Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

[Xavier]

I got in the cinema while coming from a hard  week at work, so I slept through much of it. I will catch it again on dvd, no way I'm paying a ticket again. From what I managed to see, weak and unmemorable characters, awful (and unethical, in the case of dead people) CGI actors, beautiful cinematography and listless score. It is telling that the best scene belongs to Vader, but what did they expect? It's freaking Vader!

Overall, a 6/10.

[Dan9]

The person I watched with couldn't tell Tarkin was even CGI. So they definitely didn't do a bad job there. (she's only seen A New Hope a couple times and didn't remember it was the same person) 

[Valonqar]

I'm surprised how weightless and surface level the movie is. They think if they set up Jedha to resemble Middle East and terrorism, that's OMG deep. LOL, no. There was no weight to anything. Lots of speechifying. Hope. Hope. LOL. Than we got the Force chant. Chirrut, the most unconvincing blind guy ever (why was he blind again when he didn't act like one?) , supposedly "sees" targets through the Force. Does his dumb chant 100 times over cause nobody could come up with decent lines for him. or anyone else.

 

Krennic was Crappic. That flashback of him with the Erso's was supposed to set up that they were freinds but you wouldn't know if you didn't read The catalyst. So that had no emotional weight whatsoever. And even in that book he was a fake friend to Galen so, again, it isn't like he was Jyn's favorite uncle or whatever. When he asks Jyn "Who are you?" and she gives him her name, I was, like, "so what?" Heroine/Villain dynamic was nothing, absolutely nothing. Just perfunctory like eevrything else in the movie.

 

It really is worth seeing it only for action though that same shot of a spinning X wing got old after the second time. 

 

Tons of stuff had no meaning. The kyber crystal Jyn's mother gave her. Nothing significant, just cliche token of love. Again, no resonance. 

 

Jyn must be unluckiest child ever cause she catches up with her parent's demises all the time. Do it once (mother), but twice (father)? Surely they could have killed him some other way, not the cliche "just as they met again, he keels over".  

Edited December 16, 2016 by Valonqar

[Chewy]

It's good! Atmospheric. Nice counter-point to Force Awakens.

[RobinHood26]

I will say my Chinese Imax screening was a rock concert! Cheers throughout the whole movie. Red leaders got huge applause, I couldn't even hear what CPO and R2 said, people clapped maybe 10+ times in the movie and the last 2 minutes everyone was cheering. The final beat it was like fireworks going off. I legit basically fist pumped when they launched to hyper space and the CLASSIC Star Wars ending cue kicked in. Whole place clapped and cheered for a solid 40 seconds straight when it ended. 

 

Episode 8 is going to be INSANE

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

Chinese IMAX preview crowds are insane. So happy I saw TFA there. 

[RobinHood26]

1/3rd of the theater was filled by StarWars.com forum people, thats why. All the guys who waited in line weeks for prequels were there, its the only place and time to go. 

[Napoleon]

The spectacular ending does not make up for the boring, full of cliches and deus ex machina rest of the movie. 50/100

[The Stingray]

My only real issue with this was that I felt Jyn's arc and her relationship with Cassian was a wee contrived and underdeveloped. I mean, that ending could've/should've hit home a lot harder. I also didn't think Felicity Jones was particularly good. Unlike Daisy Ridley, I thought she lacked charisma.
 

[Kalo]

2 hours ago, Jay Hollywood said:

I will say my Chinese Imax screening was a rock concert! Cheers throughout the whole movie. Red leaders got huge applause, I couldn't even hear what CPO and R2 said, people clapped maybe 10+ times in the movie and the last 2 minutes everyone was cheering. The final beat it was like fireworks going off. I legit basically fist pumped when they launched to hyper space and the CLASSIC Star Wars ending cue kicked in. Whole place clapped and cheered for a solid 40 seconds straight when it ended. 

 

Episode 8 is going to be INSANE

 

 

 

My theater almost never claps for movies, But they clapped several times at Rogue One and there was a substantially long applause at the end as well. 

[baumer]

I went into this fill fully expecting to enjoy myself, but right from the beginning I couldn't get into it. The beginning was really choppy, with no character set up or development for the protagonist -- we jump straight from her as a little girl to as an adult with nothing in between. (And never do we get any. The main antagonist has more of a character arc.) In the meantime, there are a lot of choppy cuts to different places we know and care nothing about.

This movie was dull, dull, dull. I never cared about any of the characters, the plot, when not chopped to pieces, was a combination of cliché, predictable, and idiotic, the dialogue was extremely forced, and the comic relief character had plenty of hackneyed one liners but no actual personality to support them. (Actually, the comic relief character was basically a self-aware version of Guardians of the Galaxy's Drax. That self-awareness and deliberate comic timing made the character basically a stand-up comedian, and not a particularly good one, instead of an actual character.) Of the dozens of jokes told, maybe three got a slight chuckle out of me -- and none of them had any real value.

I will say this: the visuals were stunning. There was also a brief sequence near the end I quite enjoyed. But that wasn't nearly enough to stop me from frequently wondering throughout the film when it was going to end and thinking extremely sarcastic thoughts when something uncommonly idiotic or cliché (usually both) occurred.

THIS PRETTY MUCH ECHOES MY ISSUES WITH THE FILM.

[rjones1325]

So I saw this in 4DX last night in the first showing in Times Square at 7 PM and it was an experience. My theater wasn't huge with hype as we were all investing with the visuals onscreen.
 

 

Two characters I did attach myself to was Donnie Yen as Chirrut Îmwe who is one of the coolest characters this film introduces. He’s like Daredevil mixed with Hawkeye where he’s blind yet skilled with a staff and a crossbow and charismatically making jokes about it. Another one is Alan Tudyk as the voice of K-2SO who is personally my favorite Droid introduced into the Star Wars universe to date. He is a hilarious character who unlike 3-CPO or R2-D2, helps out on the action and joins in the fights. He is completely badass. And besides that he is genially funny by having a cynical personality.

I hate fan service in movies especially in large franchises, but boy this delivers nearly as much as Captain America: Civil War does. One of the biggest reveals in the film’s marketing was Darth Vader. James Earl Jones returns to do the voice work of the iconic character, but once he’s shown BOOOOOOOY! I dare you not to get giddy about it. Although he is unnecessary, Vader is bak and is displayed as a threat similar to Freddy Kruger in the first NIghtmare on Elm Street. The film even introduces him in all white fog from the light walking up like he’s a God, Even minor things Star Wars fans love will have something to get a kick out of. There is something for nearly everyone in this.

: I have several major problems with the movie. For one our leads are very undeveloped. Jyn Erso is the audience’s avatar for this adventure and the film tries it’s best to flesh her out into a third dimensional character, but yet it fails to do so somehow. The film is paced way too fast to give her more of a personality than she is showcased to have. Casein Andor who I personally refer to as Han Manolo (if you have seen The Book of Life you’ll get it) isn’t that fleshed out as well which I think is for the best due to the fact that by it’s conclusion you would walk out depressed.

As much as the film’s visual effects are amazing there is one that is incredibly out of place. One of the important Star Wars characters in A New Hope was Grand Moff Tarkin played by Peter Cushing who passed nearly two decades. Since he was crucial to the story, the visual effects studio, Industrial Lights, and Magic came in to recreate him through CG and you can see it. It looks impressive but it isn’t impressive enough to not notice. It’s obvious that he’s CG and the film gives him a long amount of screen time and yet every time he appears you cringe onto how much the CG doesn’t mix well with actual human actors. I commend them for the effort, but it wasn’t effective enough.

[filmlover]

This is obviously a bit of a comedown from the euphoric highs of The Force Awakens but Gareth Edwards has delivered a solidly entertaining outing that serves as a satisfying bridge between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. I feel like the biggest problem here is the writing, as these aren't the most memorable characters the franchise has served to date. Felicity Jones and Diego Luna are good actors who give competent performances, but we never really care for either of their characters even beyond the fact we know beforehand that no one will be alive at the end of the movie. In fact, despite a lot of strong talent among the cast, most of them end up underused, as Ben Mendelsohn can't do much with an underwritten villain part and Forest Whitaker is barely even in the movie. I did enjoy Donnie Yen and the robot voiced by Alan Tudyk, though. Coincidentally, the movie is at its best when it ties directly into the other films (I don't think I have felt a bigger moment of delight in a movie theater this year than during Darth Vader's first appearance). The visuals are, of course, astonishing, even though the most impressive special effect is how they bring Peter Cushing back in a seamless matter 20+ years after his death. Not the best Star Wars movie ever, but a nice entrée between The Force Awakens and Episode 8. B

[jb007]

Excellent all the way. What a thrill ride. A great Star wars movie and very unlike others since all the major characters are new. Gareth Edwards should be commended for delivering a fine movie.

 

Donnie Yen is superb. His line is likely to endure. Felicity Jones and Diego Luna have also turned in very good performances. Also, the performances across the board is solid. K-2S0 is a great addition to the universe.

 

The last act is fantastic. But the first 2 acts are also superb. It was just fabulous to see the younger Leia at the end. I literally yelled out in joy. 

 

The score is good and the technical aspects are excellent. The scale of the action scenes are amazing.

 

Rating: A

[aabattery]

I'm in the camp that found the first two acts pretty meh. Not bad, but nothing to cry home about. The final act however, was incredible. Everything was mmmmmmm.

 

It gets an A- from me. Maybe a B+. Hard to say, still amped up from that finale.

 

On the topic of Tarkin, my friend didn't even notice he was CGI. He only realised after the Leia scene and was like 'how did they do that?'

[The Panda]

The movie gets better the more you let it sit.  Lots of great imagery, and I think a second viewing should really help it.

 

Plus, the movie really strengthens ANH.  The order I watch the films will now be

 

RO

ANH

ESB

ROTS (plus a few scenes from the other two prequels)

ROTJ

TFA

[DAJK]

During the show there were quite a few times where I had to ask myself "wait... do I like this?" The beginning was uneven and the character intros were too quick. Even by the end after that awesome final battle, I was thinking "okay... that was good. That was pretty good." But honestly, over 24 hours later, I can say that I really, really liked Rogue One.

 

First off, despite having huge set pieces, huge battles and some big repercussions throughout the saga, Rogue One feels like a smaller story, and I think that's why it works. The episodes all tell huge stories, while this one felt like its own thing, where it was integral to future (past I guess) instalments, but was also contained. I didn't think I cared about the characters until

they all died

but as I looked back I was like you know what, yea, those are some great additions to this series. It kinda reminds me of when I watch

Bridge to Terabithia now, where halfway through the movie I'm wondering why should I care so much about Leslie? But as soon as she dies it hits me like a train. Granted, Rogue One didn't have me crying like a baby but still

 

Anyways, good (great) film. Very enjoyable and I feel like rewatchability will be awesome.

8.5/10

[Claire of Themyscira]

23 hours ago, Noctis said:

I'm not a fan of Star Wars,  but I enjoyed Rogue One. I think the first two acts were a bit over-long and some of the characters in the group just didn't make any impact whatsoever. But Felicity Jones was great and elevated the character. The third act was very good, and I loved that there was genuine gravitas. 

 

B+

 

The movie was so beautifully shot. 

I love you.

 

[Hatebox]

Damn. Looks like I'm going to have to be a stick in the mud, but I thought it was a total clusterfuck.

 

I really wanted to like it, especially as the girl I was with was clearly having a whale of a time, but I'm at a total loss as to why they thought this story was worth telling. I guess I like the idea of delving into the more obscure aspects of the SW narrative, but I just couldn't care about any of the characters (Felicity Jones was fatally miscast) and the last half hour was a cross cutting mess.

 

I will say one thing though: it looked great. I loved the scenes on planets where they showed everyday life — the places felt real and lived in, not just a chance for the moviemakers to show off CGI creatures.

 

But yeah, looks like I'll have to chalk this up to another Jurassic World where I'm resigned to thinking everyone's insane for loving it. Oh well.

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2016 by Hatebox

[Ezen Baklattan]

Liked this a good bit.

 

Comparing with The Force Awakens, both movies really reveal the director's strengths and weaknesses. Rogue One, for example, highlights Edward's slick visual eye (the visuals in the final assault were incredible, more than anything in Force Awakens for me, honestly.) and development of atmosphere, fear versus hope, and tension. That said, it unfortunately gets at his struggle with creating compelling characters; aside from Yen, no one really gets anything fun or inventive to do here, but for a film built far more on building mythology and showcasing the unseen heroes of the rebellion, it does an awesome amount. 

 

Although a bit bummed the guy in my avatar was barely in it.

 

B/B+