Rogue One Rate/Review - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

[marcvader]

Just got back and I have to say I looooved it. I had high expectations and they were met. If I had any issues they were with the score. Do not like the main theme and regret more of the iconic Williams themes weren't used, especially the Imperial ones. I was at edge of my seat during the tense scenes, was moved through the emotional ones, and really appreciated all the callbacks to the saga films. My girlfriend while a general fan of Star Wars but not as invested in the lore as most of us here really enjoyed it as well. I give it a 9 out of 10 and place it at third favorite of the franchise after Empire and New Hope.

 

[Frodo]

Its been a couple of days and the characters and the film has really stuck with me.

 

[Tony Stark]

Hmm, not sure. I was underwhelmed by it, but it wasn't terrible. The visuals are worth the price of admission and the final battle was incredible.

However the acting was pretty spotty. Krennic was a terrible bad guy. He really kind of stood in the shadow of a CGI Tarkin, which was pretty cool.

K2 was by far my favorite in the film, far more than the human characters. That's my big problem with the film. There wasn't anyone I connected to in the movie. It's a nice setup film to ANH, and a visual spectacle. I was expecting more and very disappointed.

Still I'll give it 8/10 for the visual spectacle.

 

[Timebomb]

Just got back and I have to say I looooved it. I had high expectations and they were met. If I had any issues they were with the score. Do not like the main theme and regret more of the iconic Williams themes weren't used, especially the Imperial ones. I was at edge of my seat during the tense scenes, was moved through the emotional ones, and really appreciated all the callbacks to the saga films. My girlfriend while a general fan of Star Wars but not as invested in the lore as most of us here really enjoyed it as well. I give it a 9 out of 10 and place it at third favorite of the franchise after Empire and New Hope.

I agree that the score for me was the only weak spot. Not horrible , but it did bother me a couple of times when my mind is telling me I should be hearing Williams score but it wasnt. I need to see if I can get used to it on my next viewing. Still an awesome movie though.

 

[Galactus123]

Nothing happens in this movie that you didn't already know. And no, you didn't need an explanation for the flaw in the design of the Death Star because the incompetency and bureaucracy of the empire already explained that.

This movie gives you no reason to see it-- it has no reason to exist. This movie isn't soulless like the prequels but at the same time it fails to give you any revelations about the Star Wars universe, Sith, Snoke, or Mara Jade.

The camera work felt nothing like Star Wars (which constantly took me out of the movie), the score virtually vanishes, and I never connected with the characters (and I never will since they killed literally every single one of them). And what was the point of the damn crystal necklace? The whole movie goes by and then she dies-- the crystal never plays a roll (Chekhov's gun).

I mostly agree with this but I liked the characters. I would still call the movie awesome. The best outside the OT.

 

[Kathemy]

How to put it...

I thought this was a definite improvement from The Force Awakens, but then again I really did not like that movie for several reasons. Top ones being making a cheap Vader knockoff getting reamed by a girl with zero training in the very first post-OT film.

The one minute Vader fight scene... Really well done. That's the strength of Star Wars, the iconic feel. I also think that while fanboys might've wanted more, if they made Vader the "main villain" of the story they would probably have found a way to neuter him and this didn't happen. That said I was a bit surprised that none of the "main characters" died by Vader's hand; he just ended up slaughtering a bunch of nobodies. I thought the "Mystical Force Wisdom Blind Monk" was being setup as a Vader kill, for example.

It certainly had a grittier feel than previous installments. Hell, practically everybody died. The problem is that their deaths didn't quite resonate because as always, Star Wars uses terrible actors. Like, they really are terrible. Mads being an exception, but they really aren't good at characterization either so his performance was hurt too. I think it's sort of a conscious decision by them; the characters have no personality making them easy self-insert vehicles.

Hard to rate. 6, maybe 7. The final five minutes raised the rating by 1.

As for ranking between the movies, I'd say fourth. ANH, ESB and ROTS (barely) was better. The Vader scenes were better, more visceral, than ROTS. The "real" Vader isn't a marauder, he's a juggernaut. This said we got a lot more story in that movie. For all its flaws, one feels that ROTS tried to tell an important story. I thought the plot of Rogue One was fairly weak.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

How to put it...

I thought this was a definite improvement from The Force Awakens, but then again I really did not like that movie for several reasons. Top ones being making a cheap Vader knockoff getting reamed by a girl with zero training in the very first post-OT film.

The one minute Vader fight scene... Really well done. That's the strength of Star Wars, the iconic feel. I also think that while fanboys might've wanted more, if they made Vader the "main villain" of the story they would probably have found a way to neuter him and this didn't happen. That said I was a bit surprised that none of the "main characters" died by Vader's hand; he just ended up slaughtering a bunch of nobodies. I thought the "Mystical Force Wisdom Blind Monk" was being setup as a Vader kill, for example.

It certainly had a grittier feel than previous installments. Hell, practically everybody died. The problem is that their deaths didn't quite resonate because as always, Star Wars uses terrible actors. Like, they really are terrible. Mads being an exception, but they really aren't good at characterization either so his performance was hurt too. I think it's sort of a conscious decision by them; the characters have no personality making them easy self-insert vehicles.

Hard to rate. 6, maybe 7. The final five minutes raised the rating by 1.

As for ranking between the movies, I'd say fourth. ANH, ESB and ROTS (barely) was better. The Vader scenes were better, more visceral, than ROTS. The "real" Vader isn't a marauder, he's a juggernaut. This said we got a lot more story in that movie. For all its flaws, one feels that ROTS tried to tell an important story. I thought the plot of Rogue One was fairly weak.

Let's try that again.

You just called Sir Alec Guinness, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Peter Cushing, Ewan McGregor, Forrest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, and many others terrible actors. Are you sure on that one?

 

[Kathemy]

Let's try that again.

You just called Sir Alec Guinness, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Peter Cushing, Ewan McGregor, Forrest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, and many others terrible actors. Are you sure on that one?

I'm not claiming that all people involved in Star Wars are terrible actors. However I believe the focus characters generally lack personality or are very generic. Can you really name a memorable character trait of Rey?

It's clearly a bit overkill for me to review every single actor but let's just note that Mark Hamill is a rather one-dimensional actor. He's improved a bit with age - and he seems a really nice, funny guy - but his performance in ANH was cartoon-cutout. Harrison Ford is also pretty much one-note but his "note" is sought after for many roles (as another example of a guy like that, see Bob De Niro.) He owned the Indy role, for example. (And I don't like the Indiana Jones movies, but that's another matter.) He's probably the strongest focus character in the original trilogy. Fisher is also extremely limited. Portman is a competent-enough actress but her role basically put her in a straightjacket. Do I need to get started on Hayden Christensen?

Come to think of it, I believe Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine is the strongest prequel trilogy player. He's an antagonist, though. I feel like Star Wars usually have a better track record with those.

You seem to always assume I don't have a rationale for my posts.

 

[jihado86]

I loved the film, it's the best Star Wars movie for me.

of course it has some flaws but overall a really solid, enjoyable and lovable movie.

it fits perfectly within the events of the whole franchise.

it even gave more value to the events of A New Hope. Man, the connection is great !!!

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I'm not claiming that all people involved in Star Wars are terrible actors. However I believe the focus characters generally lack personality or are very generic. Can you really name a memorable character trait of Rey?

It's clearly a bit overkill for me to review every single actor but let's just note that Mark Hamill is a rather one-dimensional actor. He's improved a bit with age - and he seems a really nice, funny guy - but his performance in ANH was cartoon-cutout. Harrison Ford is also pretty much one-note but his "note" is sought after for many roles (as another example of a guy like that, see Bob De Niro.) He owned the Indy role, for example. (And I don't like the Indiana Jones movies, but that's another matter.) He's probably the strongest focus character in the original trilogy. Fisher is also extremely limited. Portman is a competent-enough actress but her role basically put her in a straightjacket. Do I need to get started on Hayden Christensen?

Come to think of it, I believe Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine is the strongest prequel trilogy player. He's an antagonist, though. I feel like Star Wars usually have a better track record with those.

You seem to always assume I don't have a rationale for my posts.

Yes you did.

It certainly had a grittier feel than previous installments. Hell, practically everybody died. The problem is that their deaths didn't quite resonate because as always, Star Wars uses terrible actors. Like, they really are terrible. Mads being an exception, but they really aren't good at characterization either so his performance was hurt too. I think it's sort of a conscious decision by them; the characters have no personality making them easy self-insert vehicles.

I could go on about Rey's qualities for days, but lets just go with her loyalty. Displayed in her relationships with Finn and BB-8.

It is interesting to call Hamill one note considering the transformation of Luke Skywalker over the OT. Where he goes from whiny farmboy to Jedi Knight rather convincingly imo. I didn't see a lot of that farmboy in the look he gave Rey at the end of TFA either. And of course, a lot of Luke Skywalker in his numerous voice acting roles, like you know, the Joker.

It also seems you haven't watched many Harrison Ford films. He has done more then the Han Solo role over the years, though I will fully admit his Han/Indy role, definitely my favorite.

Portman was bad in the PT, but she is more then competent. She is looking at her potential second Oscar at the moment.

Oh, you claimed DeNiro is one note and you think that wooden kid on Gotham who is actually one note imo is a prodigy of acting. Well never mind, this conversation really wasn't necessary. Clearly different wavelengths.

 

[nightwing06]

Can a Star Wars film without all f the main characters we have come to know for almost 40 years have the same appeal?...in a word
YES
This is actually one of the best Star Wars films ever to be produced.
The best character development and performances comes in the form of Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a rogue maverick detained by the Empire.
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, a Rebel Alliance Intelligence officer.
Some characters are underdeveloped but still left an impression ,(Donnie Yen as Chirrut Îmwe, a blind warrior who believes in the Force. Alan Tudyk as K-2SO, (providing the most humor) a Rebel-owned Imperial enforcer droid whose memory is wiped by Andor
Riz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook, a former Imperial pilot who defects to the Rebels. and Jiang Wen as Baze Malbus, a Rebel warrior, mercenary and partner of Chirrut Îmw )so much so i wanted the team to gel and complete their mission.

This film actually gives The Rebellion more depth .It wasnt always squeaky clean,hey let's stop the oppresive Empire
Ben Mendelsohn hits all the right sinister notes as Orson Krennic, the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military
There are so many new creatures and droids,and the action sequences are flawless and beyond thrilling.
The film definitely reminded me why Darth Vader is one of the best villains ever !!

The pacing is a bit off at times and the motion capture CGI was very distracting it actually looked like one of those animated characters from
Star Wars Rebels
In the end this is a rousing and moving adventure I would place Rogue One between The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens.
I actually wanted to go home and watch A New Hope afterwards ....what? it's airing on TNT all week....YESSSSSS !!!!!!


Scale of 1-10 a 9

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Can a Star Wars film without all f the main characters we have come to know for almost 40 years have the same appeal?...in a word
YES
This is actually one of the best Star Wars films ever to be produced.
The best character development and performances comes in the form of Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a rogue maverick detained by the Empire.
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, a Rebel Alliance Intelligence officer.
Some characters are underdeveloped but still left an impression ,(Donnie Yen as Chirrut Îmwe, a blind warrior who believes in the Force. Alan Tudyk as K-2SO, (providing the most humor) a Rebel-owned Imperial enforcer droid whose memory is wiped by Andor
Riz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook, a former Imperial pilot who defects to the Rebels. and Jiang Wen as Baze Malbus, a Rebel warrior, mercenary and partner of Chirrut Îmw )so much so i wanted the team to gel and complete their mission.

This film actually gives The Rebellion more depth .It wasnt always squeaky clean,hey let's stop the oppresive Empire
Ben Mendelsohn hits all the right sinister notes as Orson Krennic, the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military
There are so many new creatures and droids,and the action sequences are flawless and beyond thrilling.
The film definitely reminded me why Darth Vader is one of the best villains ever !!

The pacing is a bit off at times and the motion capture CGI was very distracting it actually looked like one of those animated characters from
Star Wars Rebels
In the end this is a rousing and moving adventure I would place Rogue One between The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens.
I actually wanted to go home and watch A New Hope afterwards ....what? it's airing on TNT all week....YESSSSSS !!!!!!


Scale of 1-10 a 9

I am glad you enjoyed the movie so much, but uh, Vader was standing right there.

 

[Kathemy]

Yeah, all things considered they did a really good job establishing the timeline and all that.

 

[harlequinade]

It certainly had a grittier feel than previous installments. Hell, practically everybody died. The problem is that their deaths didn't quite resonate because as always, Star Wars uses terrible actors. Like, they really are terrible. Mads being an exception, but they really aren't good at characterization either so his performance was hurt too. I think it's sort of a conscious decision by them; the characters have no personality making them easy self-insert vehicles.

Ben Mendelshon is a terrible actor? Forest Whitaker? Alan Tudyk?

I'm not even gonna dig into the PT and OT which had dozens of wonderful actors in it, hell McGregor managing to do so much in such terrible films is a true accomplishment

 

[Kathemy]

Yes you did.

No, I did not. I question your reading comprehension. Let's check your attempt to call me on it. What is it, the twelfth?

because as always, Star Wars uses terrible actors. Like, they really are terrible. Mads being an exception

Now, that's MY bolding. Do you notice anything? "Uses terrible actors", not "only uses terrible actors". Mads being an exception, not the only exception.

I especially noted that Mark had improved with age. Your trying to call me on that, again, fails. His performance in A New Hope varied between stilted, wooden and overacting. It wasn't much better in Empire Strikes Back, despite that being the best movie of them all. He was best in Return of the Jedi even if that's the weakest, sappiest OT film. His character arc consists of "facing his fears", which is among the most generic protagonist journeys in the book. Is it surprising that he's changed a lot as an actor in the more than thirty five years between ANH and TFA?

It also seems you haven't watched many Harrison Ford films.

Maybe it seems so to you. My favorite movie starring Ford is Blade Runner.

Talking about Rey, you note "loyalty". That's like saying, "kind". "A good girl." A "hero". It's pretty much a requisite of an idealized self-insert vehicle, it's not a character.

I also said that Portman was a competent actress! Why do you feel the need to pretend to contradict statements I've never made?

And then you really have to go and drag Gotham into it all. Really. As if that would dispose of the notion that Robert De Niro is what one calls a "character actor". A great one. You normally cast Bob to act Bob; I don't think anyone claims he can match the versatility of a Johnny Depp. Or a Daniel-Day Lewis, for that matter. The cultural stereotype Bob's perfected over the years has been in high demand for decades.

I also can't help to wonder if it's comme il faut to hound other people with arguments from different boards on this forum. Complaining about a poster's opinion of a Gotham character in a Star Wars thread, for example. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

I'm putting an end to this now.

 

[scifiwolf]

Liked it a lot more after a second viewing yesterday, but I'm standing by my 8 in the poll. Depending on my mood, I can feel like it's as high as a 9 or low as a 7.

 

[harlequinade]

As if that would dispose of the notion that Robert De Niro is what one calls a "character actor". A great one. You normally cast Bob to act Bob; I don't think anyone claims he can match the versatility of a Johnny Depp.

 

[Abudefduf]

Finally watched it... the movie looks great and the action scenes are good (great even), but that's pretty much all this new SW chapter has going for it. Well, that and some decent bits of world-building, I guess. The weak characters are probably the biggest disappointment, both the heroes and the villains. Even K2S0 isn't anything special, and just how pathetic and useless are Krennic and his Death Troopers?

I usually don't rate movies but if I really had to rate Rogue One I'd probably give it a 5.5/6.

 

[Tony Stark]

Finally watched it... the movie looks great and the action scenes are good (great even), but that's pretty much all this new SW chapter has going for it. Well, that and some decent bits of world-building, I guess. The weak characters are probably the biggest disappointment, both the heroes and the villains. Even K2S0 isn't anything special, and just how pathetic and useless are Krennic and his Death Troopers?

I usually don't rate movies but if I really had to rate Rogue One I'd probably give it a 5.5/6.

Pretty much my assessment as well. I have a feeling this movie was a bit undermined by alot of deleted scenes. They may have been struggling with runtime. I feel there's alot missing dealing with Jyn's capture by the empire at the beginning and estrangement from Saw, which we are only told of through exposition. This kind of undermines her character arc. I think the idea of the story was to create a character that was more of a rogue vigilante hell bent on personal revenge until through her father finds a means to use her skills for something larger than herself.

 

[Kathemy]

Well, I guess we'll get the deleted scenes on the bluray? Or isn't that Lucasarts policy? I'm not in the know.

 

[The Shape]

Saw it, loved it, enjoyed it.

If I had to rate it, I'd go with 8.5/10.


Also, anyone else find it funny that nearly everyone seems to die the same way in the SW universe? Laying down in the arms of another character while offering some emotional/important last words. Happened at least twice in Rogue One alone.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

Rogue One is the best Star Wars fan film ever made.

 

[BatsDC]

Just came back, really enjoyed it. Glad they had the balls to end it the way they did. Wish we got a little more of Mads. Some pacing issues, but the final act makes up for it.

Solid 8/10.

 

[Ivan Drago]

I'm not claiming that all people involved in Star Wars are terrible actors. However I believe the focus characters generally lack personality or are very generic. Can you really name a memorable character trait of Rey?

It's clearly a bit overkill for me to review every single actor but let's just note that Mark Hamill is a rather one-dimensional actor. He's improved a bit with age - and he seems a really nice, funny guy - but his performance in ANH was cartoon-cutout. Harrison Ford is also pretty much one-note but his "note" is sought after for many roles (as another example of a guy like that, see Bob De Niro.) He owned the Indy role, for example. (And I don't like the Indiana Jones movies, but that's another matter.) He's probably the strongest focus character in the original trilogy. Fisher is also extremely limited. Portman is a competent-enough actress but her role basically put her in a straightjacket. Do I need to get started on Hayden Christensen?

Come to think of it, I believe Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine is the strongest prequel trilogy player. He's an antagonist, though. I feel like Star Wars usually have a better track record with those.

You seem to always assume I don't have a rationale for my posts.

 

[stillanerd]

Saw this yesterday and wow! I thought it looked fantastic, and it did things with Star Wars that I thought were unexpected. It's definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of the Original Trilogy (and who isn't?). Not just because of the all the New Hope Easter Eggs, but the entire look of the film has that gritty, lived-in aesthetic from that film, and blends the old with the new very well.
It also reminded me A LOT of those classic World War II "mission" films like Guns of Navaroe, The Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles Dare, etc.

The final act was outstanding, with probably the best battle sequences in all of Star Wars. And of course [blackout]Vader storming the ship at end in all his terrifying glory was awesome[/blackout]

However, I will agree that, in terms of it's characters, they're very thinly developed. The best were K-2SO, who stole every scene he was in and had all the best lines; and, of course, Donnie Yen's blind Jedi temple guard who was all kinds of badass. But the rest were not nearly as memorable. Not that they didn't all give great performances; Felicity Jones (Jyn Erso), Diego Luna (Captain Andor), Mads Mikkelsen (Galen Erso), Riz Ahmed (Bohdi) and Ben Mendelsohn (Director Krennic), in particular, were all very good. But in terms who they were playing, I barely knew who these characters names, were unlike say the original trilogy and even Force Awakens. And Forrest Whitaker's Saw Gerrera was just...odd.

Still, I definitely had a great time watching it, and I would place pretty high in terms of overall Star Wars movies. Solid 8 out of 10.

EDIT: Oh yes, and as for

Spoiler

Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia? CGI motion capture's definitely come a long way, but it's still very deep into the uncanny valley.