Film: Rogue One

From the off you can tell this will be a different sort of Star Wars film. There’s no opening crawl. The signature music isn’t played. Just a cut to a ship and a planet. At its heart Rogue One is a true Star Wars war film, showing the gritty side of the conflict away from the polished heroes we know and love. Set in the lead up to A New Hope, Rogue One follows a small group of Rebels as they attempt to obtain the plans for the Death Star and provide hope to a disparate Rebel Alliance. 

The main point of focus is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a young woman on the run from the Empire but not committed to fighting them. Jones plays the character very well making her slow development into a true Rebel quite convincing. Her speeches about hope are a little hard to endure however, as they feel more like something out of standard Star Wars, which contrasts rather heavily with the harder edge of the rest of the film. 

The rest of the group of Rebels is a bit of a mixed bag. Diego Luna is intriguing as Rebel Captain Cassian Andor, a conflicted individual used to doing dirty deeds for the usually clean seeming Rebellion. The problem lies in his lack of characterisation beyond being a man trying to do good through bad deeds. Baze (Jiang Wen) and Chirrut (Donnie Yen) are mostly forgettable additions to the squad, beyond Chirrut’s repeated mentions of the force. Bodhi (Riz Ahmed) is woefully underdeveloped considering that finding him is the impetus for the entire film, ending up as little more than a plot device at the end of the day. Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera is another wasted character, one with a rich backstory left to be explored by other media. 

Ben Mendelsohn is great as the snivelling Director Krennic, a character who fits in well with Imperial officers we have seen so far. Mendelsohn plays Krennic incredinly well, making him into a believable villain with an unquenchable ambition. The return of Darth Vader is also most welcome, with James Earl Jones back to provide his iconic voice. Whilst his portrayal sounds perhaps a bit more tired than it once did it is still wonderful to hear Jones’ voice behind the mask. 

The standout of the film is surprisingly K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk. Faults in his reprogramming cause the droid to always speak his mind, making him a deliverer of dry remarks and taunts. He provides the comic relief in an otherwise dark film, being much needed at times. Tudyk’s reading is incredible, making K-2 into a totally loveable character. 

The special effects throughout the film are as well executed as is expected from Lucasfilm. The space battle scene towards the film’s end in particular looks fantastic. The use of CGI to resurrect Grand Moff Tarkin is exceptional, with it being hard to work out that he is even artificially created at times. It is an excellent use of modern technology to bring back a character who would be hard to portray in other means. The technology is also used in smaller ways to bring back other characters from the original trilogy. It truly allows the film to stand alongside A New Hope, without casting a new actor which would make the transition a little jarring. 

Rogue One successfully navigates the nostalgia of the original Star Wars trilogy and yet is still able exist on its own merits. Gareth Edwards has created a film that can truly stand alongside the original films, giving them some new meaning.