Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the story of how the rebels obtain the Death Star Plans right before Episode IV.
Many people have questioned if we even needed this movie and I think the answer is yes. With this and TFA from last year, Disney has a pretty good history with making Star Wars movies, although TFA has its issues. But, we needed to know that Disney could do well without Han Solo and Chewbacca on a screen, and they’ve greatly exceeded our expectations. (Well mine, and 95% of others.)
The story of Rogue One is explained in the opening crawl of a A New Hope so it’s very straight forward. I have a great many things to say about Rogue One, and very few bad things. This movie shocked me in a ton of ways, in multiple aspects. Watching it the first time could’ve been my favorite movie going experience ever. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Mild spoiler warnings ahead. Now let’s get into what I loved about it:
The Good:
The characters.
Are all awesome and I love all of them because they all bring something different to the table. A lot of people have been complaining that we didn’t get enough time with them, when we only get to see them for one movie. They said that they didn’t matter because they all die, but I’d disagree 100%. Thats like judging Luke Skywalker solely for how he acted in Empire Strikes Back. He overcomes his whining and foolishness and becomes a badass Jedi who saves the galaxy. That’s after 3 films. Usually characters spend entire films before they change, and we don’t have that luxury here, so not much can change, although some characters do develop. Like I said everyone stands out and they’re all very memorable. K2 was hilarious. Jyn was brave and put the fate of the galaxy before herself, when she didn’t like the rebellion and wanted nothing to do with it otherwise. Cassian had had a hard life and issues amongst his inner self and his previous actions, which were shown numerous times. Baze and Chirrut had an awesome, real, lifelike relationship as if the pair were a married couple or great friends. Bohdi, had a troubled past and wanted to change and help. I also really liked Krennic and Galen Erso too. I wish we saw more of them, though.
This movie is beautiful.
You could’ve told me this movie was made in the seventies and I would’ve believed you with how many practical elements are in this film. Everything looks and feels so very real and it’s extremely immersive. There were literally like two shots where I could tell stuff was CGI, and it wasn’t even bad CGI. There were moments where I felt like I was with them on the beach, or in the mountains and it made for a very immersive and entertaining experience. Stuff is dirty, and looks lived in. One scene I really enjoyed was seeing Cassian kill the two storm troopers and then seeing the rest of the squad charge through the crowd. The cinematography was excellent and some of the shots were really unique and ones I’d never seen before. I hope to see more great cinematography like this in future films. Especially Star Wars. This is the best looking Star Wars movie ever. There’s no way around it.
Darth Vader.
Numerous people have complained that he isn’t in the movie for long, but I don’t see what the issue is?? Vader was there for the Death Star but wasn’t instrumental in completing it. He wasn’t even in command during Episode IV and just did whatever Tarkin told him too. His suit looks great and his voice sounds just as good, with a few lines sounding off here and there. His scene at the very end is PERFECT in every way, from how it’s lit, to how the movie ends. It was so cool they put him in this movie, and they didn’t shoehorn him in when they did. I think he’s in it for the perfect amount of time. It isn’t too much, and in this case, less is more.
Grand Moff Tarkin.
Grand Moff Tarkin was also great in this film. Some people complained the CGI looks bad, but I thought it was pretty solid besides like one or two shots. I love his relationship with Krennic, and it was a real treat to see him on screen again. Watching Episode IV will be so much more cooler now.
Cameos/EU.
There are numerous cameos from C3PO and R2, to Vader, to Leia, to some even some of the rebel pilots from Episode IV. They never feel forced, and I was shaking in my seat from seeing each and every one. The Leia cameo at the end ended the movie perfectly and had me screaming I was so happy. As for EU the Ghost ship from Rebels appears in multiple shots, and we even see Chopper and hear one of the Rebels members mentioned. This is huge because this is the first time characters from a TV show have been brought into the films. It’s incredible that Saw Gurrera appears, and that they show the Ghost in action. I’m not a fan of Rebels, but that’s something they didn’t have to do, and I’m really glad they did. It was an awesome Easter egg.
We also see Darth Vaders castle, which is astronomically AWESOME on Disneys part. In the EU and certain Star Wars games(Jedi Knight:Jedi Academy, etc) we hear about it, or (in Jedi Knight:Jedi Academy) you even get to visit it. This movie caters to every Star Wars fan there is, and seeing these things for the first time on screen was incredible.
It fixed that one plot hole. Literally.
Probably the only issue people have with ANH is that it doesn’t seem plausible that the Empire wouldn’t notice a small trench hole that could destroy the entire station. Here they fix it, and it was so good of them to do so. I hope to see this in future Star Wars installments, maybe a movie on getting the plans for Death Star 2 or just fixing another plot hole. Rogue One makes A New Hope and the Original Trilogy mean so much more and that’s extraordinary for a series that doesn’t have a good track record with its prequels. It’s incredible that a prequel makes its sequels even better and have a larger impact. That’s huge, and as far as I’m concerned it’s never been done.
While I have basically nothing but good to say about this movie, the only real bad things are the things I wanted more of, that maybe would’ve given certain characters and certain actions more weight.
The Bad:
Krennic.
I think we should’ve seen more of Krennic being an asshole so we would hate him more, although he was an asshole regardless. I didn’t really hate him or see him as Rogue Ones main villain, although I do like his character.
Galen, Bohdi, and Krennic.
We saw very little of Galen and him and I wish we saw more. You could tell they had history and it would’ve been interesting to see it. I really wanted to see Bohdi and learn more about why he defected from the Empire. It would’ve been cool to see him and Galen talking. The two could be desperate, and in a moment of being scared Galen could think of his “stardust” and we could see the exchange between the two.
Jyn and Saw.
I also wanted to see more of Jyn and Saw Gurrera. Their situation could’ve made a really cool one, but our time in this movie is also limited.
NEED to know more about Jyn.
We are told numerous times and even shown that Jyn is a criminal, but how?? Is she just a regular criminal, or does she do stuff against the Rebellion/ Empire?? This is something I’d like to know, not only for her character, but also for when the Empire has her and when certain rebellion leaders call her out for being a criminal. Even stuff of her growing up or before the Empire catches her would be amazing.
Soundtrack.
While much better than the Force Awakens, the soundtrack here didn’t produce any memorable ones like Episodes 1-6 did. Maybe I’ll find a couple when I go see it again, but there were only a couple tracks that stuck out to me, whereas with the other 6 films there were several in each.
This isn’t really a negative, but in the trailers it looks like the movie had a totally different ending. I’d say this was annoying, but it totally took the film in a different direction than I thought and didn’t spoil anything. I was very surprised.
I do pray that the alternative cut is released one day because it looks really good from the trailers.
Conclusion.
I’ve heard many things about this movie, saying it was bad, and just a money grab, etc.
While this movie didn’t HAVE to be made I’m really happy it was. It not only fixed a plot hole, but also made 4-6 better, WHILE also showing a new side of Star Wars and giving us a new line of awesome and memorable characters. I’ve seen Rogue One twice and loved every minute of it. While certain parts of TFA I can’t forgive, I can say that so far Disney has a pretty good run on making Star Wars Movies.
I’m a little nervous on Episode 8, but I’m decently confident that Disney will do well with Star Wars. I’m so happy this movie came out and I’m so happy with how amazing it is.
Below is my overall ranking of the entire Star Wars saga.
ROTJ is my absolute favorite, and I hate to admit it, but Rogue One is a better film by a little bit.
1. Empire Strikes Back 10/10
2. A New Hope 10/10
3. Rogue One 9.25 /10
4. Return of the Jedi 9/10
5. The Force Awakens 8.25/10
6. Revenge of the Sith 5/10
7. The Phantom Menace 2.5/ 10
8. Attack of the Clones 2/10
As stated above, I’m gonna give Rogue One: A Star Wars Story a 9.25 out of 10.
This movie caters to all Star Wars fans, while also offering a fresh story and characters who will make you want to know everything you can about the Rebel Alliance and their fight against the Empire.
I’ve only seen it twice in theatres but I’ll be back at least a couple more times.
heyyouitsdrew 