Star Wars: Rogue One

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

I'm going to see it after work.

[Kheprera]

Just saw it. Wow.

[Darkmeer]

Saw it Tuesday.  IMO, better than Episode 7.  Heck, better than the prequels by a HUGE margin. 

 

Plot wise, it makes Episode 4 a better movie.  It made the franchise better overall.  I was pleased with how they made it a set up to episode 4 really made it shine, while still remaining its own story. 

 

Still, there is one irksome part:

 

NO Scroll at the beginning!  What?  It's a Star Wars movie!

 

[Reaperbryan]

I feel like I should maybe watch Rebels now...

 

And possibly Clone Wars, too...

[PingosHusband]

I saw it and enjoyed it, but as a writer I had a number of problems with the last third of it.  The first two thirds I thought were well handled and I enjoyed the characters and the interacting motivations, but

 

 

 

The last part, the whole data retrieval and transmission part, the part that led to the TPK, that was a pure artificial construct.  The entire thing played out like a video game puzzle that had a forced solution.

 

And its central element: the planetwide shield actually messes up the entire plot of the series.

 

1.  If they could put a fighter proof shield around a planet, they could have put one around the Deathstar messing up parts 4-6.

2.  If they could put a fighter proof shield around a planet, they could have put one around the Starkiller messing up part 7.

 

Beyond this, the characters were not given enough development time.  They were interesting in seeing what could be done with them in a follow up series.  In this movie they were only sketched out.  They needed more time.  The movie might have given them that time, but only at the cost of some of the battle scenes.  The movie was clearly mostly for those scenes. 

 

Finally, Tarkin used the Deathstar to destroy the Imperial Archives including all their tech and battle plans.  Seriously, in that one act he did more to aid the rebellion than anyone ever (except for Darth Vader killing the Emperor).

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't see it again.

[Lars Porsenna]

I saw it and enjoyed it, but as a writer I had a number of problems with the last third of it.  The first two thirds I thought were well handled and I enjoyed the characters and the interacting motivations, but

 

 

 

 

Finally, Tarkin used the Deathstar to destroy the Imperial Archives including all their tech and battle plans.  Seriously, in that one act he did more to aid the rebellion than anyone ever (except for Darth Vader killing the Emperor).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presumably they had other archives on other planets. But THIS one is the one they knew the Rebels knew had the Death Star Plans specifically. It represents a security risk, but also serves as a demonstration of the power of this fully armed and operational battlestation...

 

 

 

Damon.

[Marvin]

Gonna disagree on where the writing crapped the bed. First half or two thirds or whatever of this movie are practically unwatchable. They might've gotten away with opening with the flashback--I think it's lazy, but whatever--and the father connection--though, my God, Star Wars, not every damn body in any given galaxy no matter how far away or long ago is going to war because they have daddy issues--but the way it slogs slantwise through an hour-plus of Erso's past is absolutely tedious. Whitaker's character and involvement was completely unnecessary and uninteresting (and he's so painfully named the chills of embarrassment still are running down my spine, days later). Which is kind of a shame, because he's a great actor. Similarly, Tudyk's wasted on a boring droid almost devoid of personality. Also a shame.

 

But this all culminates in what's the biggest problem with the movie, or the two biggest problems, which I'm going to state all bassackwards here: The ending of this movie is actually fine. Mostly. Yep! All that gratuitous battling is the second best part of the movie. It's executed pretty much flawlessly. It looks better than anything else in the movie--with the exception of the big classic baddie whose thirty seconds of rebel elf-whipping is hands-down joygasmic and possibly the only non-cringe worthy cameo or callback or whatever in the Disney era so far--as the whole thing was pretty visually unimpressive. The planets and settings and all were mostly boring; the scene in which they track down old-man Erso was particularly egregious. Way too dark, total sound-stage cheap feeling. No one's talking much about it, but they've honestly shown more Lucas-esque bents toward bad CGI decisions and character design than they have the things Lucas did right like locations and the innovative razzledazzle. I've been really disappointed in both new movies on that front.

 

The reason the ending is hollow, though, working better as a video-game cut scene than the climax of a worthwhile movie--and the biggest problem(s) with the movie--is that there's no coherent plot getting us there and there's no reason at all to give a stuff about any of the characters. There are hardly words for the disappointment of finding out the greatest mission in Star Wars history isn't a caper, is no sort of heist, but is just a bunch of misfits or outcasts or whatever stumbling around in the dark and stubbing their toes all over everything in a bunch of convoluted running around until they decide to go steal the plans because, hey--whatever! This lack of planning, of plot, really sinks the whole enterprise from the beginning, and it sinks its characters, too.

 

Right here's the bad writing: Instead of providing the characters a reason to move forward, putting something at risk, they're constantly diving for what's behind them. At best; most of them are just kinda there with nothing to do. The ex-temple or whatever guys? I was kind of offended when the movie later asked me to mourn them--why would I? I didn't even know their names. Likewise with the pilot. They're all disappointingly void of conflict and deprived of agency. They're just going through the motions.

 

End of the day, though, it was still better than the lifeless hackjob that was Awakens.

[EvilJames]

Saw it today and I very much liked it. Wife liked it ok, but felt it to be a bit of a downer.

[Beagle]

The rebel soldier who screams "LAUNCH" in the final segment, deserves an oscar for the finest delivery of one word by a non-headliner. It sent shivers up and down my spine and tingles to all extremities.

[Grayfax]

I saw it and enjoyed it, but as a writer I had a number of problems with the last third of it.  The first two thirds I thought were well handled and I enjoyed the characters and the interacting motivations, but

 

 

 

The last part, the whole data retrieval and transmission part, the part that led to the TPK, that was a pure artificial construct.  The entire thing played out like a video game puzzle that had a forced solution.

 

And its central element: the planetwide shield actually messes up the entire plot of the series.

 

1.  If they could put a fighter proof shield around a planet, they could have put one around the Deathstar messing up parts 4-6.

2.  If they could put a fighter proof shield around a planet, they could have put one around the Starkiller messing up part 7.

 

Beyond this, the characters were not given enough development time.  They were interesting in seeing what could be done with them in a follow up series.  In this movie they were only sketched out.  They needed more time.  The movie might have given them that time, but only at the cost of some of the battle scenes.  The movie was clearly mostly for those scenes. 

 

Finally, Tarkin used the Deathstar to destroy the Imperial Archives including all their tech and battle plans.  Seriously, in that one act he did more to aid the rebellion than anyone ever (except for Darth Vader killing the Emperor).

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't see it again.

Thoughts...

 

 

The Empire does use planetary shielding in other places.  Coruscant is the key one that comes to mind.  This exact system is in place on Coruscant and is written about extensively in the now non-canon books.  As it takes satellites and some kind of area that can be opened, I can see this as being problematic on a planetary object that has a hyperdrive as the satellites would not be able to remain in place during movement.  Something similar was used on the Deathstar at Endor, though it used the local moon to power the force field.

Starkiller Base does have a defensive screen against sublight drives.  Han just takes a chance that they can beat it by coming out of hyperdrive really really close to the surface. He played lucky hunches regularly.

 

 

[CashWiley]

Loved it. Trying to figure out if it is the 2nd or 3rd best SW movie (after ESB and maybe ANH).

 

People picking movies apart is why I generally don't discuss movies. I just like to enjoy things simply.

[Marvin]

Lol, ain't anybody exactly Foucault here. Movie just has some simple issues. Understanding how it works and how it doesn't work at very basic levels is just part of the fun for me.

 

 

I didn't have a lot of problems with continuity. The Empire's doing dumb things at dumb times I'd one of those eternal overlookable things for me, I guess.

 

I know a number of folks getting all hung up with the continuity of the tone of Leia's escape and the start of Star Wars when daddy tracks her down--where the info was technically beamed, her excuses, the tenor of the conversation. Gotta say I'm not following on that one.

[ub3r_n3rd]

Really liked it a lot. Probably # 3 or 4 on my list. I felt it was well done, had a lot of action, filled a some gaps in the storyline, and most importantly it "felt" like a Star Wars movie.

 

Disney is doing a bang up job thus far with the new movies and they aren't childish like Eps 1-3 with stupid characters to distract from the enjoyment.

Edited January 3, 2017 by ub3r_n3rd

[buglips*the*goblin]

Really liked it a lot. Probably # 3 or 4 on my list. I felt it was well done, had a lot of action, filled a some gaps in the storyline, and most importantly it "felt" like a Star Wars movie.

 

Disney is doing a bang up job thus far with the new movies and they aren't childish like Eps 1-3 with stupid characters to distract from the enjoyment.

 

 

Ayyyy... Jam-Jam was the single greatest part of The Spooky Threat.

[Reaperbryan]

I saw it and enjoyed it, but as a writer I had a number of problems with the last third of it.  The first two thirds I thought were well handled and I enjoyed the characters and the interacting motivations, but

 

 

 

The last part, the whole data retrieval and transmission part, the part that led to the TPK, that was a pure artificial construct.  The entire thing played out like a video game puzzle that had a forced solution.

 

And its central element: the planetwide shield actually messes up the entire plot of the series.

 

1.  If they could put a fighter proof shield around a planet, they could have put one around the Deathstar messing up parts 4-6.

2.  If they could put a fighter proof shield around a planet, they could have put one around the Starkiller messing up part 7.

 

Beyond this, the characters were not given enough development time.  They were interesting in seeing what could be done with them in a follow up series.  In this movie they were only sketched out.  They needed more time.  The movie might have given them that time, but only at the cost of some of the battle scenes.  The movie was clearly mostly for those scenes. 

 

Finally, Tarkin used the Deathstar to destroy the Imperial Archives including all their tech and battle plans.  Seriously, in that one act he did more to aid the rebellion than anyone ever (except for Darth Vader killing the Emperor).

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't see it again.

um...

 

 

There WAS a planetary shield around Death Star II in RotJ.

 

That was the whole point of the mission to Endor.

 

And there wasn't a planetary shield around Death star I in IV because it was assumed invulnerable to small fighters, and could defend itself against larger ones using it's turbo laser, as witnessed in RotJ.

 

#1 vanishes when you listen to the briefing in IV about small fighters, and watch the second half of RotJ.