The word ‘prequel’ being uttered in the same breath as “Star Wars” sends shivers down the spine of the most faithful of fans. Visions of an annoying child and an equally annoying anteater hellspawn plague the minds, acting as PTSD. The intimidation of Darth Maul and the goodwill of familiar characters are drowned out by the whiny antics of a puberty-ridden Anakin Skywalker and uninspired battle sequences. Memories of “Attack of the Clones” would surface if it were the least bit memorable, which it is not. The decent quality of “Revenge of the Sith” isn’t enough to make up for the horrors of the first two installments. When it comes to “Star Wars,” any prequel is best not discussed…until now.
“Rogue One” is a sequel to the prequels, in and of itself a prequel to the original trilogy. I promise the film is easier to follow than that breakdown. Simply put, this prequel takes place directly before “A New Hope” (I apologize to all fanatics who despise that subtitle, including my brother-in-law). It centers on the retrieval of the Death Star plans, a rebellious member of the Empire having installed a critical flaw in the system. Said rebel is Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a weapons designer forced into the operation by Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelson). His wife and daughter’s lives are threatened, with him having to abandon his daughter for her own safety. Luckily for him, she is rescued by a revolutionary in Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker, hamming it up big time).
She is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a scrappy warrior who has abandonment issues a mile long. Not only did her father abandon (albeit for the right reasons), but so did Gerrera eventually. She is captured but set free by the Rebellion, her services wanted in tracking down her father to get answers about the Death Star (you can see where this is going). Her saviors are Officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his droid sidekick, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). Right off the bat, the trio have trust issues, because apparently it’s hard for both parties to understand their hesitation upon meeting strangers under such dubious circumstances. It’s a forced conflict that never feels organic, but I digress.
In tracking down Gerrera, Jyn discovers a holographic message from her father detailing his sabotage. Along with her new comrades, she raids the data bank for evidence in hopes of convincing the Rebellion to live up to their name. These comrades also include Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen, awesome as always), a blind warrior with the power of the force to guide him; Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), a mercenary with a heart of gold; and Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), a cargo pilot assigned by the Rebellion to smuggle a message for them. They all join forces after being imprisoned by Gerrera following a stellar battle sequence that included tanks, Chirrut disposing of Stormtroopers with impeccable martial arts, and Baze dropping the rest with incredible marksmanship! Donnie Yen kicking ass alone is worth the price of admission!
While the characters are painted in broad strokes, their personalities are engaging enough to endear me to them. Everyone plays their part well: Jones is marvelous as the strong-willed Jyn, making for a sympathetic & confident heroine; Luna is apt in his portrayal of the skeptical officer, his personal demons subtlety guiding his emotions; Ahmed is charming as the reliable pilot; Jiang is winsome in his optimism all the while being intimidating when it comes time to shoot; Yen is his amazing self, surprisingly adept at comedy; and Tudyk is delightful as the intelligent K-2SO, providing more weight than necessary for a robotic comic relief. Screenwriters Chris Weitz & Tony Gilroy and director Gareth Edwards were smart enough to not the droid with quips and gags, allowing him to breathe and even act selflessly heroic at one point. He is thankfully not just a cute accomplice designed solely to sell toys (I’m looking at you, BB-8).
While the group bounce off of each other as a whole, Jyn and Cassian don’t strike up the necessary chemistry in order to make their kinship work. The two are saddled with immediate conflict that feels forced, as mentioned earlier, hindering them from developing a good rapport. By the time the two resolve their issues, it’s too late for them to craft a budding friendship or romance. As a result, their bonding feels rushed and hackneyed. Individually they’re great, but together they fizzle. Thankfully, that doesn’t translate to the rest of the crew, who avoid suffering the same fate as the “Suicide Squad” if not just for having less members.
Where Edwards stumbles in producing a strong protagonist relationship, he excels in constructing sufficient scope! The scope of the film is jaw-dropping, each and every location coming across as grand and overwhelming (positively so). Take for instance Scarif, the tropical planet where the final battle takes place. At one point, Jyn is sprinting across a skyscraper, the camera looming overhead. The shot of Jyn is in clear focus, whereas the beach beneath her is hazy yet nonetheless harrowing. Vertigo will overcome the fiercest nerves of steel. This carries over tremendously to the Starfighter duels, the atmosphere in space dizzying. One of my (many) issues with Lucas’ prequels was that his scope was subdued, the immense planets in which he created coming across as small and obsolete. Such is not the case here; both Edwards and cinematographer Greig Fraser present the locations with gorgeous visuals and painstaking attention to detail. Their framing even make the battles feel more encompassing, an AT-AT attack feeling ominous as the giant mechanical beast looms over the camera.
“Rogue One” may stumble from time to time, but it finds its footing and immerses the viewer in a world of wonderment and awe. It’s familiar but not overly so, Edwards providing a dark bent to set it apart from other installments. The characters are engaging, handling both drama and comedy seamlessly. Said comedy isn’t overbearing but a welcome change of pace from time to time, with Donnie Yen getting the biggest laugh from me in regard to his capture. The obligatory cameos are satisfying and implemented fluidly into the story (well, aside from two, but they were cute and brief). Darth Vader’s presence is goosebump inducing, despite a rather lackluster suit that resembles cheap plastic (kind of charming though if taken as a loving nod to the original trilogy).
“Star Wars” finally got a great prequel!
P.S. The CGI used to incorporate Peter Cushing’s face on Guy Henry’s physical portrayal of Grand Moff Tarkin is phenomenal! It’s downright terrifying how accurate it looks and how powerful the performance is when combined with Henry’s presence and Cushing’s previous facial performances. It’s as strong of a performance as any other in the film!
Final Rating: B+