Why ‘Rogue One’ was as good as ‘Empire Strikes Back’
The most emotional moments in the history of Star Wars are always the darkest. The end of The Empire Strikes Back and death of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda are a few examples from a long list. Fortunately Rogue One: A Star Wars Story understands this, and is a film that hits everything supposed to be Star Wars. Rogue One narrates a warlike story when a group of rebel soldiers tasked with stealing the Death Star plans.
It’s dark and gritty like Empire Strikes Back
There is death, destruction, emotions, and struggles. Not everyone is going to emerge unscathed from the movie, and yet by the end of the plot all be worth it, because the darkness is balanced with that familiar tone of the Star Wars universe, resulting in a film that offers an experience completely satisfying the audience. The Death Star, at last, demonstrates his greatness, terrifies us, and becomes the murderous weapon of planets.
Revisited the old vintage feel
The beginning of the film is slow, but once our group of protagonists joins, the film takes strength and the magic begins. Visually the movie is spectacular. The effects, the sets, the locations, the planets, the explosions and the models are “of another world”. The technological advances that Rogue One will be marked in the history of the special effects thanks to its daring decision to use actors that in the real life have died or aged. The costumes and designs of alien species in the film are outstanding.
Being a movie that goes just before Episode IV in the official timeline, it was difficult to make it look current and at the same time, to square with its counterpart of the seventies. It is clear to me that Gareth Edwards and his team did a deep research to understand what the true visual essence of the series is in order not to ruin anything and at the same time, to be able to introduce new ideas.
As for the actors, they all did a great job. Felicity Jones gives us a cold heroine who has grown up to survive the war. And although the character has the most important parts of the mission, unlike Rey in “The Force Awakens”, which without explanation is good at all, it is inspiring that Jyn had war training and is a woman prepared for war.
The Script
A Star Wars Story is completely written and thought so that the fans of the series enjoy it, leaving almost to the side of those who attend the cinema to see a film like this by pure fashion. The beginning of the movie can be extremely confusing if you are not familiar with the historical space in which everything is set, because you jump from one place to another very quickly, while new and old characters are present.
Without a doubt, its script fits almost perfectly with the facts that occur in Star Wars: Episode IV. I was very worried about this issue, as I am talking about a 2016 film that serves as a direct prequel to one that premiered in 1977. The best thing about this is that it does so in an extremely sophisticated way that it gets everything imbues to perfection as a well-designed puzzle.
The Structure
The structure of the film is not so complicated and that helps to make its rhythm really dynamic. You can what happens to the rebels and immediately see what happens to the Imperials. It’s a film that has such a realistic and personal kind of action that it gives the audience a more human perspective of the galaxy. In other words, it is a story of Star Wars, but at street level.
Gareth Edwards used a clear and direct vision with which he manages to catch the audience immediately. At each step of its history, new characters are presented, new challenges arrive and you can see many great links to the saga. The film does not pause at any time until the end of the film.
Visuals
Star Wars has always been a pioneer in the field of visual effects and art direction. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a visual and auditory show that will make you live an entire experience inside the cinema, especially if you see it on an IMAX screen. Once again, the use of locations and real objects with full computer generated elements are perfectly combined. Speaking of CGI, the movie has a couple of characters that were totally recreated by these technologies, which of course is not the first time that happens.
Musical Score
Obviously, the music is based on the legendary pieces of John Williams, however, the talented composer Michael Giacchino was brought in to make a couple of arrangements and to introduce you to new melodies. Needless to say, the result is extremely prominent in every way, so once again I am talking about a Star Wars movie for its sound section.
The composer Michael Giacchino had only four and a half weeks to make the music of this film, after the sudden departure of his predecessor. He could have used the classical melodies, but he preferred to make a series of contributions that made a great impression on me. Maybe he could do better with more time, but his job was not in vain.
Darth Vader, the most feared villains in the Galaxy
One of the great attractions of “Rogue One” is the appearance of Darth Vader, the ultimate villain and central character in the saga of Star Wars. For almost 40 years he has become an icon for popular culture and has transcended areas that go beyond fiction. The appearance of Darth Vader in Rogue One is one of the most anticipated entry for fans of the Star Wars. He has returned, and his ruthless sense of humor as well.
Darth Vader finally gets a moment to show what power he has as a strong villain in Galaxy and, oh my... He takes down a bunch of rebel fighters in just a moment using his lightsaber, but mainly his deep power of the evil force.
The first Star Wars movie without Jedi
Disney is looking for a way to expand the universe of Star Wars but without saturating, giving life and prominence to new characters and leave a little history of the Jedi and the Force fighting the dark side, something that has been identified the Saga from the beginning. But it is also true that the stories have seen great characters, who have all the elements to develop attractive stories that come out a little of what we all know, and this is where Rogue One comes in.
Verdict:
Nothing is missing and nothing is superfluous, in case there is less Darth Vader and lots of action, essentially required for a product of this type. Everything seems an impossible mission, but the inborn human values to rebel against dictatorship and oppression always so fashionable in Hollywood.
This is a movie for adult fans and not for the little ones. The latter may get bored with the slow beginning and feel some fear, but I am sure that they will leave the cinema ecstatic thanks to the splendor of the final battle. In addition, Rogue One is a very important film, because there is so much variety in the cast that you can all relate them to someone and choose a favorite character. Because from the main cast to the pilots of the rebellion, you can find a diversity of race, age, and genres.
