STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE

[CTPhipps]

Overall, I liked it but didn't love it.

http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogsp ... eview.html

Still, some truly beautiful visuals.

Love the droid too.

[Thorpocalypse]

I really liked it. Bordering on love, I believe, but...*sniff*...I've been hurt before...it's so hard to say the words...*sniff*...

...I'm looking at you, Director George Lucas.

Anyway, I thought it was really good. Some nitpicks here and there but I loved the cameos. And the Vader scene? Magnifique!

[Batgirl III]

I thought that Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game: The Movie was extremely good. Quite possibly the most enjoyable film in the franchise for me personally.

No spoilers, but this really is the kind of story you'd expect (almost to the point of cliche) in an RPG session... Albeit this one told by a helluva GM with a fantastic cast of players.

I'll also confess that I've had something of an obsession with Felicity Jones ever since I saw her in The Tempest, so even though I love her... I was a little worried about her being able anchor a Star Wars film. She does so with ease.

Alan Tudyk is golden. Donnie Yen is amazing. The CGI Ghost of Peter Cushing reminds us all why Tarkin – not Vader – was the original Big Bad Evil Guy of the galaxy.

I've seen every film in the franchise a bunch of times (except the two most recent which I've seen once each), read a handful of the novels, some of the comics, played some of the video games, and spent way too many weekends playing the RPG... But I've never really considered myself a fan. The prequel films are terrible, the original trilogy has some serious flaws, and I've just never found the Jedi/Sith conflict interesting.

Rogue One is probably the Star Wars film I've enjoyed the most... and the more I think about it in comparison to the rest of the franchise, the more I Ike it.

To begin with, it's one of the few with a plot that isn't a re-telling of Star Wars (1977). Which Episodes VI, I, and VII all were. Nor is is it made up entirely of nostalgic callbacks to Star Wars. Which the prequel trilogy was drowning in... as was Episode VII.

This film is also the first one since the first Star Wars that made me actually empathize with the protagonist(s). In '77, we had a traumatized farm boy caught up in a broader conflict against an evil regime who killed his parents in an act of petty cruelty; In '16, we have a traumatized farm girl drafted into a rebellion that she had previously walked away from... Luke in the original film and Jyn in the latest one had humanity and pathos that the protagonists in the rest of the franchise are sorely lacking.

Space-Wizards that actively repress emotion, condone slavery, and work as the military secret police for a theocratic aristocracy? Hard to sympathize with.

Theocratic monarchists who want to bring back the aristocracy and their slave-trading space-wizards? Hard to sympathize with.

Freedom fighters who have done bad things in the service of a good cause, but seek atonement for their actions? I can get behind that.

Because frankly, it's about damn time that the 'Star Wars' franchise actually featured a real war in the stars?

The final extended battle sequence is key to me finding this film's protagonists more sympathetic that the rest. If you've never seen the (in)famous "Mr. Plinkett" reviews of the prequel trilogy, he includes a lengthy riff about how the clone wars are presented as a (paraphrasing) "war without cost or consequences."

Mass produced slave-soldiers who are treated as disposable commodities are sent to remote worlds to fight mass produced robot-soldiers who are treated as disposable commodities. Meanwhile, in the cities of Coruscant and Naboo, life for everybody is still swank nightclubs, inexplicably Fifties-themed diners, and pastoral frolicking at lakeside manors.

The original trilogy doesn't completely sanitize the conflict like the prequels did... But because the scope is limited mostly to the Skywalker's family drama and some space dogfights... Well, they just don't seem to focus much on the "Wars" bit of "Star Wars."

Rogue One makes the galactic civil war have human cost, definite consequences, and lasting impact.

Gimme more films about humans acting human, less about space-wizards acting like the messiah.

[Ares]

Without getting into spoilers, I really enjoyed this movie. In my mind, if it isn't up there with the original trilogy, its' right behind them. I actually liked it quite a bit more than Force Awakens, and it's put me on a Rebels kick.

Plus I got to see Donnie Yen kung fu Storm Troopers in a Star Wars movie. We fix the Captain Marvel/Shazam situation over at DC and I might be able to die content.

[L-Space]

I thought it was fantastic! The actors did really well, the action was well done, and K-2S0 was funny without going overboard into annoying. That Vader scene? Probably one of my favorite scenes in the entire series.

[RUSCHE]

This is my favorite film in the Star Wars serious next to The Empire Strikes Back. I felt more connected to the characters and what motivated them as it seemed more personal in the way it was presented. The prequels were just horrid in my opinion and seemed lacking of any connection to the fan base at all. Plus now we remember why Tarkin was the original bad @#$ and finally Vader!!! It had it's bad moments but overall finally War and all the unpleasantness that comes along with it portrayed in Starr Wars..

[Ares]

Vader pretty much owned every scene he was in, and was nice reminder of why Vader was such a fearsome presence in Star Wars. His appearance turns the war movie into a straight up horror film.

[danelsan]

Vader pretty much owned every scene he was in, and was nice reminder of why Vader was such a fearsome presence in Star Wars. His appearance turns the war movie into a straight up horror film.

Those damn goofy Walkers are also terrifying in the movie.


The movie was great in my opinion, though I still liked Episode VII better. Donnie and the droid steal the show quite a few times, but everyone did really well.

The plot, the action, just a well done movie with a different tone than most SW movies. I'll contend that the attack on the rebel base on Roth was also pretty war-movie-like, but this one takes it a step beyond, yeah.

Also, holy shit CGI characters have gone a long way. You can barely tell there is anything off about them.

If I were to criticize, well...I found the pilot character a bit blander than I expected given what he goes through in the beginning. Also, while Felicity Jones did a really good job as Jyn, apparently Tatiana Maslany tested for the role and I can't help but wonder what it would have been with her in it.

[L-Space]

Vader pretty much owned every scene he was in, and was nice reminder of why Vader was such a fearsome presence in Star Wars. His appearance turns the war movie into a straight up horror film.

If you haven't already, I would suggest checking out the recent Darth Vader comic by Marvel. They did a great job getting Vader's character down as well.

[danelsan]

Oh, one more thing. I don't personally hold it against the film, but I know there is gonna be a bunch of us nerds asking where were all the Bothans that supposedly died to get those Death Star plans...

[Batgirl III]

Oh, one more thing. I don't personally hold it against the film, but I know there is gonna be a bunch of us nerds asking where were all the Bothans that supposedly died to get those Death Star plans...

Many Bothans died to bring the Rebellion information about the second Death Star, not the first one.

I always figured the Bothans had brought them the news that Death Star v. 2.0 was being built and its location orbiting the forest moon of Endor. The Rebellion already knew about its exhaust port reactor weak spot.

[Ares]

Yeah, I had to correct a couple of friends who brought that up as well. I think it was because we have Mon Mothma in this film whereas she didn't show up until Return of the Jedi, where she mentions the Bothans dying. Said Bothans brought them info about the second Death Star being built, where it was located, and that the Emperor would be there, making it an irresistible target. And thus the perfect trap.

In the original Star Wars, it was the old beared general that gave the briefing and there was no mention of Bothans or the team that stole the Death Star plans, though it's pretty obvious Rogue Squadron was named in honor of Rogue One.

[danelsan]

Thanks, It has been quite some time since I watched the original movies*, so I remembered that wrong. Point still stands that nerds will complain about it. They'll just have better informed nerds correct them XD

*I love star wars as a setting, particularly for RPGs, more than the actual movies.

[L-Space]

Thanks, It has been quite some time since I watched the original movies*, so I remembered that wrong. Point still stands that nerds will complain about it. They'll just have better informed nerds correct them XD

*I love star wars as a setting, particularly for RPGs, more than the actual movies.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan all around and have always wanted to play in a Star Wars rpg. Unfortunately with my group the only way there's going to be Star Wars Campaign is if I run. I actually kind of have the same problem with Mutants and Mastermind.

[Jabroniville]

KINDA-SORTA SPOILERY:

Vader pretty much owned every scene he was in, and was nice reminder of why Vader was such a fearsome presence in Star Wars. His appearance turns the war movie into a straight up horror film.

Jesus, yes. Looked like freaking Jason Voorhees going through Camp Crystal Lake, there. The good guys completely losing their shit made it all worthwhile.