Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Dir: Gareth Edwards
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Disney's reign over Star Wars in recent years has been extremely divisive, and with good reason. Underwhelming films and inconsistent series have left an already famously pessimistic and negative fan base more disillusioned and outspoken than ever. However, knew of the Shining lights of Disney's Star Wars run has been this 2016 Gareth Edwards directed film, which took a new and refreshing approach to a universe which had, to some, become extremely stale.
The first thing to note is the divergence in visuals, compared to prior films. The film's cinematographer; Greig Fraser, who would later work on 'Dune: Part One' (2021), chose to produce a more grounded and realistic aesthetic than fans were used to from the eccentric sci-fi universe. The results of their efforts are some of the most breathtaking and satisfying shots in all of Star Wars.
One of the most enjoyable features of the film is the way in which the ships featured were made to look like scale models, as they were in the original films. These ships are actually CGI, but were built from a digital library of scanned in old model kits, which allow them to look both nostalgic and utterly breathtaking.
The story is where this film could easily have died an ugly death. Anyone who has seen the original Star Wars (1977), will know the events and outcome of this prequel. However, what Edwards and screenwriters Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy do so effectively, is create a set of characters who both intrigue and endear, and allow the audience to both invest in them and the story, despite technically knowing what will happen.
I personally loved how the narrative was constructed. I think it mounted the stakes high, it added plenty of subplot and inter-character conflict, which complimented the overarching arc and allowed the film to feel worthwhile and enthralling. I also appreciated that the inevitable fan service, which is always a mix of good and bad, was done subtly, so as not to distract or detract from the plot.
The starring duo of Felicity Jones and Diego Luna took a little time to grow on me, but these days I really enjoy them as protagonists. They both fit in with Edwards' more grounded, realistic style - with each character having more complex personas and arcs than the more typical archetypal characters of other Star Wars films.
Alan Tudyk was an absolutely delightful addition to film, and was a wonderful source of light relief and enjoyment from the more serious aspects of the film. His intonations were spot on, and his timing was immaculately funny. He was easily my favourite character, as I'm sure is the case for many others too.
Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen make for a really enjoyable pair, who have some of the more enjoyable character interactions in the film. I also appreciate how unique they felt in the film, and could easily imagine plenty more adventures between the two.
I really liked Ben Mendelsohn's ambitious and slimy antagonistic character. I thought he played his role very well, and his interactions with some of his co-stars were very nicely acted, particularly one scene which I shan't go into details of for the sake of avoiding spoilers.
I also would like to credit Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker for their small but very memorable performances, while also giving credit to the likes of Riz Ahmed, Guy Henry, David Earl Jones, Jimmy Smits, Alistair Petrie and Genevieve O'Reilly for their supporting performances. Some of those names will of course be familiar, and were certainly welcome inclusions for me.
Overall, this is up there among the very best Star Wars productions ever, in my view. It routinely ranks in my top two or three films in the franchise, and is only conssitently beaten by The Empire Strikes Back (1980). I for one absolutely love this film, and, upon rewatching, having seen the Andor series, there was so much more emotion and depth to the film. Each one compliments the other beautifully.
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