Rogue One

Rating: 5/10 (19 December 2016)

Coming off the heels of the light and fun "The Force Awakens", "Rogue One" is a very different Star Wars film in tone and scale. While there are big battles and big explosions, it's based mostly on one set of characters trying to accomplish one specific mission. The film has a much more muted color palette, and the action sequences are shot like a war film. While I admire the film for trying something new, the characters aren't as enticing as they should be. What is really striking here are the action set-pieces, which are all well directed even if its a bit hard to care about what is happening.
The characters are serviceable as vehicles for the story to take place, but there really isn't much there. The film immediately begins with Jyn Erso's father being taken away from her by the imperial forces as she runs off and is saved by Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whitaker. It then cuts to the future when Jyn is a loner who will do anything to get by. We basically learn she has a rough past and has been left to her own devices, yet she has a deep love for her father, who she hasn't seen in years. When her father becomes involved with the rebellion, Jyn now has motivation to assist them. While she is a good-enough character, and while she is definitely deeper than the other characters (which isn't saying much), she seems pretty cut and dry. The group of characters that band together don't have good enough chemistry to make them interesting or relatable, and Jyn delivers one absolutely cringe-worthy, corny monologue regarding the rebellion.
The group is made up of a girl with a tragic past who is motivated to join the rebellion by her father, a guy with a (vague) tragic past who joined the rebellion at age 6 and continues to fight because it gives his life purpose, a blind religious guy who knows how to use the force, a big guy who doesn't believe in the force at first, an eccentric pilot, and a robot who's supposed to be comic relief but fails miserably. They're all pretty much caricatures except the first one, who is still quite boring anyway.
The film is held up by its visual design. The movie has absolutely incredible special effects, and it looks maybe even better than "The Force Awakens". It contains a perfect mix of CGI and practical effects to where it all blends together seamlessly. The action scenes are well shot and well constructed, such as one scene in which Jyn's father is being interrogated by imperial forces at his base, while Cassian is about to shoot him so he doesn't give away any plans, and Jyn is on the platform and trying to save him, while the rebel attack fleet is coming to blow up that very platform. In this scene, there is a lot going on but I think it was handled rather well. However, it was difficult to tell who was doing what and why during the climax of the film. There were a lot of moments in which a character had to get to one place to push a button, or pull a switch, or plug something in, and while I understood that they were trying to send the Death Star plans to the rebels, I was never sure exactly what significance that button or switch or plug had on the overall goal. Also, many moments during this climax felt forced to get more dramatic effect. Chirrut, the blind guy, and Baze, the big guy, have a moment in which Baze suddenly runs out to Chirrut as he is dying, and they have a heartfelt moment where Baze suddenly starts believing in the force, just, because, I guess. They were polar opposites at the start of the film, yet they have this forced emotional moment, even though the film hadn't really developed their relationship whatsoever. Also, Orson Krennic, the antagonist, has a moment in which he is literally aiming a gun at Jyn, yet he stands there to monologue for a little while, and then listen to her response, even though everything around him is coming down in flames and he has absolutely no reason not to kill her right then. While I'm glad the film had the nerve to literally kill off every main character, which at least gave the characters a sense of vulnerability and tension during the action scenes, the "war film" vibe that the film goes for is ruined by moments like these. Also, the last few minutes of the film are inexcusable fan service that have no other reason to be in the film.
While the film and its writing are most definitely flawed, I liked the originality of the film in the "Star Wars" franchise, and the visuals and action scenes are pretty impressive overall.