A Force of a different color

Rating: 7/10 (16 December 2016)

Plot; With the evil Galactic Empire now in possession of a super weapon--a planet destroying space station known as the Death Star--the vastly outmanned and outgunned Rebel Alliance must make a choice; flee or fight.
Welcome to the live action expanded universe. For years Star Wars fans have taken to the pages of comics and traditional novels to satiate their appetite for that galaxy far, far away. To follow along on the further adventures of their favorite characters and to see the things that were off in the corner or just out of frame in their beloved film saga. Rogue One is the latter, focusing on the nuts and bolts of the rebellion at large instead of The Force, destinies and all of that "big" stuff. Like many of those expanded universe novels, Rogue One doesn't always "feel" like Star Wars in the traditional sense. It has the aesthetic, it has the nomenclature, the sound. But it's a bit like spending years in the executive branch of a company and then suddenly going down and spending the day in the mail room. Same company, radically different functions (and there's an adjustment period here as a result). But I think you could argue that it's exactly what we need right now. A sorbet in between the ongoing saga of the Skywalker family and all of the mystical, operatic stuff that comes with it. But for it to have value beyond being a placeholder in between Episodes, or merely as a Disney cash grab, it has to add depth and value to the universe at large. In short, it has to make the Episodes better. Either by fleshing out characters as they'll attempt to do with the upcoming Han Solo film, or by filling in background details, which is where Rogue One comes in.
For those who don't know, Rogue One takes us--quite literally--to the doorstep of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (or simply Star Wars, as those of us who grew up with the original trilogy call(ed) it). You can all but see this movie handing off a baton before it irises out to the familiar strains of the end credits theme. It's the backstory of the opening crawl. The hows, the whos and the whys. It's a good place to start this "anthology" aspect of the saga, and if done right, it fulfills that key obligation of adding depth and value to the existing story. But does Rogue One do it right? Yes. Mostly.
First things first. This film looks amazing. Not just the special f/x, which are actually far superior to The Force Awakens in my opinion, but the sets, the locations, cinematography and the production design are first rate. Like Abrams' The Force Awakens, there's a clear and concerted effort here to inject as much "reality" as possible. And when CG is used--and it's used often--it blends seamlessly rather than jarringly clashing together (save for one instance that I'll touch on later). There's a real challenge here because you have 40 years of f/x advancement, yet you've still got to somehow make this fit up with A New Hope, and Rogue One does this exceptionally well.
Though familiar faces--some surprising--abound, the focus here is on a new, or at least different, cast of characters. It's an ensemble, though Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso is the lead. Hers is an arc not unlike Han Solo's in the broad strokes of it, though Jones' character is asked to cover a much, much wider emotional breadth, and Jones is up to the task. The rest of the team/cast fill in around her nicely, with everyone getting their moments and own mini-arcs. But they say a movie is only as strong as its villain, and here the primary baddie is Director Krennic. Played by the always good Ben Mendelsohn, he brings a new angle to the icy Imperial officer we're accustomed to.His is not the scene chewing, mustache twirling bad guy, but a fiercely determined social climber. The middle manager who feels the executives are standing on his shoulders. He makes a nice foil for Tarkin, who thanks to the wonders of modern technology, has a surprisingly large role in Rogue One. I wish I could say that it works, but though it looks photo-real at a standstill, this CGI Tarkin has an obvious sheen of technical fakery whenever he talks. There's a real uncanny valley aspect to it that's jarring and takes you out of the scene. That the voice actor does a poor job of replicating the late Peter Cushing's voice certainly doesn't help, but this is a situation where less definitely would've been more.
And then of course there's Vader. Teased in the trailer, his appearance here amounts to little more than a cameo. Two scenes in fact. But boy are they good scenes. I certainly would've have been against more Vader here, but I don't think you want to overuse that particular Ace, and ultimately I'm forced to agree with his limited use being more impactful than if he'd played a more substantial role.
In the end, Rogue One is an exceptionally well made, if flawed film. There are nits galore to pick, and the first two acts are occasionally clunky. It's really not until the third act that it begins to fire on all cylinders, and fire it does. Nearly everything about the last half hour or so works to near perfection, and as a result Rogue One hands off that all important baton at a full sprint.

There are Easter eggs and fan service throughout, though I'm pleased to say that the latter is mostly kept in check.

Michael Giacchino's score ably mimics John Williams' "busy music", but it lacks even one memorable cue, and his/their refusal to use existing cues and themes will likely be a source of irritation for many.