Chat corner 25: Rogue One

[annathecrow]

Welcome to this week’s chat corner!

Optional prompt

If you need something to discuss, the topic for this week is “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”.

Comments

[annathecrow]

And here's your Dark Side post link for all your rage needs, as usual.

[fleurviolette]

Rogue One was alright. Not my favorite Star Wars film, but decent enough.

IMO they should have casted a different actress to play Jyn Erso. I thought her acting was flat in comparison to everyone else.

[yourlibrarian]

My initial impression of Rogue One was mixed but what amuses me was my conclusion: "While I doubt I'll want to rewatch this film more than once, I do look forward to seeing it on DVD where it will be easier to pause and examine details and piece together references in the plot."

In fact I've seen it four times now and I find it a much better film than the concluding Skywalker trilogy. I still agree with my first impression though which is that the first third of the movie dragged, and that there was more backstory there than we ever get into.

I saw this movie before I saw Clone Wars or Rebels which makes a difference. For example I would have been much more excited by the inclusion of Saw Gerrera and his death would have made more of an impact. I thought they did well with what time they had for him, but if you knew nothing about him there was less involvement.

However to me the power of the movie on first viewing is still the same at my last, which was:

"What I did like about the movie was both that the writers took advantage of its standalone nature by killing everyone off, and also that they made the business of the Rebellion dirty and messy, with different factions and temporary allies, and not the neat righteous divide of the original films. Numerous people have their motives questioned, and it's not always clear right away who can be counted on. The introduction of Cassian is, for example, a long way from the debates of whether or not Han shot first. I liked having the writers demonstrate the cost of these actions, which normally borders on fantasy in the unlikelihood of people's success or survival.

Ultimately though, what I liked best about the film was that it was all about not breaking the chain. As one individual after another plays their part and is felled as a casualty, the mission remains the most important thing. I liked how "small" the film was in many ways. One problem for epic stories is that the ante must always be upped, from saving a person to saving a city to saving the world (or the universe, depending on where the story began). This movie did the opposite and went small. I really enjoyed the fact that something as simple as connecting a cable became crucial and cost several lives.

This message is particularly obvious in the final scenes where Vader, for the first time really, seems dangerous and inescapable. I also liked the central dilemma in the film for Galen. He could stand on principle and refuse to participate but he knows that will have little effect in the long run. Instead he decides to sabotage from within. He will never become a hero for this; indeed it's questionable if anyone in the film will be recognized posthumously by the Rebellion for the part they played. I like how this contrasts with Orson Krennic and his determination to use credit for the Death Star to advance his career."

[extrapenguin]

I hadn't thought about Rogue One that much, but yes, I would like to co-sign your opinion. The scale of the film was good after how the whole saving the galaxy shig has been overused. And the Vader scenes at the end were some of the best parts.

[yourlibrarian]

I think that SW, like the MCU and other interlocking stories, can never really build out its verse properly in films. There's not enough time and they have too many audiences to serve. That was still true here but the whole movie was about one mission whose end result was a handoff. On the one hand I would love to see more "small" stories like this, but on the other hand it's probably because it's part of the whole SW franchise that it can be made at all.

[annathecrow]

Nice write-up; you almost made me want to watch it now :D There's a lot in your description that appeals to me.

I have stayed away until now; it's just too hard to watch a movie where I know everyone will die by the end of it. But hey, I did get around to watching Episode III after... uhhhhh... 15 years? I might get to Rogue One one day too! XD

[yourlibrarian]

Well character death is a pretty big DNW in most parts of fandom, though the plus is that prequels still can be done! I'm looking forward to the Cassian series.

[annathecrow]

From what I've seen around the internet, it feels like Rogue One is the one new SW movie that's almost universally liked. I wonder if any of the future "Star Wars Story" will try to replicate that, or if the idea is to throw new things at viewers and hope they hit some interested audience that will pay for its production. From the last project line-up, it looks more like the latter to me...