Rogue One Rogue One Reviews/Reactions thread

(I wasn't sure where to post this video so I decided here)

This is such a great analysis of the movie, I absolutely recommend everyone to watch it

 

Just back from TLJ and can only think about how great I felt this time last year after Rogue One. I wish I could feel that way now.

 

Saw the movie yesterday, first time after cinema... And I was elated!

From the very beginning, Krennic's arrival, to the last moment, this movie is such a wonderful ride through the galaxy at war. There are no Jedi, no Skywalkers, but it doesn't matter. The stories of Jyn (relationship with her father, Saw and the Rebels), Rebels and the Empire are spiced by newcomers Chirrut, Bodhi and Baze, decorated with beautiful imagery, fine worldbuilding and great cameos (I forgot about C-3PO and R2-D2). I love all the jokes, they're mostly very intelligent, like K2's famous (and interrupted) I have a bad feeling about...

After my yearly saga marathon and TLJ in cinemas, watching RO was extremely refreshing. It's the only Disney-LucasFilm SW movie so far that's bursting with new designs, new worlds and very convincing personal stories (for example, Jyn-Galen or Krennic-Tarkin). There are also many little scenes (that were lacking in TFA and TLJ) that make GFFA more real (their conversations have some meaning, there are no questions about Jyn's boyfriend or did she see that) and supporting characters - all of which got their moment to shine, if not earlier, then just before their deaths (unlike Phasma or Snoke). CGI Tarkin and Leia prove that there is space for SW to push the boundaries, just as Lucas did 40 and 20 years ago.

I'm amazed by the fact that there are creative people in LucasFilm that think beyond the confines of the OT; just why aren't they working on the ST, I don't know. The team behind RO managed (through one movie!) to expand the OT in a fun and high-quality-entertainment way. The way that I find slightly above the OT, and very, very nearly on the PT level. Bring us Solo!

 

Its definitely more satisfying than TFA. Use of Cgi was very clever, but subtle.
Is it better than TLJ?

 

Honestly I still feel the original films don't actually get as much respect as they deserve, critics preffer to view them as purely casual entertainment and fans tend to focus on specific details of the setting/lore with both tending to look past the strength of the dramatic story. That to me seems to feed into both the PT and the ST where I think theres a tendency to believe that just having Jedi/Sith onscreen is going to magically give you the same depth. Rogue One to me shows that ultimately the magic of Starwars was never really the Jedi specifically, it was much more the quality of the drama around Luke's story and the atmosphere of the setting.

 

The best thing about Rogue One is Deigo Luna, who is just wonderful as Cassian Andor, a really good, solid, believable character. I also love the way RO takes the concept of the Force and the Jedi back to being a religion.

 

I posted this review in another thread, but I thought you guys might be interested in it as well:

I saw this movie opening night at the first available time. Tonight I saw it again for the second time (believe it or not I am actually the world's biggest Star Wars fan, I just wanted to space out my viewings to save the magic). Rogue One is incredible. A masterpiece. It is the most beautiful movie I have seen in ages and the epitome of Star Wars. I'm not going to give you a point by point of why the movie is so great, just a general idea of why I liked it.

First of all, I really like the theme of some good in the Empire and just a tad bit of bad in the Rebellion. In Galen, you see a man forced to build a weapon that haunts his every thought, and in Krennic, a lost soul who just wants someone to be proud of him. Bodhi, a pilot who does as he's told knowing its wrong. Even Vader, a blank human slate, no emotions. Though he is a monster, the cause of his stoic apathy is saddening. On the other hand, you see a Rebellion that is supposedly fighting for hope, yet Cassian is killing innocents for the sake of the cause. Saw is a man gone mad having lost the meaning of what it is he is fighting for. Many of the Rebellion leaders are too cowardly to risk their lives standing up for what they believe in. Seeing all this internal conflict at once gave the movie a realistic, sad feel, as if the whole galaxy was lost and just trying to find its way to something it could believe in.

Second, there are just some moments in the film that are so inspiring. It hits your emotions so hard when you see men and women charging into battle, knowing full well they aren't walking away from it. They are fighting for something bigger than themselves, and you can see that determination in their eyes. All this as the music swells to perfectly exemplify the emotions of those brave soldiers. Even the rebel pilots were inspiring. There is something about an X-Wing that is truly beautiful. Watching the space battle, each small ship seemed to show how small each person was in comparison with the battle, yet still crucial. One hammerhead managed to take out two Imperial Star Destroyers and a planetary shield. On a metaphorical level, this represents the small speck each life, each minute, each event truly is in the grand scheme of things, yet still important enough that it can sway the future drastically.

Third, the nostalgia. Everything from the sound of a space battle to the sight of Vader's red lightsaber cutting through the darkness to the feel of an X-Wing as it swoops in to save the day brings you back to that first time you visited a galaxy far, far away as a kid. It is so familiar yet at the same time refreshingly new. It is as if, finally, after 40 years, you get to go back to that moment when good was first swelling up and taking its stand against the embodiment of all evil.

Fourth, the emotional aspect of each scene was perfectly balanced. The movie was neither saturated with emotion nor so detached that it was like watching a documentary. Emotional moments were instead subtly sprinkled throughout the film with just enough frequency and intensity to make each moment feel genuine and serious. Galen's death was neither over dramatic nor under utilized and for that reason it struck home in just the right way. Even the death of each soldier stung just enough that the loss felt personal but not so much that it seemed as though the movie was toying with your emotions. At the end, the deaths of the main characters were so real that it touched your emotions in a way most movies cannot even hope to.

Finally, there was some gold old-fashioned kick-***ery. Some movies have far too much, others not nearly enough, but this one had the perfect amount. Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus go together like thunder and lightning. One cannot exist without the other, but together they are equal parts scary and awesome. Melee and ranged, serious and easy-going, proactive and reactive, one able to see physically and the other spiritually. Watching them fight side by side is so satisfying. Admiral Raddus was the hero of the skies. Fearless, decisive, clever, and all-in-all the perfect leader for a rag-tag group of space pilots taking on the galaxy. You couldn't help but grin when the hammerhead pushed those two Imperial Star Destroyers to their doom. Next (and my personal favorite), K-2SO. He beat out just about every character in aim, reflexes, all-around ability, and above all, finesse. It's as if that "It would be so cool if..." itch was finally scratched. Plus, he dies a death that is simultaneously heroic, selfless, and overwhelmingly sad. And he's a droid. Last, but certainly not least, Vader. That minute of Vader spotlight at the end of the film was so perfectly horrific, evil, and intimidating that it retroactively makes Vader's entire role in the original three movies that much more amazing.

Wow, I honestly was not planning to type all that. Anyways, good job Rogue One. At least for now, you get to hold on to the top spot on my "Best Movies of All Time" list.

 

great review!!

 

Great GREAT review. Basically, I agree with everything you say.

 

This is the best Disney era SW film so far.

 

I wholeheartedly agree.

 

Rogue One really suprised me, but I still like TLJ the most.

 

Here's my review of Rogue One

 

Frankly, I've enjoyed everything about nu-Star Wars, except Solo. Rogue One was tremendously fun in IMAX.

 

The characters in rogue are kinda plain to me and how the gang comes together isn't all that convincing.

Am still not sure why Donnie and Jiang were even helping.

 

Yeah, their holy city was destroyed, along with Chirrut being guided by the force to join Jyn, with Baze as his loyal protector.

 

Not a new video, but I'm posting it anyway

 

I´d agree but if there is one thing the new films show it is how subjective characters are perceived.
How the character is written is not nearly as important as people claim, the acting, sympathy/antipathy for the actor etc are at least equally important. The problem is that when we are analyzing films we mostly judge the writing not the visual impression which is not a very realistic approach.
There is a reason why show - don´t tell is a golden rule of film making.

 

People always claim "The best film since Empire" every time a new SW film comes out - This is the only film (imo) that can ACTUALLY claim that!

 

Absolutely!

 

Yeah, and I certainly make that claim all the time.

Though now, I actually think Solo is not too far behind it. Doesn't reach Rogue One's dizzying, sublime heights, but it's really good.

 

Rogue Fun: A Podcast Story

This seems like a very promising beginning. As a RO fan, I look forward to hearing more episodes . This movie deserves all the love and praise tbh .

 

I still think Solo is a better film - not much in it .....RO definitely benefitted from coming off TFA success & of course getting a December release - I think with the massive space battle RO had it probably felt a bit more epic than Solo but Solo was more of a fun ride to me.....

 

I think RO simply benefited from being a great movie.