REVIEW: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Courtesy of LucasFilm

Disney and Lucasfilm’s plan to expand the Star Wars universe by focusing on stories that don’t directly involve the Skywalker family is off to a strong start with Rogue One. It’s a thrilling heist film that delivers plenty of tension, even though most viewers already know the basic outcome. Chronologically, it falls after the prequel trilogy but immediately before the original film (think of it as Episode 3.5), focusing on the unveiling of the Death Star as the Empire’s ultimate weapon and the Rebel Alliance’s effort to destroy it.

Prequels typically end up being a wheel-spinning slog because there isn’t much room for narrative surprises – a weakness this franchise is painfully familiar with. However, this one works because it introduces a dynamic group of new characters (although several familiar faces pop up along the way) and transforms a ludicrous plot device from A New Hope into a brilliant, surprisingly poignant idea.

Rogue One introduces viewers to Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a criminal who becomes a valuable target for the Rebel Alliance when its leaders discover her lineage. She’s the daughter of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a scientist who the Empire captured and forced to design the Death Star.

When Empire pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) defects and reveals he knows Galen’s whereabouts, the Alliance assembles a team to track him down and steal his plans. With no thoughts for their own safety, Jyn and Bodhi, along with charismatic rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), blunt-speaking droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk, playing the polar opposite of C-3PO) and enigmatic duo Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang) embark on a mission they hope will contribute to the Empire’s defeat.

Thanks to director Gareth Evans’ aptitude for staging harrowing battle sequences, this is the first Star Wars film that feels like an actual war movie. Screenwriters Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy (working from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta) craft memorable characters with a gift for terrific dialogue. As other films in the series can attest, that’s insanely tough to pull off.

Jones is one of my favorite actresses, so I’m happy that she has finally found the perfect role to showcase her immense talent instead of squandering it. She was incredible as Stephen Hawking’s wife, Jane, in The Theory of Everything, but Eddie Redmayne reaped most of the rewards (including an Oscar) because he had the flashier part. And the sooner we forget Inferno happened at all, the better off everyone will be.

As Jyn, she gets to show off both strength and vulnerability while exhibiting a dizzying array of emotions. She also establishes herself as a credible action heroine, taking part in some killer fight scenes.

Mikkelsen is also quite good in an earnest departure from the icy villains he usually plays in movies like Doctor Strange and Casino Royale, as well as his career-defining work on NBC’s dearly departed Hannibal. It took me a while to get used to the change, but he instills his role with a sincere humanity that retroactively adds deeper resonance to the original film. That’s no small feat.

Mendelsohn, terrific as always, is another standout, even though the narrative hamstrings his conniving, politically-driven villain for spoiler-related reasons I can’t get into. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn’t grant Forest Whitaker any favors. He gives his all to a brief supporting role, but it ultimately feels unnecessary from a narrative perspective.

Still, despite strong acting work across the board, most viewers will probably leave the theater raving about Tudyk, Yen and Jiang, whose characters steal every scene they’re in. They get the best lines, as well as the most memorable fight scenes.

The biggest flaw with Rogue One, aside from a hefty amount of table-setting in the first hour, is the film’s dependence on CGI to incorporate two spoiler-ish characters that play small but pivotal roles in the narrative. It ends up transporting viewers into the uncanny valley at crucial moments in the story, including the very last shot. What is meant to be an applause moment instead evokes creepy memories of The Polar Express.

I get why Edwards would go this route in theory; the roles are so connected to previous actors that it seems like blasphemy to recast them (even though that’s exactly what Lucasfilm is doing with the upcoming “young Han Solo” movie). In practice, however, it’s like watching flesh-and-blood actors interact with a video game. The technology’s not quite there yet.

It’s an unfortunate decision that mars an otherwise stellar entry in the iconic franchise. Still, even with its missteps, Rogue One deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the original films. It’s unquestionably superior to the other prequels and also better than last year’s The Force Awakens. The beloved series is headed in a promising direction.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action.

Grade: B+