Post by NATASHA ROMANOFF on Dec 18, 2016 8:47:09 GMT -5
Hey guys,
I watched Star Wars: Rogue One yesterday and these are my thoughts about the movie in general. This is a non-spoiler review, but as I have done with Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, there is a hidden spoiler section below for those who have seen the movie and want to find out and discuss the movie in a in-depth review. As always, these are my opinions and if you do your reviews, please be respectful to what others have to say. Let's start:
It is a good movie. To me it's not an awesome or incredible movie, but it's not bad or terrible either. Is just good enough to watch in the theaters once, meaning I am not going to go out of my way to watch it multiple times (which I used to do for every Star Wars movie back in the day), but for one watch... it is good enough. Although I would not mind going again if someone ask me to go with them. I was entertained, so it served its purpose on that front. I used to be – and notice how I say used to be – a huge Star Wars fan back in the day (those who know me best know how much of a Star Wars nerd I was, I'm looking at you Maggie
) but I lost most of my love for the franchise once it became clear that they were going to start once again putting movies out just for the sake of putting them out. To me, 'Episode VII: The Force Awakens' – which I refused to watch in theaters – and the next “Episodes” movies are completely unnecessary from the Story standpoint, because to me the story had a natural conclusion in 'Return of the Jedi' and trying to recycle more episodes is just a cash grab. 'Force Awakens' was a beat by beat remake of Episode IV: A New Hope, and the only “new thing” it did was changing Luke for Rey and added better CGI... the rest was just New Hope set 30 years later. It didn't help matters that J.J. Abrams was directing and I can't sit through a J.J. Abrams film without wanting to throw something at the screen and rolling my eyes at the damn lens-flares he always uses in every single movie or series he has done LOL. I know many people like his movies and more power to them... but me... no, no, no and no LOL.
Now, Rogue One is not a remake – and wasn't directed by J.J. either! – which was why I gave it a chance and for the first time in more than eleven years I sat on a theater to watch a Star Wars movie. It had enough original things in the story that made me think 'hmmm, this might be good'. The premise is basically the story of that team that got the plans for the Death Star that later we see in Episode IV: A New Hope. So basically the movie is set between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. That alone is cool, because although it is part of the overall story, it is is also a stand alone movie. In fact, that idea alone make this movie better than Force Awakens (not that that is a great accomplish... I am telling you guys, Force Awakens was a sham and a cash grab... I already saw it decades ago... it was called A New Hope! Is as if I take a post by Maggie or Becka, just change a few words and then copy paste it! Yeah, I am quite bitter about that movie LOL).
Disclaimer, though... if you want your Star Wars with a lot of 'pew, pew', 'boom boom', 'OMG! geeking out moments, comedy gags and stuff like that, this is NOT your movie. That was one of the things I liked about it. It has an emotional and even dramatic tone reminiscent of Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (although it is not as good as Empire in my opinion, let me clear that). I connected with some of the characters and even had an emotional respond to them (gone from this movie are the damn Mary Sue-Gary Stu characters that plagued 'Force Awakens' and other of the Star Wars movies). It does have a fair amount of fanservice moments, don't get me wrong, but they were subtle and even necessary for the plot, put there organically and only really geeky fans would notice them. It is more somber and even darker than any of the other Star Wars movies with the exception of Empire Strikes Back and maybe Revenge of the Sith.
It does start a bit 'slow', but for me that was what made it good. It builds up, it gives us a chance to get to know our protagonists, to immerse ourselves in their struggle and to empathize with them, instead of just bombarding us with 'OMG!' moments or exploding a bucket of CGI on us. I like slow, emotional builds, but perhaps that is just me. Again, if you want explosions and a Michael Bay or Zack Snyder diarrhea of CGI, this is NOT your movie. The plot is a basic and even simple one, but it was – as said – good enough and solid enough to make for a good movie. At least it wasn't a beat by beat remake (yes, another shot at Force Awakens LOL).
The main villain was what you would expect from a Star Wars movie except that it was a person and not an overpowered Sith Lord or something like that. He was evil enough to make you interested in him and his backstory but not too much that makes him a damn cartoon (looking at you Kylo Ren, you twat, bootleg Darth Vader wannabe!). More about the villain – and other characters – in the Spoilers review.
All in all, an extremely well put together little movie (see what I did there? Eh? Eh? If you didn't, how dare you call yourself a Star Wars fan ). I can recommend it to people (which was something I couldn't do with Force Awakens). I am going to use a funny rating system that the guys at Double Toasted use (if you haven't seen Double Toasted movie reviews, I highly recommend them, they are hilarious. Check their youtube channel). The rating system is:
Better than Sex – The movie is almost flawless and deserves to be watch a thousand times because it is that good!
Full Price – It is good enough for you to pay full admission and even go expensive and watch it in IMAX.
Matinee – It's good, not a great movie, but good enough to enjoy in a regular theater at lower prices.
Rental – Save your time and money and just rent it or watch it on Netflix when it comes out.
Same Old BS! – It's crap... it's complete crap... I mean, crappiest crap that ever crapped!
FECK YOU! – Lowest of the low... can't get lower than that. The movie is not only horrible but it makes you get angry that someone even dared making it!
Now, with that explained, my rating for Star Wars: Rogue One is:
Between a low Full Price and a high Matinee. It has enough elements to be a good movie but it is not without flaws (which I will go through in the Spoiler section). If you are a die-hard fan of Star Wars, it got enough things there to make you happy and if you are into a more slow paced, build up, dramatic and emotional story... it got things there for you as well. It is a hugeeeeeee improvement from Force Awakens in my book and I rather see these types of Star Wars movies than the nostalgia crapfest the new Episodes are going to be.
In a nutshell: If you liked Empire Strikes Back, you'll like this one.
Now unto...
I watched Star Wars: Rogue One yesterday and these are my thoughts about the movie in general. This is a non-spoiler review, but as I have done with Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, there is a hidden spoiler section below for those who have seen the movie and want to find out and discuss the movie in a in-depth review. As always, these are my opinions and if you do your reviews, please be respectful to what others have to say. Let's start:
It is a good movie. To me it's not an awesome or incredible movie, but it's not bad or terrible either. Is just good enough to watch in the theaters once, meaning I am not going to go out of my way to watch it multiple times (which I used to do for every Star Wars movie back in the day), but for one watch... it is good enough. Although I would not mind going again if someone ask me to go with them. I was entertained, so it served its purpose on that front. I used to be – and notice how I say used to be – a huge Star Wars fan back in the day (those who know me best know how much of a Star Wars nerd I was, I'm looking at you Maggie
) but I lost most of my love for the franchise once it became clear that they were going to start once again putting movies out just for the sake of putting them out. To me, 'Episode VII: The Force Awakens' – which I refused to watch in theaters – and the next “Episodes” movies are completely unnecessary from the Story standpoint, because to me the story had a natural conclusion in 'Return of the Jedi' and trying to recycle more episodes is just a cash grab. 'Force Awakens' was a beat by beat remake of Episode IV: A New Hope, and the only “new thing” it did was changing Luke for Rey and added better CGI... the rest was just New Hope set 30 years later. It didn't help matters that J.J. Abrams was directing and I can't sit through a J.J. Abrams film without wanting to throw something at the screen and rolling my eyes at the damn lens-flares he always uses in every single movie or series he has done LOL. I know many people like his movies and more power to them... but me... no, no, no and no LOL. Now, Rogue One is not a remake – and wasn't directed by J.J. either! – which was why I gave it a chance and for the first time in more than eleven years I sat on a theater to watch a Star Wars movie. It had enough original things in the story that made me think 'hmmm, this might be good'. The premise is basically the story of that team that got the plans for the Death Star that later we see in Episode IV: A New Hope. So basically the movie is set between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. That alone is cool, because although it is part of the overall story, it is is also a stand alone movie. In fact, that idea alone make this movie better than Force Awakens (not that that is a great accomplish... I am telling you guys, Force Awakens was a sham and a cash grab... I already saw it decades ago... it was called A New Hope! Is as if I take a post by Maggie or Becka, just change a few words and then copy paste it! Yeah, I am quite bitter about that movie LOL).
Disclaimer, though... if you want your Star Wars with a lot of 'pew, pew', 'boom boom', 'OMG! geeking out moments, comedy gags and stuff like that, this is NOT your movie. That was one of the things I liked about it. It has an emotional and even dramatic tone reminiscent of Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (although it is not as good as Empire in my opinion, let me clear that). I connected with some of the characters and even had an emotional respond to them (gone from this movie are the damn Mary Sue-Gary Stu characters that plagued 'Force Awakens' and other of the Star Wars movies). It does have a fair amount of fanservice moments, don't get me wrong, but they were subtle and even necessary for the plot, put there organically and only really geeky fans would notice them. It is more somber and even darker than any of the other Star Wars movies with the exception of Empire Strikes Back and maybe Revenge of the Sith.
It does start a bit 'slow', but for me that was what made it good. It builds up, it gives us a chance to get to know our protagonists, to immerse ourselves in their struggle and to empathize with them, instead of just bombarding us with 'OMG!' moments or exploding a bucket of CGI on us. I like slow, emotional builds, but perhaps that is just me. Again, if you want explosions and a Michael Bay or Zack Snyder diarrhea of CGI, this is NOT your movie. The plot is a basic and even simple one, but it was – as said – good enough and solid enough to make for a good movie. At least it wasn't a beat by beat remake (yes, another shot at Force Awakens LOL).
The main villain was what you would expect from a Star Wars movie except that it was a person and not an overpowered Sith Lord or something like that. He was evil enough to make you interested in him and his backstory but not too much that makes him a damn cartoon (looking at you Kylo Ren, you twat, bootleg Darth Vader wannabe!). More about the villain – and other characters – in the Spoilers review.
All in all, an extremely well put together little movie (see what I did there? Eh? Eh? If you didn't, how dare you call yourself a Star Wars fan
). I can recommend it to people (which was something I couldn't do with Force Awakens). I am going to use a funny rating system that the guys at Double Toasted use (if you haven't seen Double Toasted movie reviews, I highly recommend them, they are hilarious. Check their youtube channel). The rating system is:Better than Sex – The movie is almost flawless and deserves to be watch a thousand times because it is that good!
Full Price – It is good enough for you to pay full admission and even go expensive and watch it in IMAX.
Matinee – It's good, not a great movie, but good enough to enjoy in a regular theater at lower prices.
Rental – Save your time and money and just rent it or watch it on Netflix when it comes out.
Same Old BS! – It's crap... it's complete crap... I mean, crappiest crap that ever crapped!
FECK YOU! – Lowest of the low... can't get lower than that. The movie is not only horrible but it makes you get angry that someone even dared making it!
Now, with that explained, my rating for Star Wars: Rogue One is:
Between a low Full Price and a high Matinee. It has enough elements to be a good movie but it is not without flaws (which I will go through in the Spoiler section). If you are a die-hard fan of Star Wars, it got enough things there to make you happy and if you are into a more slow paced, build up, dramatic and emotional story... it got things there for you as well. It is a hugeeeeeee improvement from Force Awakens in my book and I rather see these types of Star Wars movies than the nostalgia crapfest the new Episodes are going to be.
In a nutshell: If you liked Empire Strikes Back, you'll like this one.
Now unto...
I like the concept of 'Star Wars Stories'. It gives us a closure of things we as fans has always asked about the story. This one shows us the team that got the plans for the Death Star that then Leia in New Hope sent to Ben Kenobi. Disney should have gone with this when they decided to make new Star Wars movies instead of rehashing the whole 'Episodes' thing that as I said above, had a conclusion and there is no need to revisited them. If I wanted to watch A New Hope again, I would go and re-watch the original A New Hope and not a remake with a title “Force Awakens” plastered on it. 'Star Wars Stories' are a much better way to keep the franchise alive without the need to just copy-paste the old movies time and time again. Rogue One is a stand-alone movie but still keeps the essence, the iconic feel and ties in with the Star Wars series... I liked that, as you can see.
However, it is not without some flaws, but most of them can be overlooked... not all of them, but most. I am going to go through the Pros and Cons:
PROS:
The Story – As I said, I liked they gave us some sort of answer to several questions many had... how did the Rebels got the plans of the Death Star? Who build it? What happened to them? The story, as I said above, is a bit simplistic but at the same time, it worked well enough. I liked it.
Emotional Investment – I never thought I would put 'emotion' and Star Wars in the same sentence, but this one got it. You feel for the protagonists, you are there with them, you even want to pump your fist in the air when they go on their suicidal mission (and guys, IT IS a suicide mission... do not make any mistake about it... they knew, they damn KNEW they were not coming back, which made it soooo emotional and heroic... take that, you stupid Suicide Squad!) and you choke back tears when they manage to accomplish the mission but pay the ultimate price. Heroes! Way more heroic than anything I have ever seen in a Star Wars movie. I have never felt as emphatic for Luke, Leia or Han than I did with the Rogue One team. The feels! LOL
The Look of the Movie – it has the same gritty, dirty look that New Hope had. The galaxy is at war and you can see it. It is also gritty and violent – way more than any Star Wars movie – and it makes you feel as if these people are really struggling against overwhelming odds. I can say honestly... this is a war movie set in Star Wars.
Felicity Jones – Her character is everything Rey was NOT in Force Awakens (sorry, but that is how I see it, the Mary Sue version of the Gary Stu Luke Skywalker). While Rey was a bootleg clone of Luke Skywalker, Jyn (that's the name of Jones' character) is her own person, she brings an emotional push (especially her relationship with her father) and although the dialogue and the delivery in some instances was a bit 'meh' – the hallmark of any Star Wars movie not named 'Empire Strikes Back' – it doesn't take away from the emotional and action scenes she is part of. You cheer for her, especially in the third act, when the shit hits the fan and they are trying... trying... oh ever-loving trying... to fulfill their mission and the way she met her death was nothing short of emotional. I have to admit that I... I got something in my eyes that made me tear up... LOL.
Supporting Cast – Very good. I love Donny Yen's character (way to go for the China Market, Disney! LOL), the best character in the movie besides maybe Jyn... no... it was better than hers in some aspects. The Rogue One team were all quite interesting and my only gripe is that they were not developed even more. Don't get me wrong, they were, but I would have watched an additional hour of them sitting around and just talk and hang out. I also liked the multinational cast as well.
The Villain – As I said above, it is basically your typical Imperial Commander villain, but don't know why, he came across as the most believable I have seen in any Star Wars movie not named 'Emperor Palpatine'. Maybe because English actors always make the best villains? Not sure. He had this Euro-Villain thing going. Loved his uniformed, very spiffy. Sometimes he was a tad over the top, but not a whole lot. All and all, I was very interested in his character and wanted to know more about what his deal was. The guy was under a lot of pressure to get the Death Star operational and it came across that he was losing it because of it. All and all, a very good performance in my opinion.
Forrest Whitaker!!!! – I love me some Forrest Whitaker, in anything! Give him a role in the Avengers! Or in any movie! He deserves to be in every movie ever made because, dude, is Forrest 'freaking' Whitaker! I love that guy! He wasn't in the movie for a whole lot but man... who cares... me want some more Whitaker!
Darth Vader – Of course he is going to be in it. At first I was 'ugh... they can't just make the movie about the other characters, they always have to shoe-horn Vader in for fanservice purposes', but I also realized that, this is a story set between Episode III and IV, so it makes sense Vader is in it. They did a great job to tie New Hope with this one and the WHY he was there in the Third Act. And I have to admit, there is a scene with him almost at the end of the movie that... well... made me geek out like a silly fangirl LOL.
Lack of Silly Comedy – This movie is very somber, at least for a Star Wars movie. There is a bit of humor here and there, but not the damn over the top silliness we are expected to see in every single Star Wars movie, trying to sell toys. It has enough of a serious tone without compromising the 'fun' aspect. Kudos for that.
CONS:
The Music – it does not have the epic Star Wars music we are all in love with. If you hear the score without watching or knowing what movie it is from, you would never say its from a Star Wars movie. It has some short moments of tie in with the original score, but not a lot. I was a bit disappointed and underwhelmed by it.
Fanservice – Although I did say it doesn't have too many – and it doesn't – there are some that made me go 'ugh'. Vader I forgave because it made sense. Others... meh.
Some copies of the original movies – Although not a huge thing, the final act is basically a bit of a remake of what happened in Return of the Jedi with some changes. Not bad enough to make me rip my hair off my head – like Force Awakens that was EVERYTHING COPIED from New Hope – , but I noticed it.
Moth Tarkin and Princess Leia – they had the characters in the movie, but it was blatant CGI and you could see it a mile away. They looked phony as hell. They had to be in the movie, like Vader, I get that... but I would have rather had a stand in shot from behind without showing too much of them, because once shown, you could see it was bad CGI. I guess their budget was way less than Force Awakens and they made the best of what they got... still... meh.
Vader's voice – this is me nitpicking, I know, because I am silly that way, but there was something odd about Vader's voice. I could not pinpoint what it was, but I checked and it says it was James Earl Jones doing the voice over... but to me it didn't sound like him. Of course, it could well be that as awesome as James is, he is older than dirt now and maybe he doesn't have the range he once had (one of the greatest voices ever, him and Christopher Lee... both awesome) but... yeah.
Slow Paced – This is not a negative for me, because as I said I love slow, methodical build up with a crescendo that lead us to the climax of the story, but I am aware that many would find the movie a bit boring in the beginning. It is slow, showing us more about characters than cool explosions and 'pew pew' moments. Again, I love that in this movie, but I can see why other fans of the franchise might have a bit of a problem with it.
Beginning and abrupt Ending – It doesn't start like a typical Star Wars movie and it ends abruptly. I would have liked a sort of remembrance for the guys who died in this the most important mission for the Rebel Alliance, but it doesn't, it just... end. In fact, it kinda pissed me off that the Rebellion basically said “yay, thanks, sorry you died, better you than me.” I was left with a “what a bunch of dicks the Rebel Alliance is!” feeling. Don't get me wrong, I like the blurry line between good and evil. Not the typical 'good guys are always good' and 'bad guys are always bad', but I wished the team that saved the damn galaxy got a bit more honor from the Alliance. The Rebels in this movie were kinda a-holes.
Anyway, this was my review for Star Wars: Rogue One.
However, it is not without some flaws, but most of them can be overlooked... not all of them, but most. I am going to go through the Pros and Cons:
PROS:
The Story – As I said, I liked they gave us some sort of answer to several questions many had... how did the Rebels got the plans of the Death Star? Who build it? What happened to them? The story, as I said above, is a bit simplistic but at the same time, it worked well enough. I liked it.
Emotional Investment – I never thought I would put 'emotion' and Star Wars in the same sentence, but this one got it. You feel for the protagonists, you are there with them, you even want to pump your fist in the air when they go on their suicidal mission (and guys, IT IS a suicide mission... do not make any mistake about it... they knew, they damn KNEW they were not coming back, which made it soooo emotional and heroic... take that, you stupid Suicide Squad!) and you choke back tears when they manage to accomplish the mission but pay the ultimate price. Heroes! Way more heroic than anything I have ever seen in a Star Wars movie. I have never felt as emphatic for Luke, Leia or Han than I did with the Rogue One team. The feels! LOL
The Look of the Movie – it has the same gritty, dirty look that New Hope had. The galaxy is at war and you can see it. It is also gritty and violent – way more than any Star Wars movie – and it makes you feel as if these people are really struggling against overwhelming odds. I can say honestly... this is a war movie set in Star Wars.
Felicity Jones – Her character is everything Rey was NOT in Force Awakens (sorry, but that is how I see it, the Mary Sue version of the Gary Stu Luke Skywalker). While Rey was a bootleg clone of Luke Skywalker, Jyn (that's the name of Jones' character) is her own person, she brings an emotional push (especially her relationship with her father) and although the dialogue and the delivery in some instances was a bit 'meh' – the hallmark of any Star Wars movie not named 'Empire Strikes Back' – it doesn't take away from the emotional and action scenes she is part of. You cheer for her, especially in the third act, when the shit hits the fan and they are trying... trying... oh ever-loving trying... to fulfill their mission and the way she met her death was nothing short of emotional. I have to admit that I... I got something in my eyes that made me tear up... LOL.
Supporting Cast – Very good. I love Donny Yen's character (way to go for the China Market, Disney! LOL), the best character in the movie besides maybe Jyn... no... it was better than hers in some aspects. The Rogue One team were all quite interesting and my only gripe is that they were not developed even more. Don't get me wrong, they were, but I would have watched an additional hour of them sitting around and just talk and hang out. I also liked the multinational cast as well.
The Villain – As I said above, it is basically your typical Imperial Commander villain, but don't know why, he came across as the most believable I have seen in any Star Wars movie not named 'Emperor Palpatine'. Maybe because English actors always make the best villains? Not sure. He had this Euro-Villain thing going. Loved his uniformed, very spiffy. Sometimes he was a tad over the top, but not a whole lot. All and all, I was very interested in his character and wanted to know more about what his deal was. The guy was under a lot of pressure to get the Death Star operational and it came across that he was losing it because of it. All and all, a very good performance in my opinion.
Forrest Whitaker!!!! – I love me some Forrest Whitaker, in anything! Give him a role in the Avengers! Or in any movie! He deserves to be in every movie ever made because, dude, is Forrest 'freaking' Whitaker! I love that guy! He wasn't in the movie for a whole lot but man... who cares... me want some more Whitaker!
Darth Vader – Of course he is going to be in it. At first I was 'ugh... they can't just make the movie about the other characters, they always have to shoe-horn Vader in for fanservice purposes', but I also realized that, this is a story set between Episode III and IV, so it makes sense Vader is in it. They did a great job to tie New Hope with this one and the WHY he was there in the Third Act. And I have to admit, there is a scene with him almost at the end of the movie that... well... made me geek out like a silly fangirl LOL.
Lack of Silly Comedy – This movie is very somber, at least for a Star Wars movie. There is a bit of humor here and there, but not the damn over the top silliness we are expected to see in every single Star Wars movie, trying to sell toys. It has enough of a serious tone without compromising the 'fun' aspect. Kudos for that.
CONS:
The Music – it does not have the epic Star Wars music we are all in love with. If you hear the score without watching or knowing what movie it is from, you would never say its from a Star Wars movie. It has some short moments of tie in with the original score, but not a lot. I was a bit disappointed and underwhelmed by it.
Fanservice – Although I did say it doesn't have too many – and it doesn't – there are some that made me go 'ugh'. Vader I forgave because it made sense. Others... meh.
Some copies of the original movies – Although not a huge thing, the final act is basically a bit of a remake of what happened in Return of the Jedi with some changes. Not bad enough to make me rip my hair off my head – like Force Awakens that was EVERYTHING COPIED from New Hope – , but I noticed it.
Moth Tarkin and Princess Leia – they had the characters in the movie, but it was blatant CGI and you could see it a mile away. They looked phony as hell. They had to be in the movie, like Vader, I get that... but I would have rather had a stand in shot from behind without showing too much of them, because once shown, you could see it was bad CGI. I guess their budget was way less than Force Awakens and they made the best of what they got... still... meh.
Vader's voice – this is me nitpicking, I know, because I am silly that way, but there was something odd about Vader's voice. I could not pinpoint what it was, but I checked and it says it was James Earl Jones doing the voice over... but to me it didn't sound like him. Of course, it could well be that as awesome as James is, he is older than dirt now and maybe he doesn't have the range he once had (one of the greatest voices ever, him and Christopher Lee... both awesome) but... yeah.
Slow Paced – This is not a negative for me, because as I said I love slow, methodical build up with a crescendo that lead us to the climax of the story, but I am aware that many would find the movie a bit boring in the beginning. It is slow, showing us more about characters than cool explosions and 'pew pew' moments. Again, I love that in this movie, but I can see why other fans of the franchise might have a bit of a problem with it.
Beginning and abrupt Ending – It doesn't start like a typical Star Wars movie and it ends abruptly. I would have liked a sort of remembrance for the guys who died in this the most important mission for the Rebel Alliance, but it doesn't, it just... end. In fact, it kinda pissed me off that the Rebellion basically said “yay, thanks, sorry you died, better you than me.” I was left with a “what a bunch of dicks the Rebel Alliance is!” feeling. Don't get me wrong, I like the blurry line between good and evil. Not the typical 'good guys are always good' and 'bad guys are always bad', but I wished the team that saved the damn galaxy got a bit more honor from the Alliance. The Rebels in this movie were kinda a-holes.
Anyway, this was my review for Star Wars: Rogue One.
![X-MEN:GRANDCHILDREN OF THE <st1:stockticker>ATOM</st1:stockticker> [A RPG]](http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz306/srhrpicons/MINIBAN_zpsdd681604.png)
