Star Wars movie ranking after The Last Jedi
By Mike McNulty
Credit: Lucasfilm; original poster for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
5. Rouge One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The first thing which tells you Rogue One isn’t your typical Star Wars movie is when it opens without John William’s signature theme or the opening text scrawl. At the same time, if you thought The Force Awakens had the look and feel of A New Hope, Rogue One replicates it right down to the Rebel’s 1970’s style sideburns. Yet somehow, Gareth Edwards’ “It’s Star Wars, but not quite” concept often works.
To best describe Rogue One, it’s a sci-fi take on World War II films like The Dirty Dozen or The Guns of Navarone, where a rag-tag group of misfit but experienced fighters set out on a suicide mission to turn the tide. The difference is the war in question is the galactic one between the Rebels and the Empire, and their mission is obtaining the Death Star plans. A simple, straight-forward plot, sure, but one with a very clear, narrative focus. It also offers a refreshing look at Star Wars from the perspective of the grunts and the average person.
Even so, the new characters, all of whom perform admirably, are bland and underdeveloped, especially Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). Others like Empire defector Bodhi (Riz Ahmed) and Saw Gerrera (Forest Whittaker) have little to do. The exceptions are Donnie Yen as the blind Force-sensitive, Chirrut Imwe, and Jiang Wen as the gun-totting Baze Malbus. The one who really steals the movie, however, is the reprogrammed Imperial droid, K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) who is, bar none, the most hilarious character in the entire franchise.
This is also the entry of the saga infamous for its reshoots and “resurrecting” Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. The first hour can also feel a bit slow, too. Yet once the crew of the titular Rogue One arrives at the Imperial base on Scarif, the action never lets up, with a space battle and ground-based firefight rivaling those of Return of the Jedi. It also effectively links itself to first Star Wars film, which includes a fantastic Darth Vader scene reminding you why he’s such an iconic villain in the first place.
I admire Rogue One for its willingness to take risks within the Star Wars universe. It doesn’t always succeed, but when it does, it really feels like a true supplement for the original trilogy.