Surprisingly good, very nice to have a Star Wars film made in a more "on the ground" approach. The story of the millions of the nameless foot soldiers who died in the original saga.
I know it just came out and it won't stay like that... But isn't that even more reason this and other popular films shouldn't suddenly be on so many top lists right after release?
Is this really one of the top 50 war movies of all time, one of the top 50 action movies of all time, one of the top 50 adventure movies of all time, one of the top 50 films of the decade and one of the top 250 films ever...?
Rogue One is proof of concept for "Star Wars Stories", I think, a film that sticks to its guns in a number of ways, folding neither to the pressure of keeping its characters - many of which have tremendous appeal - alive for side-franchises, nor to that of keeping the movie in the Lucas-from-Kurosawa format of the 7 main installments. If these stories are to work, directors need to be able to suggest different genres and styles. Rogue One is a war movie in the Dirty Dozen tradition, slightly too murky in spots, but I don't mind the changes (location cards, a prologue in lieu of an opening scrawl, some shaky cam). I like the diverse cast (the only American actor on the crew is playing a droid's voice) and the locations used seem more original to me than continually returning to Tattooine or whatever, but the youthened or resurrected actors brought to life by CG DID bother me. Distracting and more than a little creepy, I do wish we'd just seen these characters in shadow, or their backs turned. I would call this a minor quibble, but there's a lot more time spent with such digital golems than I think was necessary. Still enjoyable, and the impossible continuing adventures of this cast would be cool, which makes their one outing together all the sweeter for its bitterness.
Generally disliked it save for Donnie Yen and THAT scene towards the end. Forced dialogue. The jokes with the robot hit so heavy. Zero chemistry between the two rebel leads. Rushed plot. HORRIBLE CGI faces for two characters. Cameos were unnecessary. I don't know. Action was entertaining but everything plot wise sucked. I just didn't care about anybody. Shame.
No one would give one single fuck about this movie, if they wouldn't have slapped STAR WARS right beneath it. If this is the direction we're going now, my high hopes after TFA are gone. TFA is by far not a perfect movie and people will probably forever fight about it like it has been the case with the prequels for over a decade now.
Yes, Rogue One has really nice looking action scenes but story wise wouldn't be able to stand on its own. CHARACTERS were always the key to a successful (not in revenues) Star Wars movie. Even though I despise the prequels for what they've done to the SWU, they at least had CHARACTERS you gave a shit about.
I like to see Rogue One as an experiment for future stand alone films to come. Maybe they'll do something different each time. I very much hope so, because now we're two movies in the Disney era and I've never been less excited for future Star Wars films.
I definitely enjoyed journeying back into the Star Wars universe but honestly didn't like all the cameos and familiar plot devices they tried to jam into it, it just didn't feel like it's own film. Some of the new characters were pretty cool but everything was so rushed that I didn't even care about any of them, and none of them stood out like Luke, Leia and Han did. To be honest I probably felt more of a connection to Jar-Jar Binks than I did to Jyn Erso, and that's saying something.
Haven't had this much fun since the original trilogy. After the abysmal failure that is Episode 7, I was hungry for Star Wars to return to its true and awesome form. I think Rogue One is a step in that direction. The characters are not iconic, but then again they aren't supposed to be. This is a tale of boots-on-the-ground rebels complete with guerilla warfare, espionage, and even a little backstabbing (or back-shooting).
The nostalgia is rather thick but works well to put you back in the episode 4-6 game. The only con I can think of is the inclusion of a few CGI characters which is partly distracting. The biggest issue with completely CGI characters is that you know it's CGI, and it's very difficult (some might say impossible) to not think about that and take the character(s) as seriously as real actors. It's a relatively minor knock on a great film though. The locations are fantastic and everything we want to see in a Star Wars film. Bottom line, it *feels* like Star Wars, something that Episode 7 never gave me. It's gritty, it's grounded, it's an on-point Star Wars film.
The chance to view your beloved characters through the eyes of background characters is a technique that many franchises rarely get and that is what makes the ending fight scene so great. Looking at the end of the film, I had never viewed that particular character before as something terrifying and yet for the briefest of moments a pure jolt of fear shot through my bones as we see that character through the eyes of those about to die. That is... magic.
Episode 7 feels like in belongs in the Prequel era of Star Wars and Rogue One is firmly latched onto the original trilogy. I think if you are honest with yourself in choosing which one you like better it will reveal what flavor of Star Wars fan you are.
I enjoyed it, a nice addition to the SWU, much better than Force Awakens.
It's darker in tone when compared to most Star Wars films but that's an observation rather than a criticism. We get several new interesting characters and some very impressive set pieces.
It's not without its flaws. Rogue One is at its best when trying to do its own thing. The constant nods & winks to the original movies felt contrived and in some cases out of place and the CGI to create 1970s characters was a little creepy.
This one made me realize I'm not a Star Wars fan anymore. I'm a fan of three particular Star Wars movies that came out in the '70s and '80s...but I'm not a fan of the Star Wars franchise. Not when it's become tripe like this.
If someone thinks Star Wars doesn't live up to the title, Rogue One is basically a war movie in space - WWII in particular. Thus there's hardly any humor, but a lot of impressive battles driven around a nice espionage plot. Expands the series and also sets up the original movie - helps A New Hope's aesthetic is followed closely, while Edwards also shoots with the grounded approach he showed in Godzilla. Overall, a promising start to the Star Wars non-Episode movies.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 36
thyron
"Are you kidding me? I'm blind!"rabsi1
Surprisingly good, very nice to have a Star Wars film made in a more "on the ground" approach. The story of the millions of the nameless foot soldiers who died in the original saga.crazy_bitch
I know it just came out and it won't stay like that... But isn't that even more reason this and other popular films shouldn't suddenly be on so many top lists right after release?Is this really one of the top 50 war movies of all time, one of the top 50 action movies of all time, one of the top 50 adventure movies of all time, one of the top 50 films of the decade and one of the top 250 films ever...?
bathkuyp
Dark, gritty, heavy on nostalgia. Lacks sense of urgency, but makes up in cinematography. Enjoyable expansion of the Star Wars universe.Siskoid
Rogue One is proof of concept for "Star Wars Stories", I think, a film that sticks to its guns in a number of ways, folding neither to the pressure of keeping its characters - many of which have tremendous appeal - alive for side-franchises, nor to that of keeping the movie in the Lucas-from-Kurosawa format of the 7 main installments. If these stories are to work, directors need to be able to suggest different genres and styles. Rogue One is a war movie in the Dirty Dozen tradition, slightly too murky in spots, but I don't mind the changes (location cards, a prologue in lieu of an opening scrawl, some shaky cam). I like the diverse cast (the only American actor on the crew is playing a droid's voice) and the locations used seem more original to me than continually returning to Tattooine or whatever, but the youthened or resurrected actors brought to life by CG DID bother me. Distracting and more than a little creepy, I do wish we'd just seen these characters in shadow, or their backs turned. I would call this a minor quibble, but there's a lot more time spent with such digital golems than I think was necessary. Still enjoyable, and the impossible continuing adventures of this cast would be cool, which makes their one outing together all the sweeter for its bitterness.Flops
Took me a while to get into it and some of the acting was off, but I was satisfied at the end for sure. Reading the Catalyst novel helped, too.The_Comatorium
Generally disliked it save for Donnie Yen and THAT scene towards the end. Forced dialogue. The jokes with the robot hit so heavy. Zero chemistry between the two rebel leads. Rushed plot. HORRIBLE CGI faces for two characters. Cameos were unnecessary. I don't know. Action was entertaining but everything plot wise sucked. I just didn't care about anybody. Shame.Olli
No one would give one single fuck about this movie, if they wouldn't have slapped STAR WARS right beneath it. If this is the direction we're going now, my high hopes after TFA are gone. TFA is by far not a perfect movie and people will probably forever fight about it like it has been the case with the prequels for over a decade now.Yes, Rogue One has really nice looking action scenes but story wise wouldn't be able to stand on its own. CHARACTERS were always the key to a successful (not in revenues) Star Wars movie. Even though I despise the prequels for what they've done to the SWU, they at least had CHARACTERS you gave a shit about.
I like to see Rogue One as an experiment for future stand alone films to come. Maybe they'll do something different each time. I very much hope so, because now we're two movies in the Disney era and I've never been less excited for future Star Wars films.
Earring72
Dark and gritty war movie + Star Wars :-)Really good and exciting. A Star Wars movie for adults.
Jashezilla
I definitely enjoyed journeying back into the Star Wars universe but honestly didn't like all the cameos and familiar plot devices they tried to jam into it, it just didn't feel like it's own film. Some of the new characters were pretty cool but everything was so rushed that I didn't even care about any of them, and none of them stood out like Luke, Leia and Han did. To be honest I probably felt more of a connection to Jar-Jar Binks than I did to Jyn Erso, and that's saying something.DisneyStitch
Haven't had this much fun since the original trilogy. After the abysmal failure that is Episode 7, I was hungry for Star Wars to return to its true and awesome form. I think Rogue One is a step in that direction. The characters are not iconic, but then again they aren't supposed to be. This is a tale of boots-on-the-ground rebels complete with guerilla warfare, espionage, and even a little backstabbing (or back-shooting).The nostalgia is rather thick but works well to put you back in the episode 4-6 game. The only con I can think of is the inclusion of a few CGI characters which is partly distracting. The biggest issue with completely CGI characters is that you know it's CGI, and it's very difficult (some might say impossible) to not think about that and take the character(s) as seriously as real actors. It's a relatively minor knock on a great film though. The locations are fantastic and everything we want to see in a Star Wars film. Bottom line, it *feels* like Star Wars, something that Episode 7 never gave me. It's gritty, it's grounded, it's an on-point Star Wars film.
The chance to view your beloved characters through the eyes of background characters is a technique that many franchises rarely get and that is what makes the ending fight scene so great. Looking at the end of the film, I had never viewed that particular character before as something terrifying and yet for the briefest of moments a pure jolt of fear shot through my bones as we see that character through the eyes of those about to die. That is... magic.
Episode 7 feels like in belongs in the Prequel era of Star Wars and Rogue One is firmly latched onto the original trilogy. I think if you are honest with yourself in choosing which one you like better it will reveal what flavor of Star Wars fan you are.
GruesomeTwosome
Wow, that Reddit Top 250 list is even more worthless than I thought if this utter mediocrity is on it.MrDoog
I enjoyed it, a nice addition to the SWU, much better than Force Awakens.It's darker in tone when compared to most Star Wars films but that's an observation rather than a criticism. We get several new interesting characters and some very impressive set pieces.
It's not without its flaws. Rogue One is at its best when trying to do its own thing. The constant nods & winks to the original movies felt contrived and in some cases out of place and the CGI to create 1970s characters was a little creepy.
8/10 and certainly worth catching at the cinema.
dvdllr
This one made me realize I'm not a Star Wars fan anymore. I'm a fan of three particular Star Wars movies that came out in the '70s and '80s...but I'm not a fan of the Star Wars franchise. Not when it's become tripe like this.igordebraga
If someone thinks Star Wars doesn't live up to the title, Rogue One is basically a war movie in space - WWII in particular. Thus there's hardly any humor, but a lot of impressive battles driven around a nice espionage plot. Expands the series and also sets up the original movie - helps A New Hope's aesthetic is followed closely, while Edwards also shoots with the grounded approach he showed in Godzilla. Overall, a promising start to the Star Wars non-Episode movies.Showing items 1 – 15 of 36