Rogue One Review (Spoilers)

[ccs]

It just blows my mind a little when I see a commercial on tv which exclaims "Best Star Wars movie ever!" I am struggling to comprehend whether or not I was watching the same movie.

Why? It's just marketing hype. They'll say that about any SW, Transformers, super-hero, etc movie. In fact, any movie....

 

[tomBitonti]

And we also see that she can care about some things - like when she tried to rescue that girl. (Tried because I doubt her mother went off-world with the kid before the Death Star did his job.)

Additional text omitted.

This is an example, to me, of how the story doesn't fit together. There is a very strong dramatic irony here: Jyn saving the girl, but have that undone by the Empire's reprisal, which destroys the entire town. There is a huge opportunity here to leverage the irony to amplify the loss, and to bring out the very real cost of the rebellion's activities. While trying to overthrow the Empire, many many innocent lives are lost as a consequence.

The movie makes no attempt to make use of this, at least, none that I can tell. It does do a good job with the slow motion explosion approaching the rebel base, but that's about it. There could have been a moment with Jyn: "Wait, that girl." Then another rebel, "Yes, and the whole town." Jyn, "But how can you do this? How can we do this? *We* caused this to happen." A rebel: "Millions are dying under the Empire's oppression every day. We must make sacrifices." Jyn: Sits down tearfully as she looks out the window at the dust and the explosion.

Thx!

TomB

 

[MarkB]

Additional text omitted.

This is an example, to me, of how the story doesn't fit together. There is a very strong dramatic irony here: Jyn saving the girl, but have that undone by the Empire's reprisal, which destroys the entire town. There is a huge opportunity here to leverage the irony to amplify the loss, and to bring out the very real cost of the rebellion's activities. While trying to overthrow the Empire, many many innocent lives are lost as a consequence.

The movie makes no attempt to make use of this, at least, none that I can tell. It does do a good job with the slow motion explosion approaching the rebel base, but that's about it. There could have been a moment with Jyn: "Wait, that girl." Then another rebel, "Yes, and the whole town." Jyn, "But how can you do this? How can we do this? *We* caused this to happen." A rebel: "Millions are dying under the Empire's oppression every day. We must make sacrifices." Jyn: Sits down tearfully as she looks out the window at the dust and the explosion.

How did they cause it to happen? The Empire didn't blow up the town to kill Jyn's team, they didn't even know they were there. They did so to destroy Saw Gerrara's group, which had already been denounced by the Alliance as extremists.

And what you want spelled out, I thought the movie conveyed amply. This movie did far more to show the darker, grimmer side of the Rebels, both in their own tactics and in the oppression they faced, than any other Star Wars fiction I've encountered.

 

[tomBitonti]

How did they cause it to happen? The Empire didn't blow up the town to kill Jyn's team, they didn't even know they were there. They did so to destroy Saw Gerrara's group, which had already been denounced by the Alliance as extremists.

And what you want spelled out, I thought the movie conveyed amply. This movie did far more to show the darker, grimmer side of the Rebels, both in their own tactics and in the oppression they faced, than any other Star Wars fiction I've encountered.

What isn't shown is the effect on the characters. We the audience gasp in horror at the deaths. How does it impact the characters? Does Jyn grieve over the death of the little girl that she tried to save? Do the characters internalize blame, deservedly or not? Are any pushed to the edge of a breakdown?

Thx!
TomB

 

[Water Bob]

Saw it again tonight, this time in 3D. I liked it even more the second time around!

 

[wicked cool]

Saw a Facebook post/link where it says Lucas has agreed to Direct the sequel to Rogue One!!!!!!
I'm not kidding
You say that's impossible and absurd

you would be wrong

 

[RedSiegfried]

Saw it last Thursday and I liked it a lot. I liked it better than TFA and I'm looking forward to a 2nd viewing so I can solidify my thoughts on it more. But first impressions were great. I was prepared to be unimpressed but thankfully that didn't happen.

 

[Istbor]

Saw a Facebook post/link where it says Lucas has agreed to Direct the sequel to Rogue One!!!!!!
I'm not kidding
You say that's impossible and absurd

you would be wrong

No, I totally believe you would find something like that on Facebook.

That movie has already been made AND he did direct it. It is called A New Hope.

 

[Morrus]

No, I totally believe you would find something like that on Facebook.

That movie has already been made AND he did direct it. It is called A New Hope.

That's the joke.

 

[Jester David]

Saw. Quite liked it.
Enjoyed it as a first attempt to tell a movie in the Star Wars universe that wasn't the standard tale. The first steps towards different types of Star Wars movie. It was still safe: familiar characters and era, lots of callbacks, lots of action, and the standard space battle. But it's the test. Dipping the toe into the universe.

I liked the war movie aspect. And loved the fate of the characters. How not everyone survived despite the odds, to ensue sequels.

The amount of callbacks and plot hole filling was a bit much. I don't think we needed a reason why the Death Star has a weakness (design flaws happen). Or why Red Squadron had "Red Five" free for Luke. Bumping into Mr. "Death Sentance x12" is the kind of silly Easter Egg that was annoying in the prequels. The standard "this movie is set before!!!!!" moment that just causes eye rolling. It just makes the Star Wars universe, which is supposedly to be vast, seem small.

Now the nerdy compliant. Saw Gerrera was in Clone Wars 20 years before ANH. And he looked like a teenager. 25 at most. So in this movie he must be around 45. Maybe 60. He has aged terribly...

That the idea the plans were to big to easily transmit is a nice plot point, as you do wonder why they're not sent from Leia's ship at the beginning of ANH or the Falcon.

Having seen it yesterday, mere hours after the news of Carrie Fischer, that last seen was a punch to the gut. She looked fine. Tarkin was more off. Too obviously CG. They should have had the camera a little farther back and had fewer close ups. Or had one of the scenes be a hologram (and thus lower Rez) so they could spend more time on the later appearances.