While it’s unfortunate that Star Wars is headed down the Marvel road and becoming another pointless cinematic universe, I was still excited for Rogue One. Why? Sure, I love Star Wars, but I mainly like how Rogue One is a standalone story. Despite how we all knew the story of Rogue One, I was sure it would find new ways to excite and surprise us.
The Galactic Empire is constructing the Death Star and a bunch of rebels set out to steal its blueprints so that they can destroy it. Come on. Like you didn’t already know what this film is about.
And that’s the biggest problem with Rogue One. You know the story, and it does nothing to surprise us. You can argue that we know the plot of every blockbuster before we see it, but Rogue One takes the piss. From the moment the climactic action sequence begins, any moron will know exactly how it’s going to end.
That is save for one thing, and I can’t say what it is without spoiling it. But early on there’s a little revelation that addresses something of an issue with the original trilogy, and actually repairs it in a respectful way. Other than that, nothing at all will take you off guard from start to finish.
Anyway, enough about the story, what about all these new characters? Well, the main character is alright and I think Felicity Jones does the best she can. Really though, there’s very little to her, and her arc is poorly explored. One moment she doesn’t give a shit about the conflict, next scene she’s guns blazing as a rebel fighter. This is especially disappointing, because 2016 is the perfect time to explore the necessity for political engagement and fighting for a cause. It seems like it’s going to but chickens out, since Hollywood daren’t become too interesting.
Even worse are the secondary characters. They were going for a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe with the ragtag gang of soldiers. You’ve got the heavy gunner, the pro pilot, the magical monk – a full RPG line-up. And we don’t really learn anything about them or their motivations. Seriously, the main reason they join the mission is because they happen to be there.
One exception is the new droid, K-2SO. He’s blunt and witty, and a welcome humorous presence in the story. That said, it’s a shame that it follows Interstellar and, to some extent, The Force Awakens, by making a machine a better character than many of the humans.
Even the antagonist is pretty weak, and Ben Mendelsohn gives a melodramatic performance that isn’t in tune with the film’s grittier tone. But he’s not the real villain, because we know Vader is in it! Yeah, for about two minutes. Remember how they slapped the Joker all over Suicide Squad to get you excited? Yep. And that’s not even the worst part.
This is an extremely minor spoiler, but I have to talk about it. Tarkin makes an appearance in Rogue One. Fans will know that Peter Cushing, who originally portrayed Tarkin, passed away over two decades ago. When we first see him, his back is to the camera and we see his faint reflection in a window. I thought, “wow, what a respectful way to have him cameo in…” and then he turns around. CGI face. And he gets far, far too much screen time, scene after scene.
Remember young Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy? It’s just as bad.
He looks like a Grand Theft Auto V character, and it was so distracting that I missed most of what happened in his first scene. It looks so terrible that I even started to become physically embarrassed for the film while watching it – I felt myself blushing and sweating at how godawful and disrespectful a decision it was. How they released it looking so bad is beyond me.
Not all the CGI is bad, though. The action scenes are a terrific example of what CGI can accomplish in the right hands. In fact, most of the action is well-shot, with a focus on the characters as well as the spectacle. It is a bit grittier too which I enjoyed, and overall Rogue One marks pleasant aesthetic departure (no wipes!) from the rest of the Star Wars franchise. That’s once we actually reach the action. Once we’re there, the film surges forward through entertaining scenes until an awesome finale. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to get there.
Now, I don’t mind a slow-burner, but only when something interesting is happening and the characters are good. Rogue One has neither, choosing to sacrifice valuable time that could be spent building character in favour of hopping from planet to moon to planet in a muddled and often incoherent first act that weighs the whole film down. From there, it’s a handful of great scenes but not a great film.
So, I’m sad to say that in the end, Rogue One is a disappointment. As an entry in the Star Wars franchise it’s totally unnecessary as we barely learn anything new about the characters, lore, or story. And I know, I know, The Force Awakens hardly broke new ground, but at least it trod on old ground well, and was great fun with memorable characters. Rogue One isn’t.
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