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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
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Plot SummaryA rogue team of rebels make a daring attempt to steal the Death Star schematics from The Empire in hopes to be able to destroy before it becomes fully operational. |
Film Review![]() Rogue One deviates from the norm from the start, forsaking the customary opening crawl that recaps the latest events in the saga and giving us a legitimate prologue (flashback) instead. This introduces us right away to the Erso family, lead by Galen Erso who was forced to help The Empire design their super weapon, the Death Star. Edwards makes great use of close-ups and artsy camera angles to show us a much different side of Star Wars. In the first third of the movie, the pacing is slower, the action less frequent, and the landscapes of several new planets feels more tangible than what we’ve grown accustomed to, particularly in the prequels. However, it’s this different approach that makes one feel like this is anything but Star Wars. I had to reassure myself that this change is good and not at all unwarranted. Star Wars should have room enough to not need to always “feel” like Star Wars, especially if it’s veering away from the Skywalker family centric-storytelling. Still, roughly midway through the film (perhaps sooner), Rogue One really begins to resemble a Star Wars adventure, and Edwards’ attention to detail is nothing short of glorious. Fans are given plenty of familiar nuggets to warm their hearts while offering a fair enough amount of new content to keep the movie feeling fresh.
There’s so much to talk about with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but it’s tough to discuss without spoilers. However, I won’t spoil anything here for you. There are some cameos and plot aspects that explain things for the movies that follow (but also, sadly, kind of create a plot hole for the transition of Rogue One into A New Hope). But man, there’s just so much to love about Rogue One. Thematically speaking, there’s a wonderful theme of sacrifice and selflessness that really adds to the characters and makes the film all that more exciting. Also, Yen’s Chirrut Îmwe is such a unique new kind of Force enthusiast. I loved his scenes, especially with his buddy, Malbus. And those space battles! We get to see some familiar faces during some of the climactic action that serve as a brilliant precursor to the fight at the Death Star in the following film. The effects are also stupendous. While the prequels were overly rich with color and shiny CG effects, Edwards grounds Rogue One believably in the same universe as the original trilogy. The starships’ CG is barely noticeable (so much so that any blatantly CG characters do rather stand out), and every set piece and on-location filming is especially appreciated. This film very much feels like a loving tribute to what fans love so much about Star Wars.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a fantastic new chapter in the Star Wars world. I’m interested to see how it holds up with repeat viewings over time (after all, I think I enjoyed the prequels at first viewing; these days, their flaws are too glaring to ignore), but my first impression is highly positive. If you love Star Wars, you’ll probably find a lot to love about Rogue One. It’s quite a ride! – John DiBiase (reviewed: 12/17/16)
Blu-Ray Special Features ReviewRogue One: A Star Wars Story is available on single-disc DVD or in 2-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack with a bonus Digital HD copy. While it might be tricky to find a 3D copy, it seems Target and Best Buy both have exclusive packages with 3D Blu-Ray copies of the film, along with the 2D Blu-Ray and DVD discs. (Best Buy’s is a special steelbook release.)Watching the movie on Blu-Ray was my fourth time seeing it, and I’ve enjoyed this movie more with each viewing. It’s such a great entry into the Star Wars world that captures what we’ve loved about the series in the past while giving it a fresh view. One of our viewings in the theater was in IMAX 3D and it was pretty awesome. I haven’t seen the 3D Blu-Ray transfer yet, but I do look forward to eventually checking that out as well. I just love this movie! The 2D Blu-Ray disc offers the film in a really vibrant HD presentation, but there are no special features with the film disc. There is a second Blu-Ray disc that offers the following featurettes: The Stories (1:08:58) is an hour-long feature that is split up into 10 chapters with a Play All function. It opens with Lucasfilm’s John Knoll talking about how, after Disney bought Lucasfilm and planned to do a series of new Star Wars spin-off movies, he had pitched the idea of the rebels who had stolen the Death Star plans. We also hear about how director Gareth Edwards had come to be part of the production as well as his personal history as a huge fan of Star Wars. The second chapter, “Jyn the Rebel,” is all about her character, Felicity Jones playing the part, her relationship with her father Galen, and what her character is like. Gareth also talks about how physically demanding and exhausting her role was. “Cassian the Spy” focuses on Cassian Andor and how he’s not a typical hero. We also hear from Diego Luna and see some great on-set footage from filming. “K-2SO the Droid” talks about him being the “anti-C3PO.” Comedic actor Alan Tudyk talks about him and what it was like to play the part. He actually had acted out the character in person in gray motion-capture “PJs” and we see some really awesome behind the scenes moments involving him (including either walking around on stilts or with a backpack with K2 head on it to give co-stars an eyeline). “Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills” is about how two of the biggest stars in China, Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang, took these roles in Star Wars because their kids encouraged them to. This segment also talks a little about The Whills and how The Force dwells in these guys. “Bodhi and Saw: The Pilot and the Revolutionary” is another interesting segment that talks about how Riz Ahmed had kept sending tons of different takes on the character to Gareth for auditions. It then talks about how the character of Saw debuted in The Clone Wars cartoon TV show and he had been George Lucas’s original idea. “The Empire” shows us the return of Tarkin and Vader and the introduction of Director Krennic. It also touches on the motion-capture they had to do to bring Tarkin back to life. “Visions of Hope: The Look of Rogue One” is more about the design of the look of this side-story in the Skywalker saga. They deliberately were chasing after Ralph McQuarrie’s art style during the design process, which inspired the original trilogy. They even built the rebel base set in the same hangar used in A New Hope. “The Princess & The Governor” is all about the technology used to resurrect Peter Cushing’s likeness for Tarkin and to digitally create a young Princess Leia again. It’s neat to see how this controversial technology came about. “Epilogue: The Story Continues” gives us a glimpse into the film’s Hollywood premiere. Overall, this is a wonderful feature about the film and the history of Star Wars, further proving Rogue One is an affectionate homage to the original Star Wars film and made for fans by fans. Rogue Connections (4:31) – In classic Disney fashion, there’s a featurette about Easter eggs included. They briefly touch on a tank from Episode 3 being shown as a prisoner transport, Doctor Evazan and Ponda Baba bumping into the rebels in the street, the Empire Strikes Back spy droid making an appearance, the Dejarik game, a mention of Rebels General Syndulla, cameos by the film’s producer and writer, the ill-fated original Red 5, Gareth’s cameo as a rebel on Tantiv IV, etc. Amazingly enough, though, they didn’t point out the other Rebels cameos, like Chopper in the background at the rebel base or their ship The Ghost sitting at the base and later flying around the battle above Scarif (And they’re definitely there!). All in all, it’s a fun little featurette. – John DiBiase, (reviewed: 4/1/17)Parental Guide: Brief Summary of Content |