If Star Wars: A New Hope is a World War II movie adapted to a sci-fi setting, then Rogue One is the same treatment given to the Cold War. Watch as a band of spies, assassins and special forces from two major superpowers, the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, do battle across a galactic landscape for secrets and scarce resources – while neither enters open war with the other.
Gone is the slapstick violence of the original series, and the glorified lightsabre dancing of the prequels – Rogue One, in line with its darker theme, has barely a mention of the force. Instead hand-to-hand tussling, close quarter firefights and liberal use of grenades give the movie the feeling of an Iraq or Vietnam movie, rather than the usual exploration of the themes of magic and destiny more associated with the franchise.
The movie went through a series of reshoots, presumably to retain its 12A certificate, but beneath it the darkness still survives as the Stormtroopers play the part of the Nazis, occupying and controlling through terror and surveillance. The Rebels, too, aren’t the beacons of morality they’re made out to be during Luke Skywalker’s journey, and they show themselves more than capable of torture and execution when the occasion calls.
The playfulness associated with Star Wars exists still, however, mostly provided by the trusty robot companion K-2SO, whose one liners make sure to puncture the dark tone. Felicity Jones is a gem, and proves herself well capable of carrying a film, creating a presence on screen that’s only ever surpassed when Darth Vader makes an appearance. She’s supported well by Diego Luna, who despite a clunky enough performance in the opening of the film, really grows into the role and proves to be a fantastic action hero in the film’s final fight scenes.
There are of course holes in the movie – some of the fan service seems a little disjointed, and it struggles slightly with exposition at the beginning of the film, but the final hour is brilliant. Director Gareth Edwards proves he knows exactly how to stage a fight scene, even one as convoluted as the finale of Rogue One. The casting decisions are all excellent, and Ben Mendelsohn is spectacular in the role of the villain, Orson Krennic. All the while the shadow of Grand Admiral Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader hangs over the film, both of whom are CGI-enhanced to appear identical to their characters in the original 1977 film.
Rogue One is a big step up from Force Awakens, and in a year full of superhero films that all looked almost the same, this really stands out as a truly thrilling action movie. Its pre-booked ticket sales came nowhere near Force Awakens’s standards and the fact it’s not in the main Star Wars saga has many analysts imagining that it won’t come near the financial gains made by last year’s Force Awakens either. Coming out of the preview, however, I felt they may be wrong – primarily because Rogue One’s success as a movie wasn’t because it had Darth Vader in it, or that it was set in a Star Wars universe – instead Rogue One is genuinely a brilliant crossover of the sci-fi and war genre that stands up on its own.
Expect Rogue One to defy expectations in the box office, but even more importantly, if you do manage to get to go and see it, expect to be entertained.
