Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Movie Review

Released: 15th December 2016 (UK)

Length: 133 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen and Forrest Whitaker

As the first spin-off entry in the Star Wars Universe, Rogue One can be described as a war film set in the popular sci-fi fable. Out to carve its own slot in the story, the film continues the engagement launched by its bigger cinematic brother last year.

Rogue One: A Star Wars story tells the tale of how the infamous death star plans were stolen by the rebellion. It takes place from the perspective of Jin Erso (Felicity Jones), daughter of Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) one of the strongest minds behind the Empire’s super-weapon. After being broken loose from an Imperial prison, Jin and a motley crew of daring soldiers embark on a dangerous mission to uncover her father’s whereabouts. The film maintains a tried and true planet-hopping formula, alternating between action and character drama but also mixes in a sense of militarism. In any war, the battle lines are ever changing and Rogue One is the first Star Wars film to delve deeper into the rebellion’s morals, pulling them away from the heroic, all-good persona they had before; this opens the plot to a few more twists and turns as it rushes along. Another thing the story does extremely well is continuity; several key ties to episodes three and four alongside resolutions to specific plot points come to fruition in Rogue One; the legendary Darth Vader (Again voiced by James Earl Jones) also makes a brief comeback but his moments feel incredibly sinister, making the black-suited Sith lord a destructive force once again. Rogue One sees fit to keep its action moving, concentrating on the team at its centre and this was the right direction to take.

The characters in Rogue One stand at a lesser position to their main episodic counterparts but there are still several key highlights. Felicity Jones really does carry much of the narrative; through most of the film, she is portrayed as very hardened, mostly out for her own ends but the bond with her equally well written father causes a more emotive side to creep in and this in turn fuels a change in her mindset. A sizeable cast does have its drawbacks however; aside from the simple yet wildly witty droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), many of the side characters go by underdeveloped; Rebel Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) motives are questionable but that’s where the depth ends and Riz Ahmed’s defection from the empire is never really brought up once the action heats up. The team’s chemistry, especially towards the film’s end, works extremely well but we don’t learn very much about their backstories which would have made things that much more interesting.  Of all the characters, it’s Forrest Whitaker’s battle-weary Saw Gerrera who ends up the most underused, a shame considering the meticulous costume work and his past in the Clone Wars which could have been expanded upon further. Taking on the mantel of main antagonist once again, the Empire is personified by Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), a man whose ambitions and position come before his own men; another simple yet effective character.

The darker tone that hangs over Rogue One is personified in many ways; the overall colour aesthetic is far more saturated, a look matched by the planets visited across the plot. A rain-soaked Empire facility hidden within a cliff range is especially atmospheric and it imbues Rogue One with a dose of grit that hasn’t been seen in Star Wars since 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Some digital imagery is used to recreate characters from the original trilogy with convincing results but for the most part, it’s used to give off a massive sense of scale. The film’s place in the war genre gives way to some highly intense action sequences which all have a shifting variety to them. Donnie Yen’s force-fuelled martial arts are well choreographed but it’s the last act that really cements the film as a worthy addition to the franchise. The final battle of Rogue One is incredible, with a humongous battle taking place on the beaches of a washed-up planet and the capital ships orbiting above it; as the two forces clash, the camerawork provides a stunning view of the action, while deftly cutting back and forth between its two halves without a moment to breath. The music also lends a powerful impact to the action, the sense of wonder rightfully relegated for a more serious affair.

Simultaneously a great spin-off, great war film and great contribution to the Star Wars canon, Rogue One strikes out in a different direction, providing a steady foundation to bridge the gap between the original and prequel trilogies. Not every member of the cast is memorable but it nevertheless succeeds at meeting expectations.

Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)