Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
directed by Gareth Edwards
★★★★½
The first Star Wars Anthology film is incredible. What could have easily been a throwaway fluff film to milk Disney’s newest cash cow is an emotionally charged, action-packed epic. The characters and stories are all multi-dimensional and believable, the worlds and effects are breathtaking, and it all segues flawlessly into George Lucas’ 1977 masterpiece — at least thematically and visually.
Clearly, this is a different director, and a different studio, with a different vision; and to its credit, the film’s scope and scale are magnificent. Though plot-wise, it feels like a TV movie interquel, the quality and production value ramp it up to grand proportions. All the actors are fantastic, especially Ben Mendelsohn as Imperial Director Orson Krennic, who somehow manages to portray a character who is both despicable and sympathetic; Alan Tudyk as the snarky Imperial droid, K-2SO; and Donnie Yen, whose blind Force-sensitive Chirrut Îmwe could possibly kick even Mace Windu’s butt.
Bringing the late Peter Cushing to digital life occasionally has some uncanny side-effects, and the oversized Star Destroyers look even more like plastic models than they did in the original Star Wars, but these are minor complaints about an otherwise visually stunning movie. Finally, Michael Giacchino, a long-time admirer of composer John Williams, fills his maestro’s impossibly big shoes without missing a beat, producing a score that could easily be listened to alongside Williams’ Skywalker Saga without sounding the least bit out of place.
