A Dark Euphoria That Tickles Expectations
Out of the many popular film franchises there have been in cinema history, there is no other film series other than the Star Wars pieces of films that have conjured up not only sci-fi classics that all demographics have and still connect with on any level, but has spawned controversy in the manner in which these beloved films were made later down the line. Indeed, while there’s no denying that audiences from all ages have been poetically ensnared by the innocent adventurism that the Star Wars films of the 70’s and 80’s offered to our viewing pleasure, the franchise, as it went on into the the prequel films of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and The Revenge of the Sith, dowered itself into a compendium of criticism and apathy that didn’t give the earlier films much justice. What remained however, was the strong devotion from the fans that has kept this beloved franchise alive. This, in turn, has not only formed the likes of animated T.V. shows and Video Games being created outside of the films, but also a new set of Star Wars films that continues on its old adventure as well as a standalone tale, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, that slots satisfyingly into the canon; pushing this franchise into a slightly more edgy and contemporary direction. With their being a few referential nods for fans of this films to revel in and a story that mercurially focuses on the darker tones of ‘war’ and ‘sacrifice’, Rogue One is the first in a presumably interminable line of spin-offs that certainly differentiates from the Star Wars norm. But this newfound grittiness work in tangent with the already established films? Or does it cause a disturbance in the force…
Taking place between the Star Wars films of The Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story centres its story around Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a downtrodden maverick and the daughter of the unwilling designer of the Empire’s new super-weapon, who sets out, along with an assassin, a blind master swordsman a mercenary and other rebels, to retrieve the plans in destroying the Death Star and hopefully turn the tide in the battle for the Galaxy…
In viewing his short filmography and the stylistic choices that he’s utilised in the context of each his creature features, one of the immediate aspects to take note of Gareth Edward’s film-making within Rogue One is how it upholds a distinctively dark and grounded formal and contextual aesthetic that not only distinguishes itself from the Star Wars norm, which indeed balances light-relief with serious storytelling, but how it consistently fixates in on the consequential nature of ‘war’. Despite their being many expected instances of grandeur in his films of Monsters, Godzilla and within Rogue One, particularly seen through the entirety of the 3rd act, one of the stylistic contextual factors that Gareth Edwards uses accordingly with the eventful conflictions, is this aperture to morally focus the human element of the situation that brings forth necessary emotionalism. Indeed, how much you enjoy Rogue One is, for the most part, going to depend on how deeply you’ve invested into the world and past films of Star Wars. As someone who grew up watching and still appreciating what all the Star Wars films offer-up, in terms of a classic adventurist story structure, my expectations of witnessing a vivid and much improved action set-pieces, that are spewed through the films running-time, were well and truly met. Yet, in terms of seeing a Star Wars film that morally applies itself to the perspectives of the characters in a perilous gritty war situation, which in turn created an emotional and fun viewpoint, that was unexpected. Yes, it would be foolish to fully disclaim the fact that the outcome of the action and narrative is fairly predictable and is an asset, within spin-offs, which can be excruciatingly numbing to witness. However, As will be discussed more thoroughly when we discuss the roles of each character later on, the outcome never felt bothersome; it was the characters deed of going into the unknown in claiming the Death Star, which does result in death for a few of them, that will glue audiences to the screen. With the employment of appropriately focusing on the dark nature of ‘war’ between the rebellion and the Empire, and not having any plot-aspects to do with the force or Jedi’s, we’re given a darker tone than we’ve never seen with Star Wars, which suited the story that they were telling. Much of this concentrated moodiness is also amplified through not only the icy cool colour palette of whites and slate greys,which are a stark contrast to the warmer tones that usually predominate, but also through the cinematography which mould in handheld camera movement into the mix; cementing a gritty edge to the battle sequences, especially in the 3rd and final act. In terms of walking out of the theatre, the majority are going to be thrilled due to the balanced weight that the penultimate action set-pieces, both on the ground and in space, that take place at the end of the film. The amalgamation of the ground level fight, which visually mirrors action sequences from films such as Apocalypse Now or Platoon, and the ship battles between Star Destroyer’s and X-Wing/TIE-fighters, which employ CG effects that add to the attempted verisimilitude, significantly contributing to the war toned theme that Edwards was looking for. On the undergrowth of the contextualisation, are the self-referential citations that gleam the screen for Star Wars fans to enjoy and add not only comic abundance that will satisfy that fans, but subtly contribute the how the story proceeds towards the climax; not ever overpowering the focal point of the narrative.
As many will know from watching past Star Wars films, a fundamental cinematic element that audiences come to appreciate of these sci-fi classics is the lovable personalities and progression that the characters take with them through their own grand journey. While the characterisation of Jyn Erso, executed convincingly by Felicity Jones, has this progression arc which is seeping with sympathy, mystery and engagement similarly echoing that of what we see through how both Luke Skywalker and Rey development in their respected Star Wars stories, there wasn’t much in development in regards to comrades that Jyn journey’s with in claiming the plans of the Death Star. Along with mentioned protagonists of this lauded franchise who at first face dire hardships yet triumph later on, Jyn is a character that, understandably, has an overarching plot line that, understandably, makes the audience feel sympathetic towards her situation and what she’s been through. She’s the only character that we’re given a reason to root for or care about. The majority of the other characters on the other hand, are either established in a sloppy fashion, particularly in the 1st act, or are never given ample amount of screen time in terms of their own background and what they’ve been through. A good example of this is through the ‘buddy’ partnership that both Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen’s character have with one-another when we first see them in the first quarter of the running time. While it’s all fun to see these two characters comically bond through the many stylistic fight sequences, there’s never a reason given for why they’re friends. We actually learn nothing intriguing of either of these characters pasts, which is a shame. Yes, there is a point to be made that former heroes of the series in the forms of Han Solo or Yoda never really get a full explanation into their own pasts. However, being that Rogue One is a standalone film in an epic and loved saga, this was an opportune moment for the scriptwriters to expand even further than they have already done with the array of characters that are presented to us. Unfortunately, we’re given a safe array of subtly distinct individuals that more or less blend in within the background and were always destined to be the casualties of prequelisation. Even the characters that needed focus, with Diego Luna’s character of Cassian Andor, just sticks to being a uptight Rebel officer who only has one momentary outburst that only hints of his hardships, which is unfortunate. This regrettable mode of formalising the characters transpires into the lacklustre, yet expected, appearances of Darth Vader. One of the reasons why Star Wars has been such a go-to saga to sit down and watch for everyone and for myself, is because of Darth Vader and what he brings to a villainous role. He epitomises what a great villain in cinema should be portrayed as and will never be forgotten down the line. What a shame it was then, to see this famous antagonist not get as much screen time as he should have. While it was anticipated that we wouldn’t get to see the favourable character for as long as fans wanted, to still see Darth Vader for around 4 minutes… is still disappointing. What’s made worse is the fact that we get see a CG rendering, a good job of that by the way, of a classic Star Wars figure more times than asked for.
Along with the quirky Star Wars nods and small cameos of memorable characters that have filtered into this saga, it would be criminal if the production design wasn’t mentioned since Edwards, along with this cinematic team, have managed to re-create a modern backdrops that echo a sense of familiarity. Despite Edwards correctly delving into Rogue One with much emphasis on the dark nature of the this lauded franchise, one of the tropes to really appreciate when watching Rogue One on the silver-screen, is its sustaining of providing an accustomed practical aesthetic that hallmarks the previous films.
In my film review of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, it was discussed how there are many popular cinematic franchises that can’t help themselves to diverge from the main-progression and to needlessly and unnecessarily expand a portion of a tale that does nothing but remind us of how pointless these workings can be in relation to the already established order. In similar vain to said film, which does expand on its own favoured world whilst providing a cleverly written and portrayed introduction to newcomers, Gareth Edwards’ cinematic input into the Star Wars filmic franchise, with Rogue One, manages to not only create a standalone feature that presents a differently visual and contextual Star Wars film for the familiar audiences to be engrossed in, but also succeeds in creating a sci-fi war-torn epic that newcomers to the series will come to enjoy. With it’s mercurial mode of film-making that presents a grounded Star Wars film that suited the story that it was telling, it’s a shame that the characters, aside Jyn Erso, don’t independently have other character traits then to blend in within the film itself. With it’s ending however, many will be encouraged, through forced nostalgia, to go back and watch A New Hope…
With that, it’s time for me to end. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest and last film review of 2016!! If anyone has an opinion on my review or on the film itself, please feel free to drop a comment down below. Before I depart from 2016, and enter into 2017, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has read my Film Reviews throughout the year, it really means a lot 🌝. I hope I can try harder for next year and introduce some new things along the way. I also wanted to wish everyone a happy Christmas and New Year!! 🎄🎉🎉. Even though there will be a few of you working through the festive season, like myself, just remember to enjoy the time you have with your loved ones!! 👍. Again, thank you for joining me this year, the next post will be about the films to look out for in 2017!! Be sure not to miss that. Anyway, I’ll see you all soon guys!! Have a merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! 😀😏😎🖖
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ – Alex Rabbitte