I will start this by saying I’m still on a bit of Star Wars high right now. Not a blind love or lust, but I’m on a nice cloud nine over what I saw over twenty-four hours ago. We live in a time when everything is supposed to over analyzed and flaws should be found (and rewarded), this is not that. If you are expecting a contrarian thought piece, I will disappoint. And yes, spoilers are abound, you are warned.
With that being said…. HOLY SMOKES THIS MOVIE IS DOPE!!!!
My son and I went into the theater expecting a good movie. A great movie would have been nice. What I got was a experience, a flashback to good times with old friends, something I wanted since 1983, and more fan service than you can fit in a tauntaun..
First, this is a great film. Is it “perfect?” No. Nothing is “perfect.” I can find “flaws” in the film easy. However the overall product is stellar and frankly should be the benchmark. Yes, it was that good. You have a single story that wraps up when it’s done and starts the saga we know and love. The opening sequence, you think it’s going to be the standard Star Wars opening (most media outlets spoiled there would be no scrolling banner) and we start with a very intense scene. The introduction sets the pace and tone of the film perfectly.
Not that it is a total dark film without any sort of light or humor. K-2SO (my son’s favorite character) steals EVERY SCENE he is in. It’s not that forced “droid humor” we sometimes get with C-3PO, R2-D2, or even BB-8. Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus (played by Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang) also add to the lightness to the film. Their banter and back & forth is natural and offsets the darkness set around the makeshift band of adventures. Chirrut is also the only Force Sensitive person in the film. Not a Jedi but a warrior-monk who a attuned to the Force, Chirrut spouts wisdom and also as a sneaky streak of humor. Baze, a very capable, heavily armed solider, plays off him very well, their chemistry is very easy to see & feel. Only if we could have had more time to get to know them and their past together.
These characters and their moments weave a bit of light in an overall dark movie. This is the era of Star Wars where the Empire has had twenty or so years of putting their boot on the Galaxy’s throat. At this point the Galactic Senate is nearly powerless, Emperor Palpatine rules with fear, and the Rebellion is at a point where have a power but no focus. There have been a quiet war brewing for years and now the Empire has had enough. Their ultimate weapon, the “Death Star” is near completion. It has the power to destroy planets and the Rebels have no idea what to do and how they should go about attacking it.
Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) are among my favorite Star Wars duos. Jyn is MORE than capable of handling herself and does not need a scoundrel or Jedi to save her. Not to dismiss past heroines in the Star Wars Universe, Jyn is for play. It was refreshing to have a heroine not tied to some guy for emotional or sexual support. Along with Rey, the gatekeepers at Disney/Lucasarts are making a great effort to have strong women that don’t go into the normal tropes. Cassian, yet another character that I REALLY would know more of, is a straight cut military intelligence officer. Fighting the Empire since he was a young lad, he has seen his fair share of combat and conflict. Early in the film we see how far Cassian will go for the mission. Again we have a character that doesn’t fall into the stereotype. This time it’s the “I’m the hero guy who is going for the girl.” These two play off each other well because they are two strong willed individuals and yet see there is something bigger than the worlds they know at stake.
Rogue One, in the greatest compliment I can give it, feels like a tabletop role playing game. I’m a veteran of the West End Games Star Wars set. For my money, it’s one the best games to play. The system (only using six sided dice, D6) was easy to pick up, very hard to “power god” through (make overpowered characters/weapons/equipment), and was balanced. I’ve witnessed high level characters get dropped with a bad role and a would-be Jedi reflect back an AT-AT’s blast back it and destroying it. A group of friend ran a near three year long campaign going from Return of the Jedi thru the Thrawn Trilogy, Dark Empire, and beyond. This movie felt like an amazingly ran campaign. From how the characters united, the interactions, the combat, and even the end. What made the West End line so amazing was the WEALTH of books and backstory the writers put into the lore of Star Wars. Some of which I can see, if not directly, in Rogue One. You could buy a sourcebook and read it like a storybook or to learn more about Star Wars. If I can wish for anything in the world, it would be either a return of the West End Games or at least a release of the old books for us who loved them (I sold the majority of my books in college, one of the saddest days ever…).
The final thing I want to touch on is Director Orson Krennic (played by Ben Mendelsohn). He is perhaps the most polarizing part of the film for many people. Many see him as a weak villain and is a poor-man’s Vader or Tarkin. I believe people are missing one of the biggest points behind Krennic’s character in this film. I see him as a person who is a cog in the great machine that is the Empire. However Krennic would have you believe he is irreplaceable and his sense of worth is higher than what Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader feel it is. In fact, both me let him know in their own ways exactly what they think of him, his worth, and his behavior. By the time the third act of the film starts, I feel a bit sorry for him. He’s still an Imperial scumbag, however here is a guy who put a lot of trust and work in a power that does not share the same love for him. By the time he lands Scarif, Krennic looks worn down and tired. This is a far cry from the slick dressed, always in command, would-be galaxy badass every trailer and promo photo shows. This made him a better villain since he wasn’t the classic world/galaxy destroyer of the weak. All the man wanted was his props….
I’ll come back to talk about a few more things I got from this film. Perhaps I will have seen the film again. May the Force be with You. I am One with the Force, and the Force is with Me.