Rogue
One is the second Star Wars film made under the ever-growing movie monopoly
known as the Walt Disney Company.
There’s several comparisons to be made regarding this film and The Force Awakens: both having a female
lead, an avoidance on heavy-bearing romance (two modern Disney themes also shared
by the company’s latest animated features), and being an overall solid, yet
flawed addition to the Star Wars universe.
Conversely, there are numerous differences
between the two films: with Rogue One
succeeding in areas Force Awakens
fell flat, and Force Awakens’ stronger
points being some of Rogue One’s
weakest. When examining both overall,
however, Rogue One ends up winning as
the superior Disney-Star Wars film, if only by a slight margin.
Where The Force Awakens is nostalgia done monotonously, Rogue One is nostalgia done exhilarating(ly). The story isn’t a repeat of previous Star
Wars plots, but instead a fresh new tale placed naturally well within the universe’s
lore. Rogue One, in fact, improves upon the original trilogy: fixing a literal plot hole—that has pestered Star
Wars for decades—in an entirely satisfying manner. Familiar faces make cameo appearances
throughout—from C3PO and R2D2, to those “wanted men” who bother Luke in the
Cantina bar—with little disruption to the plot’s flow. The few old faces who have more significant
roles here are characters who would actually play a noticeable part in the current
story, such as Rebel Alliance founding member Bail Organa, and Imperial Grand
Moff Tarkin.
Tarkin is an interesting example as
his actor (Peter Crushing) has been dead for over two decades—yet rather than
be replaced with a similar looking actor, Crushing has been digitally added
(with his family’s consent) using a CGI body mask over a body double for motion
capture and voice work. Such concept
(also utilized for a final shot of Princess Leia; rest in peace Carrie Fisher)
has been controversial to say the least, yet impressed me enough where I can
overlook the small moments of uncanny valley and marvel at such impressive
digital display. Rogue One additionally bumps up the Empire’s intimidation factor
(having last been taken down a few pegs thanks to the Ewoks): having imposing low-angle
shots of AT-ATs advancing on rebel soldiers, a massive TIE fighter counterattack—giving
the impression of a swarm of bees defending their hive—and a downright terrifying assault by Darth Vader
himself.
Unfortunately, where Rogue One succeeds in world building and
effective nostalgia, it falls flat with its main cast. One of The
Force Awakens’ strengths is its charming new characters, particularly its
protagonist Rey and rebel Stormtrooper Finn, who succeeded at being entertaining
and enjoyable leads without the veteran cast’s assistance. Here it’s quite the reverse: the new
characters in Rogue One are bland, lackluster
people with vague motivations, especially its main heroine Jyn (Felicity
Jones), whose personality jarringly goes from self-preserving loner to
inspirational rebel fighter with little to no development. The most engaging new character is the
reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), and that’s due to him
possessing what the others lack: witty humor and a personality that grows more endearing
as the story progresses. The newcomers
practically require the appearances of old faces to help keep the film’s engagement
level consistently up and running. The
film’s conclusion does help increase the new characters’s memorability: creating
some rather touching scenes between them and somewhat evening out such major fault
by its closing credits. Rogue One is an overall welcomed
addition to the Star Wars franchise, as well as being a slightly superior
feature to The Force Awakens, even if
its cameo appearances are more engaging than its main cast.
