This is something I never thought I'd say, I don't really want to review this film yet, not until I've got it on Blu Ray and watched it about four more times, just to make sure I've got as much detail as I can, like I did with my reviews for Monsters and Godzilla. But this is, at the same time, a film that's just come out in cinemas, and that I've seen, twice now, and will probably put on my top 10 list for the year, so I think I probably should get a review done, and then do a redux of sorts in a few months, when the Blu Ray is out, until then though, probably my most anticipated film of the year; Rogue One, let's go.
Rogue One opens with a fittingly depressing and bleak introduction, as we see in pretty clear cut terms how shitty the Empire is, and the troubled past Jyn and her father have with the Empire, it also introduces us to the film's really cool villain, who I'll get to later. But first, the team, who are they and how are they; Jyn Erso is our main hero, and she's proof that I have a thing for Star Wars chicks, if you want something less silly however, she's a pretty cool hero. The story the film presents of her and her father and the ties they both have to Krennic and to the Empire is a really interesting one, and Jyn's rebellious character is a fun one to watch, and when it's necessary, she brings the feels, in fact most of the crew does, especially when the ending you know is coming comes, I'll be honest, there are a few times this film really hit me, and that's a great thing for a film to do. Back to characters, Jyn is easily the most developed of the team, with the rest of the team being there to serve their purpose, with not much in the way of development. For example, Chirrut, probably my favourite character in the film besides Krennic and Jyn, is someone with a clear and very strong sense of the Force, while he isn't a Jedi, he has a very strong belief in it, and prays multiple times in the film. But outside of being some sort of Force monk who's also a badass with a stick, there's not really all that much there, he's literally just a badass stick wielding Force monk. He has a close friendship with Baze, who's a badass mercenary, again though with little in the way of development. Bodhi was an interesting character from the angle of him being a defector, but that element of his character is never really explored, which appears to me like a missed opportunity more than anything else, though occasionally his motivations for betraying the Empire are hinted at, he's no Finn in terms of development. Which really just leaves Cassian Andor, who has a great introduction early on in the film ,and then does literally nothing of interest for the entire film, genuinely, I found Cassian boring, there wasn't much character there aside from perhaps a subtle inference at the less clean look at the rebels this film goes for. While I found him boring at first, I have a strong feeling that when I re-watch this film I'll get a new appreciation for Cassian, and hopefully for the rest of the team, in a similar way to how I found new appreciation for Ford in Godzilla upon repeat viewings, but on that only time will tell. Rogue One's resident droid, since every Star Wars film needs to have one it seems, is K2SO, who's awesome; he's easily the funniest character in the film, regularly coming out with examples of good comedic writing with a level of snark I can't get enough of. And then there's Krennic, the film's main villain, who I personally really liked, I thought he was a really enjoyable villain, from when he makes his brilliant intro, right up until his strikingly poetic outro, something about Krennic just ticked a box for me, and I like him, not as much as Kylo Ren, but I still like him.
Rogue One's a very pretty movie, as you'd expect me to say about a Gareth Edwards film. Very much like Godzilla, Edwards is brilliant at showing scale and perspective, I immediately want to mention a shot in the film's final act, I won't say what it's of, but I hope you'll know it when you see it, it's a gorgeous shot. The Death Star in this film it something with a presence, when it's on the scene, Edwards does a brilliant job of displaying the size and power of the Death Star, and literally gives us a new angle to look at it from, which, for me personally, takes it from a deadly space laser, to a real and frightening weapon of mass destruction, much in the same way that (I really need to stop bringing up Godzilla don't I) Edwards portrayed the destructive power of the monsters in Godzilla. Edwards' usual on the ground directing style is noticeable from literally the first 30 seconds of the film, which is not only very nice to look at, but puts a new angle on the Star Wars films; I expected this film to look less like a Sci fi film and more like a war film, and it does, the beach battle in the film's final act is intense and violent, and the air and space combat during the final act is fast and messy, it's weird to say this, but the battles in this film reminded me a lot of games like Battlefield in terms of the feel, it's really cool. Edwards also knows how to make Darth Vader freaky as shit, his introduction has a gorgeous use of light and shadow, and Vader's final scene in the film is positively frightening, and really reminds you why everyone in the original trilogy was shit scared of him. Meanwhile things like ATATs get the proper Godzilla treatment, stomping through the tropical beaches of the final act, making the fleshy little rebels look like mice under their elephant feet. Rogue One is also very good looking from a visual effects standpoint, taking notes from JJ Abrams, Edwards uses a good amount of practical effects and props in the film, while stuff like the space battle and the scenes of Death Star-mageddon are obviously CG, and they look amazing, the CG in this film is seriously high end, and while the CG does look a bit weird on a certain thing that they did with CG, I'd actually give it a pass since what it is that they were animating is very hard to animate, stuff that's easier to animate like Star Destroyers and X-Wings look stunning, and I still don't know if K2SO was entirely CG or not, he must have been, but it just looks too good. Something that's sadly less awe inspiring is the soundtrack, which I hear was composed in four weeks, and while it works completely fine in the film, and really heats up when the film brings the feels, like a good film score should do, it's not as memorable as John Williams, or even Alexandre Desplat, bet you'll never guess what movie score he composed. I do have one final issue with the film, and this may be subjective, but I was fairly sure when I first saw it, and one of people I went to see it with seemed to react to it quite negatively, so the second time I saw it, I timed it, the film ends exactly 31 seconds after I personally think it should have, if those last 31 one seconds of the films were cut, I think the ending would have worked a lot better, bringing the story round to its natural and naturally tragic conclusion while not going Hobbit trilogy on the original Star Wars, which it does.
I do have issues with the characters of the film, who, while very likable and badass, do suffer from a lack of proper set up, ultimately though I still like them, particularly Jyn, Krennic, K2, and Chirrut and his badass stick, and at the risk of spoiling part of the film, I adore this film's decision to go a bit Magnificent Seven in its final act. Like Monsters and Godzilla before it, Edwards proves he is smart behind the camera and the effects are used to the best of their potential, even if some of it falls into the uncanny valley. The soundtrack doesn't stick with you like a John Williams score does, but it's good, and film's final act is amazing, and ends in a way that, minus the last 31 seconds of the film, I thought was genuinely beautiful. I'll admit to being biased in my Godzilla review, and I suppose it's obvious here, but I love Rogue One, like Godzilla, I have my problems with it, but this film completely wins me over with it's cool characters, badass action, and a fun space adventure with all the standard emotional highs and lows, top it all off with a beautiful conclusion, and it's a film I want to watch again, and again, and again, definitely a must watch.
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