedings as Jyn Erso, marking another strong female protagonist who's both capable and in touch with her humanity. Diego Luna plays clandestine Rebel Captain Cassian Andor with both a charming demeanor and an internal struggle as he longs to find what's more important; the cause of the Rebellion or his morality.

Alan Tudyk provides a motion-capture performance as the reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO, who has the sass of R2D2, the logistics of C3PO, and the killer instinct of a commando droid, and he steals every scene he's in with hilarious remarks that made him my personal favorite of the new bunch of characters.

Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, and Riz Ahmed portray blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Îmwe, heroic heavy artilleryman Baze Malbus, and defected Imperial pilot Bohdi Rook respectively. While the last three may not have as much development, each member of the team has their time to shine; whether it be force-fueled martial arts, blaster shootouts, or more in-depth character moments.

Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker are sufficient supporting players as chief Death Star architect and father Galen Erso and militant rebel Saw Gererra and the appearances of Jimmy Smit's Bail Organa and Genevieve O'Reilly's Mon Mothma are reassuring to those fretting about continuity.

Ben Mendelsohn's dastardly Director Orson Krennic is an ambitious officer who seeks power, attention, and respect among the Imperial hierarchy, making for a villain whose motivations can be understood but isn't quite as grand as other franchise antagonists.

James Earl Jones returns to lend his booming baritone to Darth Vader with stuntmen Daniel Naprous and Spencer Wilding wearing the armor interchangably to maintain Vader's imposing gravitas. It was incredible how the filmmakers were able to paint Vader in a different light than we've ever seen before. Vader has a few jaw-dropping standout moments from the film that will delight even the most casual Star Wars fan. Vader's appearances are minimal but they are certainly impactful.

When all is said and done, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story functions as a stirring standalone story that adds greater weight to the events of the Original Trilogy and marks the distinction of being the first great prequel in the Star Wars universe. It's not perfect but it's endearing characters, engaging narrative strong direction, technical achievements, and awesome original score are more than enough to warrant the story being told. In conclusion, Rogue One is an entertaining and welcome addition to the Star Wars universe that justifies the case for more Star Wars Stories.

Film Assessment: A B (Revised)