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Author Topic: STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE - NON-SPOILER REVIEW  (Read 1293 times)
Darth Knox
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« on: December 15, 2016, 03:35:18 AM »

Just got back from the 1 min past midnight premiere and thought I'd post a non-spoiler review for you guys.

PLEASE NOTE - THE FOLLOWING IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW. I WILL NOT REVEAL ANY MAJOR PLOT POINTS FROM THE MOVIE.

Star Wars prequels are a funny thing. For those people who grew up with the original trilogy, they heap a lot of disdain on the prequels because of an over-abundance of CGI, bad dialogue and some woeful acting by some cast members. For a new generation of movie going audience though, the prequels had the same effect as the original trilogy had between 1977 and 1983; it transported them to a galaxy far far away. Like them or loathe them, the prequels are part of Star Wars canon.

So far, Disney have had great success with their addition to the Star Wars franchise with The Force Awakens and the various canon books and comics, as well as Star Wars Rebels. Which brings us to Rogue One, the first Star Wars movie not to be part of the official saga storyline. Technically it can be considered a prequel as it takes place just before episode 4's A New Hope. Will Disney keep their streak alive or will this movie be as divisive as the prequels were?

The story/plot
After the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance recruits Jyn Arso to work with a team to steal the design schematics of the Empire's new superweapon, the Death Star, which her father is involved in.

Overall opinion
WOW! This is definitely the prequel we've been looking for. If all the future Star Wars spin-off movies are this good then we are in for years of pleasure from the franchise. It definitely delivered the war movie we were promised with great action and performances all round. There was also a lot of humour which worked really well and wasn't overdone. Gareth Edwards also did a really good job of matching the look and feel of this movie with episode 4, but also made it feel more expansive than that first movie.

If you have never seen a Star Wars movie before then you would enjoy this as a stand-alone movie. If you are a fan of the franchise it has just enhanced episode 4 to new levels.

The Performances
Felicity Jones - Jyn Erso
With Princess Leia in the original trilogy to Rey in The Force Awaken and now Jyn Erso, Lucasfilm really know how to make a compelling and well written female lead. Some of the cheesier lines from the trailer did not make the movie, which is to her credit. You really care a lot for Jyn in this movie and fully understand her character arc.

Diego Luna - Cassian Andor
A much more complex character than I was expecting and Diego Luna did a fine job. This character would feel right at home in an episode of Star Wars Rebels, which is a massive compliment to his performance.

Ben Mendelsohn - Orson Krennic
Not quite the snarling evil bad guy I was expecting, but he was definitely villainous enough. And not at all OTT or pantomime villain. Nor did he chew any scenery. He fit in perfectly for the role he was supposed to play in the story.

Donnie Yen - Chirrut Imwe
Donnie Yen as a blind warrior who believes in the force? What's not to love?

Mads Mikkelsen - Galen Erso
From his turn as a Bond villain in Casino Royale to Dr Lecter in the tv show Hannibal to th bad guy opposite Dr Strange, Mad Mikkelson as Jyn Erso's father again shows how much range he has as an actor.

Alan Tudyk - K-2SO
While I, Robot was not the greatest of films, Alan Tudyk as the robot "Sonny" was definitely a stand out, bringing a lot of nuances and subtlety to his performance, even though it involved a lot of CGI and performance capture. Once again, he brings his A game and he gets all the best lines in the film.

Forest Whittaker - Saw Gerrera
For those people who only watch the movies, they may be unaware that this character is not a new creation. He first appeared in The Clone Wars animated series. This marks the first time a character from the animated extended universe has made the transition to the big screen. And who better to play him than Forest Whitaker? In recent years, much like Michael Keaton, Forest is having a renaissance and resurgence in the movies. And that is great for us as he is an amazing character actor.

Jiang Wen - Baze Malbus
The other half of the odd couple along with Donnie Yun. He was funny, badass and probably has the best blaster rifle in Star Wars.

Riz Ahmed - Bodhi Rook
Not the biggest of roles, but still very essential to the story. A nice performance.

The effects
One of the major bones of contention with the prequels was the massive amounts of CGI used. At the time they were ground-breaking, but in some places it was a little over-used. That may be why JJ Abrams and Gareth Edwards have placed so much emphasis on using a lot more practical effects and location shots for their respective movies. However, there is still a lot of CGI on display. And it is fantastic. Gareth Edwards, like Abrams, has managed to seamlessly blend the practical with the CGI so you are fully immersed in the galaxy on display.

The action
What would a Star Wars movie be without great action? A huge disappointment. And fortunately, this movie does not disappoint. During the build-up to the release of the movie, Gareth Edwards has keen to point out that this would be a Star Wars movie, with emphasis on the "war". And, boy, was he right.

Other stuff
It was great seeing Jimmy Smits reprise his role as Bail Organa, Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma and it's always great to hear James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. There was also an appearance from a character from episode 4 that I was not expecting, but it was a welcome addition seeing them on-screen. There was also some nice little easter eggs foreshadowing things from episode 4. For Star Wars Rebels fans, The Ghost makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. And Vader is a BAD-ASS!

Final verdict
We finally have a great Star Wars prequel movie. Not quite as exhilarating as The Force Awakens, but it is leaps and bounds ahead of the other prequels.

Score - 8.2/10

My Movie rating system
10- Citizen "F*%king" Kane (A+)
9- Bloody Great (A)
8- Really rather good (A-)
7- Pretty decent (B+)
6- Definitely above average (B)
5- Middle of the road average (C)
4- Mediocre (D)
3- Meh (E)
2- Crap (F)
1- Why the hell did I waste my my time and money of this abomination (unrated)

After-thought - The extended universe
With Disney promising a Star Wars movie every year from now until they are no longer popular, along with all the tie-in books, comics and tv show, will the movie going audience eventually get tired of Star Wars? Will it become necessary to catch up on all the EU stuff in order to fully enjoy and appreciate all the movies? How successful with the young Han Solo movie be? And will we ever get an Obi-Wan or Boba Fett/bounty hunter movie?
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LivingBrain
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« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2016, 04:27:17 AM »

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Taegin Roan
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« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2016, 08:37:06 AM »

Thank you for the spoilerless review. I am being very careful not the see any spoilers, so I very much appreciate your review. And it is good to hear that it is as good as I expected.

Point to you
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B1ondeange1
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« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2016, 10:53:37 AM »

There was also an appearance from a character from episode 4 that I was not expecting, but it was a welcome addition seeing them on-screen. There was also some nice little easter eggs foreshadowing things from episode 4. For Star Wars Rebels fans, The Ghost makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. And Vader is a BAD-ASS!


Are you referring to two particular characters from a little way into Eps 4 that made an appearance? The whole cinema here laughed at that one.

It was a great movie. To me it is hands down the best- anyone who loves the rebellion and more of the fringers in the SW universe will love this. And anyone who knows me in the RPGs knows I love playing my smuggler working with the Rebel Alliance, I've written a nearly thousand page story for her outside of the RPGs. And so this movie appealed to me soooo strongly.

I felt it was a little bit slow and slightly confusing to begin with at the start with how they did it, but I quickly got into it and was sucked right into the story. I loved it. I reckon second time round I will find it much better. I also found it a bit refreshingly different to the Episodes, we saw some different types of characters and a different side to happenings that you didn't get in the Episodes. It also felt a bit more gritty. It felt different to the Episodes in how it was laid out, but at the same time was definitely a Star Wars movie.

My Facebook is obviously flooded with R1 today- most of my Australian FB friends are costumers, more than half of them being SW costumers so MOST of us saw it last night Tongue I have heard some gripes that people felt detached from the storyline from the beginning. The biggest gripe was with the CGI, especially of certain characters. I personally wasn't too bothered by it, though I did notice one point where it didn't quite feel right.

In my own typical way, I was too busy analysing very small points which have now cemented things as Canon when they were different before. And the other thing I find frustrating- and this follows on from TFA and so isn't exclusive to this movie by any means- is how they almost seem to give the impression that hyperspace travel is almost instantaneous when it's not meant to be. In some points in R1 this feeling was a little dispelled, whereas in others it felt reinforced. I know they aren't going to go into what happens during their hyperspace travels and they are just gonna want to jump to the next bit of action, but it was just the feeling that this and TFA gave me, whereas eps1-6 never gave me that impression.
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Rapine
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« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2016, 01:03:54 PM »

Great review Knox. Smiley

Thanks for this.

I most likely won't be seeing this in the theatre unfortunately. 

Not because I don't want to...

Sounds great.
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Master Seblaise
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« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2016, 01:10:49 PM »

R1 is as AWESOME to me than Ep. VII was disappointed ...


R1 is original and well made ... just WOW  Grin
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« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2016, 01:17:59 PM »

Thanks for the review Smiley can't wait to see it this weekend.
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Darth Knox
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« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2016, 01:29:21 PM »

Are you referring to two particular characters from a little way into Eps 4 that made an appearance? The whole cinema here laughed at that one.

It was a great movie. To me it is hands down the best- anyone who loves the rebellion and more of the fringers in the SW universe will love this. And anyone who knows me in the RPGs knows I love playing my smuggler working with the Rebel Alliance, I've written a nearly thousand page story for her outside of the RPGs. And so this movie appealed to me soooo strongly.

I felt it was a little bit slow and slightly confusing to begin with at the start with how they did it, but I quickly got into it and was sucked right into the story. I loved it. I reckon second time round I will find it much better. I also found it a bit refreshingly different to the Episodes, we saw some different types of characters and a different side to happenings that you didn't get in the Episodes. It also felt a bit more gritty. It felt different to the Episodes in how it was laid out, but at the same time was definitely a Star Wars movie.

My Facebook is obviously flooded with R1 today- most of my Australian FB friends are costumers, more than half of them being SW costumers so MOST of us saw it last night Tongue I have heard some gripes that people felt detached from the storyline from the beginning. The biggest gripe was with the CGI, especially of certain characters. I personally wasn't too bothered by it, though I did notice one point where it didn't quite feel right.

In my own typical way, I was too busy analysing very small points which have now cemented things as Canon when they were different before. And the other thing I find frustrating- and this follows on from TFA and so isn't exclusive to this movie by any means- is how they almost seem to give the impression that hyperspace travel is almost instantaneous when it's not meant to be. In some points in R1 this feeling was a little dispelled, whereas in others it felt reinforced. I know they aren't going to go into what happens during their hyperspace travels and they are just gonna want to jump to the next bit of action, but it was just the feeling that this and TFA gave me, whereas eps1-6 never gave me that impression.
The CGI characters - I can understand why people may laugh. At the cinema I saw it in, everyone was impressed with the first one (there a collective "wow" and "oh my god") but there were some giggles with the second one. Not in a bad way, as I think everyone understood why those characters were CGI and placed there in the story.

with regards to hyperspace travel, I noticed it more in The Force Awakens and it definitely bothered me a lot more in that movie.

And I agree that the first 15 mins of the movie are a little jarring, but once you settle into the movie it's great, even if it does a little in places. But, with the amount of story they had to tell I can kinda understand that. as I said in my review, I was left as exhilarated after this movie as I was with The Force Awakens, but it was still really enjoyable (especially as it focussed on other aspects of Star wars other than Jedi and Skywalkers).
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« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2016, 01:34:27 PM »

The CGI characters - I can understand why people may laugh. At the cinema I saw it in, everyone was impressed with the first one (there a collective "wow" and "oh my god") but there were some giggles with the second one. Not in a bad way, as I think everyone understood why those characters were CGI and placed there in the story.

with regards to hyperspace travel, I noticed it more in The Force Awakens and it definitely bothered me a lot more in that movie.

And I agree that the first 15 mins of the movie are a little jarring, but once you settle into the movie it's great, even if it does a little in places. But, with the amount of story they had to tell I can kinda understand that. as I said in my review, I was left as exhilarated after this movie as I was with The Force Awakens, but it was still really enjoyable (especially as it focussed on other aspects of Star wars other than Jedi and Skywalkers).


CGI characters are very well made ... this is THE MOVIE i wanted to watch ... this movie is just awesome (i just leaved the cinema 1 hour ago  Grin ) ... The EP. 7 was full of "déjà vu" but this one is cut like a comic book ... it is original ... full of good ideas ...

LOVE IT  Grin
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« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2016, 02:34:48 PM »

The CGI characters - I can understand why people may laugh. At the cinema I saw it in, everyone was impressed with the first one (there a collective "wow" and "oh my god") but there were some giggles with the second one. Not in a bad way, as I think everyone understood why those characters were CGI and placed there in the story.

with regards to hyperspace travel, I noticed it more in The Force Awakens and it definitely bothered me a lot more in that movie.

And I agree that the first 15 mins of the movie are a little jarring, but once you settle into the movie it's great, even if it does a little in places. But, with the amount of story they had to tell I can kinda understand that. as I said in my review, I was left as exhilarated after this movie as I was with The Force Awakens, but it was still really enjoyable (especially as it focussed on other aspects of Star wars other than Jedi and Skywalkers).


You might have picked the other bit that my strange brain spotted.

During hyperspace travel between one planet and another, they make communication back to the base. Traditionally in SW EU, you can communicate with a ship in hyperspace if you know the route it's taking- aka if a ship is travelling from point a to point b, then if you are at either a or b you can contact the ship. That doesn't seem to happen in this though. Unless they are using some fancy way to reroute it when they didn't know where said ship was going.... Oh well, makes communication to ships in SW easier now Grin
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« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2016, 02:42:07 PM »

Great review and thanks for the non spoilers as usual, Darth Knox.  It's nice to see you back around here.  Smiley

I was born in 1979 and, therefore, grew up with the original trilogy and I love the prequels.  Granted, not as much as the original trilogy, but that's an incredibly high bar.  And, thus, I've been looking forward to this film and it's nice to see that so many fellow SW fans here enjoyed it so.  I'll definitely try to make it to the theater for this one.  No, strike that, I WILL make it to the theater for this one.  I'll probably just wait a few weeks.
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