Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2016)

If Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope was inspired by The Hidden Fortress, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story took the example of classic movies such as The Guns of Navarone and When Eagles Dare, in which a desperate group of individuals gets infiltrated into enemy lines in a mission of high risk... and also high reward. But that's not all. As part of a huge cultural (and, let's accept it, commercial) legacy, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story must complement its main story with strong bonds to the past and the future of the saga, integrating new characters in old situations and recreating classic settings with the most modern special effects, without losing the "spirit" which defines and identifies everything related to Star Wars. Is it possible to fulfill with so many requirements while bringing a satisfactory film on its own merit? Fortunately, yes. Director Gareth Edwards and co-screenwriters Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy took a "historical" passage of the mythology, and brought it quite an energy and vigor, leaving behind the idealized "space opera" in order to face the physical and emotional challenges of a guerrilla conflict, in which the action might be less epic, but not less exciting because of that. The main cast is composed by various solid actors making a good work in their roles: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Riz Ahmed and Alan Tudyk (of whom we only hear his voice). On the negative side, I think Weitz and Gilroy didn't invest enough time on the development of some characters (Bodhi Rook and Cassian Andor particularly); sure, I don't need a prequel of the prequel either to explain every small detail, but some more minutes of "backstory" would have strengthened those characters while leaving their function inside the narrative clearer. As for the villain, the great Ben Mendelsohn brings a perfect work as a bureaucrat who became a megalomaniac. And, sure, we can count with multiple cameos, references and hidden jokes for the fans. Some of those "easter eggs" seem self-indulgent whims, while other ones denote authentic ingenuity and love for the saga. I found Rogue One: A Star Wars Story satisfactory and very entertaining, but inferior to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which I received with so much taste after 16 years of resentment against the "bad trilogy". But anyway, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story confirms the viability of tangential "spin-offs" of the main chronicle, increasing the opportunities to experiment with new perspectives... exactly like the "Extended Universe" did so during many years in the shape of comics, novels, videogames and even TV series. They all enriched the saga, and now, we are starting to enjoy the same in the cinema. We are already in the right track; now, please don't let George Lucas get close.