Rogue One Review

Part 1: World, Building

This is my first time seeing this movie since its initial home release, and having become more acquainted with Gareth Edwards’ style, this movie really is shot like a Gareth Edwards movie. It’s beautiful! I’ve always liked the look of the prologue. The dialogue in this scene is so effective at conveying the underlying story without needing lengthy exposition. It’s both very Star Wars and not very Star Wars. The brief dialogue makes a few things quite clear: Galen used to work for the Empire. Galen is very intelligent. Krennic is cruel, cunning, and devoted to the Empire’s goals. It’s a brief, yet densely effective setup.

Less than 10 minutes in and I’m very impressed by the visuals and worldbuilding of this movie. I believe Gareth Edwards was the right man for the job here, because he really excels in those areas. We’ve gotten to see FIVE different worlds in less than 15 minutes, showing different cultures and economic situations. This is the texture of worldbuilding Star Wars needs to do more with. Slummy cities, labor camps, farmlands, wastelands, decrepit stormtrooper armor, dirt and filth on poorly maintained and regulated locations. This movie is so dense and efficient, I’m kind of loving it so far!

The temptation to label Cassian Andor as a Han Solo-type character is tangible, but I think he feels quite a bit different pretty quickly. Cassian is more ruthless, focused, disciplined, and sharp, whereas Han is blunt, reckless, fun, and spontaneous. Cassian’s interrogation of Jyn also supports this assessment, painting him as an experienced and educated rebellion agent.

Seeing Genevieve O’Reilly as this version of Mon Mothma is quite bizarre. She looks so much more put together and beautiful in the Andor series. It makes me consider what has happened changed in both the actress and character in between the two projects. She’s perfectly cast as Mon though! She’s truly a remarkable and underrated actress.

Jimmy Smits’ return as Bail Organa is not needed and doesn’t really serve any plot relevant purpose, but I can’t help but admit it’s nice to see him. Alan Tudyk puts in such a great performance as K-2SO as well. It’s crazy how much of this review is just me talking about the casting, but like… wow! The casting in this movie is actually so good!!

I don’t really agree with Cassian’s decision to let Jyn keep the blaster. Is it in-line with his character? Maybe. Is it dumb and probably a plot convenience? Yes! Man, this movie is just beautiful. It is shameful that we did not have cinematography anywhere near this level in the sequel trilogy. I didn’t realize how much you can see little glimpses of these sort of shots in Andor.

CGI Tarkin kinda creepy but ehh. He’s still uncanny and seems like a creature in some aspects, which I guess adds to the uneasy nature of Tarkin. Krennic’s outfit is such a Nazi parallel, but I feel like it’s done well! I think this scene shows the Imperial hierarchical dynamic really well. It’s a very harsh and cutthroat environment, focusing heavily on achievement and work results. Once again, worldbuilding W.

I have never liked the character of Saw Gerrara, and I think this rewatch will not change that fact! I find him stubborn, annoying, and borderline nonsensical. He’s an extremist, an impractical idealist, and frustratingly refuses to ally with the rebel alliance. Also, I hate the trope of “crying kid in the middle of danger” and this movie commits the sin of including it. It gives Jyn an opportunity to show herself as someone willing to danger her own life to save a child (heroic), but I dunno, there must be better ways of doing this.

I’m really not sure how to feel about Kyber crystals being the “fuel” for the Death Star’s weapon. At best, it’s poetically grim, or at worst it’s contrived member berries. Regardless, I don’t like them being used as a commodity, as I feel that it contradicts the lore implications of them being effectively reserved for Jedi usage. Maybe I need some time to think on it!

The idea of stormtroopers being easily beaten with melee weapons and attacks really bugs me. I know their armor is a joke when it comes to blasters, but it is really illogical for it to provide zero protection against physical attacks. The concept of a non-affiliated Force-sensitive is really cool! I think it’s done well here, overall, but my distaste for beating stormtroopers physically dampens the effect. Even so, I find myself more willing to forgive this movie because of the good execution of its spectacle, the intriguing setting, and expansion of the lore.

Part 2: Razed Reunion

It’s hard to judge this movie independent of the events and characterization found in Andor, particularly of Cassian himself. It causes me to find him to be much more intriguing and likeable than I suspect I would have otherwise found him to be.

In the beginning of the movie, I wanted to say that Mads Mikkelsen is wasted in this movie, and I still hold that to be true to a large extent. However, I think that his parts are performed well, in spite of the movie leaving me with much to be desired around his character. I must say, I do like the retcon of his character designing a weak point in the Death Star to be utilized by the rebels. His character illustrates a tragedy of this world, which I find to be really quite beautiful. The writers really landed on something solid with this.

It needs to be pointed out that the fact that none of the Rebel attack squadron shot the Imperial Shuttle that Krennic flew in on is nothing short of absurd. This big ship with giant wings taking up half the platform remained entirely unscathed despite over a dozen ships coming in to carpet bomb the base. That’s just plain stupid convenience. Literal plot armor on the ship.

“We don’t all have the luxury of deciding when and where we want to care about something.”

Cassian’s dialogue with Jyn really speaks volumes about the deep cuts made by not only living in this world, but also by caring about something and having it taken from you. Understanding more of his backstory and motivations adds some well-earned weight to this scene. When Andor was announced, I (like many) found it to be a redundant and unwanted idea. The show proved me wrong, and I can already see the payoffs from Season 1 in this scene. It makes total sense that Tony Gilroy (scriptwriter for Rogue One and showrunner of Andor) would want to explore Cassian’s history and the lore behind the rebellion at this juncture.

Part 3: Fortunate Sons

A common complaint about this movie is that it’s hard to get invested in the characters because you already know how the movie will end, because you know how it has to end. In spite of that, I find myself really enjoying the characters and feeling the tension of their actions, not because I think they might fail, but because they think they likely will fail. The tension is real to them, and it’s expressed quite adequately by the portrayals.

Jyn’s speech to rally the troops before the mission feels like such a somber monologue, in part because they feel so far at the end of their rope, but also because as I said earlier, you know how their story must end.

This movie is incredibly interconnected through minor references. The fan service can be excessive at times, but it certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome in my eyes. I think most of it makes enough sense. I won’t bore you with a list of references, but I think it’s hard to get far in the movie without callbacks to other media in the SW universe. It’s a great movie for SW nerds, with enough for normies to enjoy too. It’s hard to keep myself from singing its praises as I go along. So many things that I see in this movie have added depth when realized as part of a larger narrative. To me, this is what installments to a series (especially in between movies) should be like.

The big CGI dogfights make me really wish we could have seen a war between the rebels and empire but with the power roles reverse. When I saw the TIE fighters flying out of the hangars by the dozen, it made me wonder what a fight where the imperial troops raided a rebel base would have looked like, with the rebels holding the power. It really makes me disappointed in the sequels that we got because there are so many more interesting ideas that could have been explored, rather than the ones the sequels chose to stumble through.

K-2SO’s last stand is still a very tragic and heroic end to one of my favorite SW characters. The endings of these characters’ lives is even more tear-jerking than I remember them to be. Man, these characters really did deserve better than this.

I really like this movie. 8/10. Thanks for not reading.