"This is our chance...to make a real difference"
Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) has been living on her own for many years, after the Empire interfered with her family, killed her mom and kidnapped her dad. One day, she is caught by the Empire, before being rescued by the Rebellion. Having been informed of a "major weapons test" and that her father is likely involved, Jyn agrees to try and help the Rebellion figure out how to take it down. With the help of Cassian (Diego Luna) and a ragtag group of rogue fighters, they might just be able to pull off one of the biggest heists in the galaxy far far away's history.
Rogue One has impressive production values, as what one might expect out of a Star Wars movie. The production design evokes an old-school style that feels similar to A New Hope at times. The battle scenes are exciting, and the visual effects (including the puppet animatronics) remain in top form. The production design isn't as much in focus this time as in The Force Awakens, and the overall feel is darker and grittier than the light-hearted previous movie. The script ends in a way that is more twisted and emotional than what you might expect from a typical Star Wars movie.
As the lead, Jones proves to be very capable as Jyn. She's given the most development out of a cast of characters where development is missing on many of them. In the meantime, she brings a toughness and point-blank mentality that works efficiently for her character. I will give a shout-out to Donnie Yen who as a blind follower of the Force named Chirrut, provides some of the film's most memorable moments. Luna bounces off with Jones fairly effectively at times, and Ben Mendelhsohn is surprisingly effective as the new baddie Director Krennick. He may not be as memorable and sophisticated as Kylo Ren or even Darth Vader, but he's still respectably and interestingly intimidating. I was actually surprised to learn of Mads Mikkelsen playing Jyn's Father, and is very good here as well in the limited screentime he gets (same goes for Forrest Whittaker's Saw Garrera).
Speaking of Vader, he appears, James Earl Jones' (at 85 years old) voice and all, in three scenes. I'm actually kinda glad they didn't use him more, or he might have stolen more attention from the cast. Unfortunately, Jones' voice is sounding a little too aged for the part now. But, the character's presence is still a thrill. There are a few other exciting cameos that if I talk about more here will spoil the ride for those who haven't seen the movie yet. But, I will say one of them took me by complete surprise. Alan Tudyk (who has lent his voice to many recent Disney animated films) takes on the role of a droid named K-2SO, and provides the comedy relief necessary.
Michael Giacchino is the other strong asset the movie has. Brought in at the last minute to replace Alexandre Desplat to compose the film, he's the first composer other than the legendary John Williams to score a Star Wars film. But his work here is ambitious and very impressive. Channeling Williams' score many times, but also adding his own intriguing style, Giacchino continues to show he's one of the finest composers in Hollywood today.
On the downside, Rogue One's pacing is very unsettled. The beginning is kinda slow at times, and the ending battle, while impressive and exciting enough, goes on a lot longer than it should. It might would have made the movie more cohesive if the extended sequence was shortened a good 5-10 minutes. Also, outside of Jyn and maybe Chirrut, just about all the characters are underwritten. By the time ends, you don't really come away thinking much about the new characters at all (but in the main universe for Star Wars, one may argue sadly whether or not that really matters).
When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, I'm sure many guessed they would milk the Star Wars franchise for all its' worth. And after the record-shattering smash of The Force Awakens, Disney decides to try and take a bigger risk with a stand-alone, spin-off that is somewhat of a prequel at the same time. Many have to wonder if this is merely just a placeholder for next year's hotly-anticipated Episode VIII.
Thankfully though, Rogue One actually is strong enough to be more than just a placeholder. It's exciting and it stages one of the best finales in recent memory (the connect-the-dots moment between this and Episode IV is just about perfect). It provides some old-fashioned winks to the old 70's episodes, while at the same time presenting a more realistic, war-ridden episode that has no Jedis, no lightsabers, no opening crawl, and no Millennium Falcon. If anything, Rogue One could have done a better job of shaping many of its' characters' backstories, but at the same time, I actually did grow to care for the squadron by the end. That's not easy to pull off.
Rogue One isn't a great film, and like Force Awakens before it, it doesn't elevate me beyond "casual fan" status of the franchise. And that previous movie benefited from a tighter script and a little bit more developed characters. But, as a true prequel, it still works as a serviceable, occasionally riveting, and somewhat different entry in a ever-so-quickly growing series of galactic escapades.
Score: 7.2/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: The only thing heard is an unfinished, "what the...?".
Adult Content: A long hug and a brief holographic image of a dancing alien girl are the only things notable here.
Violence: This is the area where parents should take note. This is a darker and somewhat more violent entry than The Force Awakens (though it's never graphic or gory). A few people are shot by laser guns, and many characters are killed off (if any blood is shown, we may see a brief splotch on a shirt or a little bit on someone's head). People get really dirty during battle. Many explosions where stormtroopers go flying or are knocked out/killed. Someone's arm is apparently shot. One character is impaled toward the end. The Death Star destroys a couple of planets and it is hinted at many are killed by it as well. Someone is attacked by a scary alien's tentacles (somewhat). Jyn is hit hard by a robot hand. A few imperial workers are given a group execution of sorts by gunshot. Darth Vader uses the force to choke and kill others.
Drugs/Alcohol: In a cantina, some aliens are seen drinking an unknown substance.
Other: Someone kills off a friend when he is too weak to continue going. The Force is implied to be a Deity of some sort, especially by the spiritual Chirrut. While it's never clear what religion it emulates, parents may still need to have discussions with their children beforehand about it.
