Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

[radiator]

So people actually liked the Vader scenes?

The groanworthy pun? The fact that he was desperately shoe-horned in, and served zero purpose in the story other than to upstage the bland actual villain of the movie? The way his hyperkinetic, over the top fight/massacre scene was jarringly in contrast to the lumbering space gangster figure we meet in the original movie?

To me they were pure fanwankery, and reminded me of the worst of George Lucas' 'throwing the fanboys a bone' appeasements from Revenge of the Sith.

[Greg M.]

Just back from seeing this. Had no intention of watching it (I avoided Force Awakens like the plague) until a few days ago when I heard there were some good Darth Vader bits, and I thought "Oh, why not?" It's not bad. None of the lead good guy actors demonstrate much charisma, nor are any of their characters especially interesting - well, the blind Zatoichi dude was ok and the robot had a couple of good lines. Nonetheless, it's telling that the best actor in the film has been dead for twenty-two years. The best bits were seeing Darth Vader's house, and Darth Vader's little rampage at the end - I liked the rebels' panic-stricken reaction to him - so I guess I got what I paid for.

[radiator]

It would have worked so, so much better for me had it been a much simpler, smaller scale heist type movie with zero cameos, and Jyn would have been a much more interesting protagonist had she been, as early trailers seemed to indicate, a thief/criminal recruited into the alliance, and not directly personally connected to events and also sort of kind of a rebel soldier but not really?

It's got that Hobbit problem for me where they wrongheadedly try to top the scale of the original movie in the prequel. Why does EVERY SINGLE blockbuster now have to end with 30 numbing minutes of explosions? After a while its all just noise to me.

[Steve Green]

So people actually liked the Vader scenes?

The groanworthy pun? The fact that he was desperately shoe-horned in, and served zero purpose in the story other than to upstage the bland actual villain of the movie? The way his hyperkinetic, over the top fight/massacre scene was jarringly in contrast to the lumbering space gangster figure we meet in the original movie?

To me they were pure fanwankery, and reminded me of the worst of George Lucas' 'throwing the fanboys a bone' appeasements from Revenge of the Sith.

First scene not so much, the second one yeah I liked it, it reminded me a little bit of the ESB fight with Luke.

[JOE SOAP]

So people actually liked the Vader scenes?

The groanworthy pun? The fact that he was desperately shoe-horned in, and served zero purpose in the story other than to upstage the bland actual villain of the movie? The way his hyperkinetic, over the top fight/massacre scene was jarringly in contrast to the lumbering space gangster figure we meet in the original movie?

Vader's laboured moves with his veteran mentor in Ep IV were all ready contradicted by the elegant, deliberate and forceful duel in Empire but - apart from the years of changing film-making between them and RO - those fights were more about verbal sparring than the outright determined and murderous extermination in RO.

The only way Vader upstaged Krennick was in action and seniority not in anything else. He was a prancing b'caped bureaucrat. His story was over when the tower was blown.

[JOE SOAP]

The extent of the Scariff changes must have been massive - no Jyn and Cassian action outside at all (we saw them both shooting at walkers, and presumably afterwards running with the plans), no TIE fighter confrontation at the antenna dish, no running battle at the Canary Wharf tube station the film.

In the trailer Jyn, K-2SO & Cassian are shown running with the plans in Canary Wharf as they, presumably, exit the tower which suggests there's no transmission/antenna part to the story or maybe it's the located somewhere else.



I believe the TIE fighter rising before the antenna was meant to be shot down by an X-Wing but that the event was excised because it directly followed the scene of the AT-AT being blasted and felt repetitious.

[SIP]

So people actually liked the Vader scenes?

Yup, I absolutely loved the Vader scenes. The corridor sequence was just pure joy for me.

[TordelBack]

So people actually liked the Vader scenes?

Yup, I absolutely loved the Vader scenes. The corridor sequence was just pure joy for me.

Best bit of the movie for me. Terrifying and exciting in equal measure. I've been guiltily rewatching piratecams original on an off all day, I love it so much. Every time I thank the Force anew that Vader doesn't say 'Nooooo..' at the end.

Incidentally I don't think this does suffer from trying to be bigger than its predessors: just different. The space battle is smaller than RotJ, the land battles smaller than Hoth and maybe even Endor; the whole thing is on smaller scale than the prequels.. As Joe notes, it actually explains the small scale of ANH, the rebel fleet has been almost destroyed, a lone blockade runner and handful of fighters fleeing their first 'victory'.

Essentially this movie is the living definition of fanwankery - by design. Accusing it of such is just stating the obvious. It promises to be nothing but a fan-pleasing prologue to the first film; that it manages to do a few new things and actually be exciting is to its credit.  And it certainly does wash away some of the foul taste of Episode III.

 This isn't really the kind of Star Wars movie I want to see, I still want to see all-new stuff in Episode VIII and on, which we stand slightly more chance of getting if the familiar icons can be monetised like this every few years.

[Jim_Campbell]

And if the Empire had her in captivity, wouldn't they know her identity?

Good god, man, they actually say that the Empire had arrested and imprisoned her under a false identity.

[JOE SOAP]

Best bit of the movie for me. Terrifying and exciting in equal measure. I've been guiltily rewatching piratecams original on an off all day, I love it so much.

Me too, though for the very same reason, I've been avoiding pirate-cams so as not to dilute it.

A Star Wars space opera is at its best when being totally operatic and this was Vader's aria.

[Link Prime]

Rogue One showed why the Rebellion had such a reduced fleet of ships at the end of A New Hope

Captain Ackbar?
We've got some good news and some bad news, sir.

Back from a viewing myself this evening, still processing it- but overall I enjoyed it.

Terrible idea to have so much screen-time for the CGI Peter Cushing, genuinely head scratching that they didn't use Wayne Pygram again.
The Polar Express shouldn't have come to mind, yet it did.

[Fungus]

Not a Star Wars fan, TFA was surprisingly enjoyable last year. I didn't feel short-changed there as I can't recall ever watching one of these. Nothing to comapre it to (Thousands of clips, of course...)
My first 3-D movie (and iMax), Rogue One was OK but uninspiring. Another comic relief robot, another strong female lead character, another climactic battle. Then repeated deathbed scenes. I nearly dozed off a couple of times. Maybe films are all the same and I'm expecting too much. Hm.

Fans won't care about my opinion of course. What was evident to me - and family agreed - was that 3-D detracted from the experience. Early in the film when story is being set up, the visuals are too distracting. Will bear that in mind next time it's on offer.

[TordelBack]

The Polar Express shouldn't have come to mind, yet it did.

I found myself thinking of him as the B.F.T.

[Hawkmumbler]

The Polar Express shouldn't have come to mind, yet it did.

I found myself thinking of him as the B.F.T.

G.M.T

Off to see Rogue One tomorrow. Excited!

[Bad City Blue]

Anyone else think the robot was channeling Sheldon Cooper?