“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” was the first Star Wars spin-off film to be announced from Disney films. The film is essentially an adaptation of the opening crawl from the first movie way back in 1977. I didn’t know what to expect from this movie but I was feeling positive after “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”. This film ended up turning out to be rather divisive among fans of the Star Wars saga. Some fans hail it as one of the best Star Wars films ever while others view it as a misstep from Disney.
The film is set right before the events depicted in the original Star Wars film (A New Hope) and revolves around the mission to steal the Death Star plans. This movie allows the Star Wars franchise to fill in some plot holes like why it took the first Death Star so long to be built while the second Death Star could be built relatively quickly. It is an interesting idea and exploring a time without the Jedi order is a fresh concept.
The film was directed by Gareth Edwards fresh off of Warner Bros. "Godzilla" reboot. The film was plagued with production issues and much of the movie ended up being reshot. Tony Gilroy reportedly took over directing duties from Edwards after Lucasfilms was said to be unhappy with some of his work (although Edwards remained the only credited director). The trailer for the film features many alternative scenes later re-filmed by Gilroy.
The cast is made up of Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Mads Mikkelsen, and Forest Whitaker. They all do a fine job but the clear standout is actually Alan Tudyk as K-2SO. How Tudyk hasn't become a bigger star is beyond me. Cameos by Jimmy Smits and Anthony Daniels also helps it feel connected to the prequel and original trilogies.
I couldn't talk about Rogue One without bringing up the computer animation they used to varying success. Grand Moff Tarkin reappears in the film with Guy Henry taking over the role. However, the late Peter Cushing's face was digitally inserted onto Henry's face to make it seem like Peter Cushing was still alive and reprising his role. The Tarkin scenes worked well when played in the shadows but when he was in clearer view, it was distracting. Same goes for the cameo by Princess Leia. Ingvid Deila provided the physical stand in while Carrie Fisher's face was superimposed onto her body. This scene in particular has a bit of an uncanny valley feel. James Earl Jones also once again provides the voice of Darth Vader though his voice seems off in this film. Darth Vader's scene at the end is definitely the highlight of the movie though.
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" feels like it was missing something. It was a solid science fiction story but nothing really stood out besides the Vader scene. As bad as they could be at times, even the prequels had some epic scenes. This film just personally feels lacking and I can't help but side with those who feel like it was a misstep for Disney (although not a huge one either).
Grade: C+
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