Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

In honor of the release of episode two of The Mandalorian, and the new game Jedi: Fallen Order today, I thought I would review a Star Wars movie. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Star Wars fan. However, people are often surprised to learn that I don't particularly like Rogue One. Now, let me preface this entire review by explaining what I mean when I say I don't like it. I DON'T mean that I wish it hadn't been made. Nor do I wish the story had been any differently than it is. I have too much respect for the Star Wars canon to suggest that any events occurring therein should be altered. What I mean when I say I don't like it is that I do not think Rogue One is a story that needed to be told on the big screen. The story of the retrieval of the Death Star plans I think is an important one, but I think the story would have been better suited to a novel, a video game, or an animated movie; perhaps tying it to Star Wars: Rebels.

My main issue with Rogue One is the unremarkable characters. On the one hand, it is interesting to see the no-name rebels out fighting in the trenches, but the fast pace of the movie made it nearly impossible to form any sort of connection or bond to the characters. It took me a Star Wars lore fanatic multiple viewings to even learn the main characters' names. When they all died at the end of the movie, I felt nothing. Maybe if I knew more about the characters this would be different, but they are simply underwhelming and uninteresting. Their only redeeming quality is their heroism, but even that is a mere footnote in A New Hope.

We first meet Cassian Andor in a dark alley where he quickly kills the informant who was risking his own life to help the rebellion. That's not very cool Cassian. I get that war is full of nasty bits and perhaps even grey areas, but with the duality of the light and dark in Star Wars, I want my good guys planted securely in the light. The rebels shouldn't be killing other good guys. He doesn't hesitate to kill there, but when it comes to killing the imperial target he's assigned, he hesitates until it's too late.

Galen Erso is a great character. I think it's awesome to see how he was able to infiltrate the Empire and design its downfall from within. I wish more had been seen of his movements behind enemy lines, and less of his daughter Jyn who was much less compelling.

Chirrut and Baze seem pretty neat, but who are they? No time is given to developing them. They have some relation to the Jedi, but aren't themselves Jedi. Chirrut is able to take down a brigade of storm troopers with his impressive, force augmented, martial arts. Yet, one has to ask why storm troopers bother wearing helmets and armor if they can't withstand blows from a stick? Baze is a one man army with his heavy artillery, but how is he allowed to carry all of that heat in imperial occupied Jedha City? In a movie whose entire purpose is to answer questions and fill in plot holes, these two simply create more questions.

I loved K2SO. His comedy is perfect. My favorite line is his nod at the Star Wars tradition of placing "I have a bad feeling about this" in every film. Having Cassian cut this line off was a perfect way to tie it to the main series, while keeping it separate as an anthology.

Without a doubt, the best scene of the movie comes at the very end, when Darth Vader cuts his way through a hallway filled with rebels. It is truly terrifying. In stark contrast, the main baddie, Director Krennic, was weak. He just was not as imposing compared to other imperial officers like Grand Moff Tarkin, and certainly Grand Admiral Thrawn. Krennic was amateur hour. Both Darth Vader and Tarkin made him look like a wimp in different parts of the film.

Missing the signature stylings of the master, John Williams, the music was just alright. It had elements that felt "Star Warsish" but it just can't compare to the magic written by Williams. Likewise, I feel the cinematography was underwhelming compared to The Force Awakens, which looks like a movie poster no matter where you press pause.

Truthfully, I do like a lot of things about Rogue One. I'm glad the story was told. I just have to reiterate, I don't think the characters were, overall, compelling enough for a movie on the big screen. For the most part, they felt like throwaway characters. By virtue of being Star Wars, I do love the movie because it fills out the universe more. It's not even really fair to say I don't like the movie, because I do. Rather, I think it would be better for me to say it's just my least favorite of the Star Wars movies. That's just my opinion though! Let me know what you think of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Brandon's Score: 7.5