[Review] Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The Prequel We've Dreamed Of!!
I believe many Star Wars fans, after watching Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, couldn't help but exclaim: the "prequel" movie we've dreamed of has finally arrived!! (The following content contains spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.)
As I mentioned previously in my quick guide, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is not a prequel film; the Star Wars prequel trilogy released by creator George Lucas in the 1990s and 2000s are the true prequels. This film merely fills in the story of the mission to steal the Death Star plans, as mentioned in the opening crawl of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. However, this film is superior to the Star Wars prequel trilogy in many aspects and is more satisfying for audiences.
The film's opening lacks the classic Star Wars title, crawl, and music, instead diving directly into the story, as if telling us: this is not a traditional Star Wars film. Honestly, this movie isn't perfect, and I feel its biggest flaw is the first half to full hour, which introduces the characters and sets up the story. Since this film has multiple equally important characters, it spends a considerable amount of time at the beginning introducing them and briefly explaining the background. However, I felt this part jumps between multiple planets, spending only a short time on each, resulting in somewhat disjointed editing and affecting the overall rhythm. Moreover, this segment of the plot should have laid the groundwork for the rebellion, but it failed to highlight the terrifying and autocratic rule of the Empire that made people lose hope, thus underutilizing the revolutionary warrior Saw Gerrera (played by Forest Whitaker). Undeniably, this part does lead to plot development and includes a rather touching segment, but overall, it wasn't impactful enough and failed to effectively set the tone for the film.
The film's narrative quality and pacing gradually improve starting from Jyn's story arc of "rescuing" her father. From the rainy assault to the Rebel base later on, and then the mission to steal the plans, each segment's narration is very smooth and successfully creates the tense, exciting feeling of a war film. In fact, the film itself is a typical revolution story: initially, the main forces are unwilling to launch a revolution, but a portion of the Rebel forces decide to take matters into their own hands and embark on a mission, ultimately leading to a large-scale revolution, and of course, the final sacrifice. Director Gareth Edwards's handling of this part truly captures the spirit of rebellion and brings out the film's central theme: the rebellion is built on hope. And in my opinion, the film's ending can be described as perfect; on one hand, it's a tragic, melancholic, and moving ending unlike anything seen before in Star Wars, and on the other hand, the fate of Imperial official Orson Krennic highlights the Empire's coldness, ruthlessness, and cruelty. More importantly, the ending flows seamlessly, perfectly connecting to the story of the original Star Wars trilogy, which truly brought applause and tears to fans.
Regarding the actors, I can only say that this screenplay is very clever, giving each character distinct personalities within a limited time, and each actor effectively brings out the strengths of their respective roles. Of course, relatively speaking, Felicity Jones as the revolutionary hero Jyn Erso has the most room to shine. Her strong demeanor in combat contrasts sharply with her tender side in scenes like meeting her father, highlighting Felicity Jones's excellent acting skills. And for Hong Kong audiences, the action scenes of "Universe's Strongest" Donnie Yen are as exhilarating as ever; his belief in the Force is a very interesting concept, and he, along with Alan Tudyk's voice performance as the droid K-2SO, brought many laughs and touching moments.
As for the villains, Ben Mendelsohn's portrayal of Orson Krennic, the director of the Death Star, is quite multifaceted, not a simple antagonist. He possesses strong self-esteem and is willing to give everything for the Death Star, and Ben Mendelsohn's performance adds layers to him, making him more human and not simply evil for evil's sake. Moreover, his ending also reveals his helplessness, making his villain's demise unusually poignant. Of course, one cannot fail to mention the two cameo villains: Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader. As I mentioned in another article, the former's appearance genuinely surprised me. And Darth Vader's appearance is another highlight of the film: in a short time, it already highlights his terrifying and formidable power, and James Earl Jones's voice is absolutely iconic!
This film is the first Star Wars movie without John Williams's score, with Michael Giacchino taking over. While his score certainly enhances the film's tension and emotional impact, there aren't any truly memorable or unforgettable melodies, still falling short when compared to John Williams's classic music. As for the cinematography, besides the war film style, I also really liked Gareth Edwards and cinematographer Greig Fraser's handling of light and shadow, especially the scene where the Star Destroyer emerges from the shadows. Furthermore, their staging of Darth Vader's scenes is excellent: in the first scene, they first capture his colossal black silhouette before showing his front; in the second scene, they first establish a dark environment, then slowly have him emerge from the darkness, igniting his red lightsaber. Both segments are accompanied by the classic Imperial music, creating his terrifying presence!
In conclusion, as a spin-off, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story can be considered a great success, and it fills me with anticipation for the second spin-off film about Han Solo in 2018. But before that, I'm already looking forward to next year's Star Wars: Episode VIII. Perhaps I'll even watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story again!