This is perhaps my hottest Star Wars take: I think Rogue One is a bit overrated. I am by no means calling it bad, but this is a case where a lot of its issues become obfuscated by one excellent chunk of the film. However, that stretch of the film is admittedly so damn good that it just about saves the picture. The end result is an uneven but reasonably thrilling experience.
Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is a petty criminal freed by the Rebel Alliance, a ragtag band of freedom fighters who have come together to topple the Galactic Empire. Her father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), is a scientist who has been forced to help build the Death Star, the planet-killing superweapon that defined the Empire’s might in the original Star Wars film. The Rebels believe she can help them free Galen and learn more about the Death Star through him. When it becomes evident that Galen has sabotaged the Death Star, the film then becomes a mission to acquire the Death Star schematics, so that the Rebels can finally stand up to the Empire. Alongside Jones and Mikkelsen, the film features an ensemble cast including, but not limited to, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn and the late James Earl Jones returning to voice Darth Vader in a small but impressionable role.
For decades Star Wars has had supplemental stories created around the original saga, from books to TV shows to now feature films in the modern day. Released in 2016, Rogue One is a notably appealing story, as its premise directly leads into the opening moments of A New Hope. It presents a golden opportunity to tell a story within this galaxy far, far away without relying on Jedi or the Skywalker family, thus enhancing the possibilities for storytellers playing with this franchise. Add in director Gareth Edwards, best known for his nimble, grandiose imagery, as portrayed in his debut feature Monsters, and we have a recipe for compelling entertainment.
However, Rogue One begins in a disjointed fashion. After an intriguing opening where we see Jyn as a child witnessing her father’s kidnapping at the hands of ambitious Imperial Director Krennic (Mendelsohn), the story starts rushing to introduce all of its key players. We jump between various worlds as the rebels that make the titular Rogue One squad start to gradually come together. Some worlds, like the prison world of Wobani, we only get a fleeting look at before jumping to a new location. As such, we get barely any time to really appreciate the imagination or worldbuilding in this first act. It’s driven so much by plot that many of the film’s other components are temporarily left behind.
Characterisation is hit especially hard with this. In the rush to tell its story of rebellion, the film presents us with an ensemble cast that is largely bland, defined by what the script tells us of them rather than what it shows us. Jyn is far too passive a protagonist for the early stretches of the story. Despite being described by other characters as bold and unruly, she virtually tags along for the early portions of the film, the story happening around her rather than being born from her choices. She does eventually take centre stage following Galen’s revelation about sabotaging the Death Star but so much time is dedicated to adding on supporting characters that it takes far too long for her agency to take shape. It’s an ensemble piece that, ironically, suffers from character bloat.
Making matters worse is that most of these supporting characters serve archetypal roles as the muscle, the pilot, the spiritual one etc. Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor has become an infinitely more captivating character following his excellent solo show, Andor, but in the context of this film he’s a brooding hardman with a predictable arc. Yen and Jiang Wen play guardians turned mercenaries and although they have decent chemistry, their roles feel superfluous, their characters all but wandering into the story and sticking around. Forest Whittaker plays Saw Gerrera, a rebel extremist from The Clone Wars, whose paranoia is undercooked and one note. All of the performances are solid, with Mendelsohn’s deliciously hammy turn as Director Krennic making for an especially fun antagonist, but it’s a troubling sign when the sarcastic droid K2-SO (Alan Tudyk) has the most personality, Tudyk’s voice work proving to be a comedic high point.
Keeping our attention throughout are the usual stellar visuals we’ve come to love from the Star Wars saga. We are treated to a range of planetary visuals, from the rains of Eadu to the sands of Jedha to the tropical landscapes of Scariff, all of which come to life through the lustrous cinematography and colourful VFX. They are initially fleeting, but once the film becomes more focused in its latter half, these visuals explode off the screen. The production design is remarkable, and is highlighted well by Edwards’ down-on-the-ground direction, capturing grand worlds and terrifying battles at a character’s eye-level. Suddenly the huge sizes of the Empire’s war machines become all the more palpable, allowing Edwards to give terrifying new dimensions to the awesome designs and spectacle we may have otherwise taken for granted.
These are just a handful of the elements that eventually make the home stretch so exciting. As rough as the film is in its early stages, it all neatly comes together as the ensemble group of rebels decide to defy their superiors and embark on a suicidal heist to secure the Death Star plans from Scariff. Because the characters are now all united by a singular goal there is much less baggage to wade through, meaning the film can deliver on its intended themes and thrills in earnest. It takes what was initially a scattershot mix-n-match of ideas and characters, and, through tighter focus, reconfigures them into an exhilarating exhibition of hope versus tyranny, solidarity versus supremacy and, simply, good versus evil. This generates some of the most thrilling action in any Star Wars film. With identifiable character goals, powerful themes that directly reflects the philosophy of the original film, and stunning craftsmanship from Edwards and team, this final chunk of the film comfortably delivers, whether as an ode to the power of hope and resilience, or as pure sci-fi entertainment. The jump in quality between the messy first act and this nail-biting third act is simply astounding.
That’s not to say there aren’t any other notable stumbles. Recent entries into the Disney Star Wars era have been defined, irritatingly, by regressive fan service, catering hard to the worst, most nostalgically gluttonous people in the fandom. Rogue One is nowhere near as egregious as others (e.g., Mandalorian season 2), but every now and again random references and easter eggs to the original films will pop up, whether it’s a strange cameo from C3-PO and R2-D2 or the inclusion of Dr. Evazan, a throwaway character known for literally one moment in the original film. These moments are distracting, but they’re trivial compared to the use of CGI to recreate the likeness of certain characters from the original film, most notably Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin, as Cushing passed away in 1994. As technically impressive as the effects are, it creates an uncanny valley feeling that’s not only uncomfortable to watch, but has since set a dangerous precedent for the use of likeness for actors working today, fears that the rise of AI have only crystallised.
Rogue One is a heavily flawed chapter of the Star Wars saga, with its messy storytelling and overwhelming array of fairly stagnant characters. Yet it also champions the core themes of the original film through its eye-popping filmmaking and dazzling spectacle, factors which all culminate in one absolute belter of a climactic act. While I evidently find the film’s issues harder to overlook than the majority of audiences, there’s no denying the entertainment value or technical prowess on display. As such, despite my grievances, I too find myself ultimately won over by its style, even if its substance is a little lacking in places.
3 stars
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is now playing on Disney+.
Learn more about the film, including how to watch, at the official website for the title.
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