15 / 68
T
he Force Awakens
was a worthy Star
Wars sequel, and
Rogue One
is the first
true prequel. It’s also the first standalone
Star Wars film and immediately announces itself
as such by eschewing the fanfare and opening
credit crawl we’ve become accustomed to.
This is a Star Wars story we sort of know
already – the theft of the Death Star plans by
the Rebel Alliance. It all hinges on information
imparted by the Imperial battle station’s designer,
Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), whose feisty
daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones) discovers that her
father has built an inherent weakness into the
Death Star which the Rebels can exploit.
Together with Han Solo-like ‘scoundrel’
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), blind warrior Chirrut
Imwe (a terrific Donnie Yen), Imperial defector
Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), droll droid K-2SO (a
less irritating C-3PO, voiced by Alan Tudyk), and
a squad of rebel soldiers, Jyn leads a mission
to the tropical planet Scarif where the Empire’s
archives are kept.
Their main opposition is the Death Star’s
head of security, Orson Krennic (a scowling Ben
Mendelsohn), who answers to a certain Imperial
Governor we’ve met before (and who has
been resurrected in a creepy, CGI posthumous
performance). And then of course there’s
Darth Vader, whose inclusion is surprisingly
superfluous and more a case of fan service.
While there’s no denying the rush of nostalgia
generated by a return to ‘70s Star Wars –
director Gareth Edwards ensures the aesthetic
matches the original –
Rogue One
is closer in
tone to World War II adventures like
The Guns of
Navarone
than
A New Hope
.
Edwards has always had a great eye for
locations (
Monsters
) and artistic shots (
Godzilla
)
and that’s just as evident in
Rogue One
– the
Death Star eclipsing a sun, or rising above the
horizon like an enormous moon (that’s no moon!)
– and he shoots the space battles with the
undisguised glee of a fanboy in a dream job.
Rogue One
is undeniably grim for a Star Wars
film, even more so than
The Empire Strikes
Back
. It’s also a slow burner, introducing far too
many players that look similar and spending too
much time planet hopping before the decision
is finally made to snatch the Death Star plans.
And unlike the regular ensemble we’ve grown to
know and love, you won’t care too much about
this new bunch of heroes.
The relentless final act, however, delivers
what we expect (and want) from a Star Wars
movie as the Rebel fleet joins the battle – the
action alternating between AT-AT ground assault
and TIE Fighter/X-Wing dogfights above. If
The
Force Awakens
stood accused of recycling
A New Hope
, then
Rogue One
is guilty of
re-staging the finale of
Return of the Jedi
(sans
Ewoks of course).
Like J.J. Abrams’ film, this over-reliance on
nostalgia and familiarity is both a strength and a
weakness. If the Star Wars universe is to further
expand, it doesn’t so much need a new hope as
a bold new direction.
Scott Hocking
Rebel with a cause.
ROGUE ONE:
A STAR WARS STORY
RELEASED:
Now Showing
DIRECTOR:
Gareth Edwards
CAST:
Felicity Jones,
Ben Mendelsohn
RATING:
M
15
REVIEW
CINEMA
RATING KEY:
Wow!
Good
Not bad
Meh Woof!
The gang hit the streets of New York with new
director F. Gary Gray straight outta
Straight Outta
Compton
. Charlize Theron is the villain and Dame
Helen Mirren is along for the ride.
April
.
THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS
Cool monsters, baby Groot, Star-Lord, Kurt
Russell, an all-new Mix Tape, and director James
Gunn back at the helm. The sequel to Marvel's
very best can't come soon enough.
April
.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
The colony ship Covenant discover something nasty
on a paradise planet. The drooling xenomorph
on the poster
confirms this is indeed
an "official"
prequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece.
May
.
ALIEN: COVENANT
After multiple delays, Stephen King's seven
volume fantasy/western epic is finally heading
for the big screen, with Idris Elba nicely cast as
gunslinger hero Roland Deschain.
July
.
THE DARK TOWER
It doesn't have an official title yet, but hopefully
the next chapter will reveal who Rey really is and
how Maz got hold of Luke's lightsaber. Enjoy
Rogue
One
for now and look forward to
December
.
STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII