Rogue One Review (Spoilers)

[Istbor]

I enjoyed it.
I liked how it explained the events leading up to A New Hope.
I liked that it killed everyone off
It had good and compelling scenes. The action was not too much in your face or way out there. I thought the dirty little rebel strike in Jedah was well done, and I liked the Finale as well.

There was a CGI character or two, but what are you going to do? I think it was well done, or really as well done as one could expect. I mean, your brain is telling you that he is dead, and she is pretty old now. So of course there is going to be a little bit of a sense of disbelief there.

While I think some things were not needed or could have been cut. Certainly the Two very famous droids.

Honestly, the one of the weirdest things to me, while I was watching it, was the console up at the top of the tower. Who would want to put that there? Then... I calmed down and thought about it for a moment, and realized, "you know what? This is just how things are built in the Star Wars Universe".

I think the overall feels of the movie were great. Would watch it again for certain, and while I was able to watch it for free due to my work, it would be well worth the ticket price.

 

[trappedslider]

Looks like Rogue One hasn't been added to the list of things that have ruined Star Wars.

 

[MarkB]

That's where it made its first appearance, of course. As an extra background vehicle. It wasn't until Return of the Jedi that they decided to give these things their own action scene, and boy did they go all out. When the AT-ST shows up in Empire Strikes Back, it is part of a massive assault on the rebel base on Hoth, and its the AT-AT's that are the main focus, and the main threat.

So what was the focus in Rogue One? They have AT-A(C)T's in Rogue One, and they build a very long action scene around that. But with the AT-ST, they show it in the trailer, thus building up excitement... and then it turns out it's not really used at all. Why drop such an iconic vehicle in the movie, and not use it? The moment that thing shows up in the movie, you'd think that would be a big deal in an urban ground battle. And they certainly draw attention to it. It could turn the whole battle around.... but nope, I guess it's gone now. See, and that is why it bothered me. In an urban battle that thing would be a pretty big deal. In Empire it was but a minor detail among the much larger and more dangerous AT-AT's.

Besides, it wasn't iconic until after Return of the Jedi. They could have had some other new vehicle in the background, and I would not have been bothered by it quite as much. But when you drop such a well known vehicle in your urban action scene, and then not use it at all, it really sticks out.

But I think that's kind-of part of the point the movie was trying to make about the Rebellion. In the original trilogy you're seeing them from the really narrow focus of the main cast, and it's easy to see them as the plucky freedom fighters, and the big walking tanks as these massive unique threats. This movie shows just how desperate and dark the rebellion is, filled with breakaway factions, extremists, and a lot of people who've had to do some very bad things just to keep the resistance alive. And these people face the full might of the Empire every day of their lives - that's why you can just throw in an AT-ST as part of the Imperial policing force, because it's not this big, astonishing thing, it's just another part of the routine oppression that everyone on an Imperial-controlled planet is subjected to.

Honestly, if you should take anything from this, it's that you shouldn't try to construct the whole movie in your head before seeing it based just on the trailers. It feels like what you're really disappointed about is that the actual movie didn't follow your script.

 

[trappedslider]

One thing I've been seeing from other reviewers and I agree with is that the movie reestablishes Vader as a serious threat after the years of disneyfication and marketing overexposure

 

[RangerWickett]

I loved it.

I loved CGI Peter Cushing, because I love original Star Wars and all its flawed special effects. There was KY jelly on the lens to make the speeder float in A New Hope! I'm fine with some uncanny valley if I get to have a sneering Tarkin. Showing the Empire with a bit more detail was satisfying, and oh hell, the weapon test on Jedha was stupendous.

I would have cut out the tentacle monster mindreading scene, because it accomplished nothing, and I felt like the Saw Gerrera storyline didn't quite have enough oomph. I suspect there was more flashback in early versions.

The action scenes were wonderful. Loved every one of them. I'm quite happy that the trailers did not show that we were going to have an space fleet battle. Like, I was enjoying the 'desperate mission' of the ending, but then we ramped it up to epic stakes. And I'm a sucker for starfighters. That's why I love Return of the Jedi most:

[video=youtube;94rlYxLd1Qg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_620998213&feature=iv&src_vid=xPZigWFyK2o&v=94rlYxLd1Qg[/video]

My favorite new bit of world-building -- the Death Star relied on khyber crystals to power the super laser. So I can imagine it's actually just one immense light-saber.

Now, I didn't need to see the "death sentence in twelve systems" guys, nor R2 and 3P0, but otherwise the fan service was fine. Oh, but they should have changed Vader's neck. It looked too wide. And, honestly, I kinda would have preferred a bit deeper and menacing voice from Vader for the "choke" joke. Then again, Vader was always a little sassy.

 

[Imaculata]

Honestly, if you should take anything from this, it's that you shouldn't try to construct the whole movie in your head before seeing it based just on the trailers. It feels like what you're really disappointed about is that the actual movie didn't follow your script.

No, the problem is that the movie was EXACTLY what I expected from start to finish. There were NO surprises.

My favorite new bit of world-building -- the Death Star relied on khyber crystals to power the super laser. So I can imagine it's actually just one immense light-saber.

That' so stupid. The bloody thing already has a giant reactor! Why would it run on khyber crystals?!

 

[MarkB]

That' so stupid. The bloody thing already has a giant reactor! Why would it run on khyber crystals?!

I would assume that they're used to focus the laser, just as they focus the beam of a light saber.

Seriously, at this point you're just picking fights with the movie for the sake of it.

 

[trappedslider]

I would assume that they're used to focus the laser, just as they focus the beam of a light saber.

Seriously, at this point you're just picking fights with the movie for the sake of it.

you sir appear to be correct from Wookiepedia :

Galen Erso theorized that larger crystals needed to be faceted, not only to eliminate occlusions and vacancies, but also to minimize diffraction resulting from the introduction of energy from a lasing medium. With proper faceting, the pulse of energy released by the crystal could be greatly amplified and, with the help of containment devices, provide cheap and inexpensive power for developing worlds, or be directed into a collimating beam of incredible power; as was used on the DS-1 battle station.

and

The most prominent weapon emplacement on the Death Star was its superlaser—a weapon powered by a hypermatter reactor and focused through giant kyber crystals

 

[Waller]

No, the problem is that the movie was EXACTLY what I expected from start to finish. There were NO surprises.

That' so stupid. The bloody thing already has a giant reactor! Why would it run on khyber crystals?!

You're stretching now. Man, when you're criticising the imaginary physics of fictional technology you may be in danger of entering the Corpsetaker zone.

 

[cmad1977]

I enjoyed it immensely, the CGI used for Tarkin and Leia didn't pull me out at all.

I do find it funny, that some fans are like the following;

Fans: "We want more Star Wars!"

Studio :"Okay,here"

Fans: "This isn't want we want!"

Studio: -_-

It's a lot like D&D that way.


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