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Posted: |
Dec 20, 2016 - 8:59 AM
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By: |
Aidabaida
(Member)
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I am not a big Star Wars fan, so I'll just say that upfront. Given the fact I'm a teenager, I didn't grow up with either prequels or originals. The first Star Wars movie I saw was "The Phantom Menace" at the age of...perhaps eight? I loved it. I didn't know it was "hated" and a terrible movie. I was just a starry eyed boy effortlessly lured into a galaxy far far away by John Williams operatic score and the multitudes of aliens and biomes. I remember asking my Dad to skip the scenes in the Senate, but he told me something that stuck with me. "Whenever people are talking in a movie, its a chance to learn something." So I listened.
But no, that idyllic memory didn't blossom into a life-long love-affair with the great American franchise. I saw the rest of the movies in time, and quickly realized that these weren't perfect films, at all.
George Lucas seems to have a talent for establishing franchises that effortlessly vacuum up fans, then taking risks with those franchises that only play out 50% of the time. Taking into account the first six films, there's 3 good ones (Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back), and three not so good ones. (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Return of the Jedi). Same with Indiana Jones! Two good ones (Crusade, Raiders), two bad, (Temple, Kingdom).
While Star Wars 7 by J.J. Abrams was a fun and thrilling effort, albeit not great, (It's not as good as any of Lucas's 3 best, but it's better than Lucas's 3 worst), I was not excited for Rogue One as much as I thought I might be. The trailers made it look pretty unconvincing. Gareth Edwards did a fine job with "Godzilla", but I wasn't sure how well he'd do with Star Wars, and Giacchino? I wasn't convinced about him either.
I just saw it yesterday, and now I'm trying to figure out why I loved it so much.
I should start with the bad. This film does not open strong. Some of the first scenes are choppy and unconvincing. I didn't buy Forest Whitaker's character, but I knew that Felicity Jones was giving a fine performance, and that Director Krennic was a decent villain. A crackling action sequence in Jedha was decent, but a little crazed. Then, the heroes were all captured and brought before Forest Whitaker's rebellion leader.
Next came a scene that put a lump in my throat and made me more emotional than any scene I've watched in cinema for a long time. Mads Mikkelsen's hologram message to Jyn. Perfectly shot, acted, and scored, this scene was beautiful. As he explains that he gave up his freedom to work for the empire to place a single weakness deep within the Death Star, I was stunned by how much I came to care for both this man and his daughter standing there, weeping. Something about that scene resonated within me, and I do not care for the specifics.
From there, the movie got better with every minute. I appreciated the effortless chemistry among the leads, the vividly imagined settings, and the way Edwards ratcheted up the suspense by making one thing after another go wrong. The character development was superb. Jyn and Cassian's actors gave tremendous performances, investing their characters with dark, emotional energy. Michael Giacchino's music was gorgeous and memorable, Jyn's theme is a true heartbreaker.
A breathtakingly crafted 8:00 sequence on the planet Eadu can stand up with the best set pieces of Star Wars. It's got suspense, emotion, action and heroism, and could probably stand on its own as a movie.
A few minutes after the Eadu sequence, I began to realize how much I cared about these characters, and how much I worried about them.
Then came the final battle.
I don't think I've ever seen a final battle this massive, exciting, and well-put together. Not to mention LONG. The movie explodes into an extravaganza full of shootouts, fist fights, aerial battles, vehicle battles, battles atop falling structures, battles with At-At walkers. And all of it, deliberate and personal, full of character moments and bursts of grin-inducing heroism. It's a full on collision of all things Star Wars and all things exciting that I'd never seen in cinema before.
And you realize that the main characters are in danger! You know that they get the Death Star plans, but none of these characters recur in the original series - they could ALL DIE! The possibility that all these people we've grown to care about for 2 hours might die, this realization that NO ONE is safe, and that these stormtroopers could actually hit someone? It ratcheted up the tension incredibly.
My heart was pounding double time throughout the entire hour-long battle, and I was on (quite literally), the edge of my seat. The guy beside me, about 20-something years old, kept breaking into grins of pure joy as Edwards and co. kept topping themselves and topping themselves and topping themselves. A raw energy was pouring from that screen, and being echoed in a theater. Everyone in that movie cared. The actors. The composer. The writers. The director. They all were full force bringing us some of the best Star Wars ever.
Edward delivers images in this battle so beautiful they bring a tear from the eye even as your heart keeps pounding in sheer dread, knowing many of these endearing characters may not make it out alive. A star destroyer crashing into a shield slowly, framed by soaring, gorgeous music. The death star, silhouetted by clouds... At-At walkers emerging through the fog like giant ghosts.
And then, the ending. The final four minutes of this battle were the most emotional minutes of Star Wars I have scene in my life.
As the Death Star fires upon Jyn and Cassian, and I began to realize what was going to happen, I just when cold with horror. I felt exhausted, but my heart just kept pounding. And then Edwards tossed up the most beautiful image in all of Star Wars history. Two heroes embracing. They don't even know if they succeeded. But they are calm, knowing they did their best. A massive wave of light encroaching, and they don't even open their eyes. The music roars up with music triumphant and gorgeous. They are dead, but they have succeeded.
Then a final scene with Darth Vader full of chilling dread, but the rebels give off the plans. And Leia receives the plans, and the Tantive IV zips away...
I can understand why someone would dislike this movie. They could say the tone is too dark and gritty. They could say you don't get to care about the characters. They could say that the music is bad. They could say its "Not Star Wars".
All I know was the last hour had me at the edge of my seat, transfixed, my heart beating, sweating in total, enveloped excitement. My belief in the power of cinema, my belief in the power of stories was restored with a vengeance.
No Star Wars movie has ever affected me so much, and few movies in general have. Rogue One, is, in my humble opinion, my favorite Star Wars film, and my favorite film of the year. A complete triumph.
10/10
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I loved ROGUE ONE!