2016: The Year in Film: "Rogue One" Review

So surely at this point we can all agree that Disney buying Star Wars from George "Jar Jar Binks" Lucas was the best thing that could've conceivably happen for the franchise, right? Who (other than alt-right Pepe Nazis who are upset that women and brown people are in them now of course) could possibly have any complaints about the direction that the greater Star Wars universe has taken over the last 2 years compared to the unmitigated disasters that were the prequels?

With that being said, Rogue One is something new. To this point, all of the Star Wars  films have been episodes or chapters within a single long narrative. (Ignore all of the contradictions and continuity errors therein, please) Rogue One represents an effort to create a standalone story within the larger cohesive universe not unlike the way that say Ant-Man is in Civil War but Civil War is not an Ant-Man movie.

We're introduced to Jyn Erso, a young lady who finds herself at the crosshairs of the brewing conflict between the Empire and Rebellion. Set before the events of the original Star Wars (1977), this flick shows us a side to the universe that we haven't yet seen. Jyn and her companions are faced with trying to stop a new and horrible weapon - the Death Star.

The Good: part Dirty Dozen - style commando movie, part Saving Private Ryan - style war epic, this flick fits squarely within the Star Wars universe with all of its epic glory and idiosyncratic weirdness. I'll admit that I had some concerns about director Gareth Edwards following the dumpster fire that was the 2014 Godzilla but he turned out to be exactly the choice needed. Rogue One manages to both be completely and utterly recognizable as Star Wars and yet totally different from anything that's been done in a Star Wars movie thus far. The cast does everything they're asked to do and adds a few memorable contributions to the Star Wars mythos along the way. Felicity Jones is great as Jyn. The criminally underworked Diego Luna is memorable as well, but the real showstoppers are Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang, whose buddy cop act really brings levity to what is ultimately a pretty dark affair. Alan Tudyk's K2S0 steals every scene he's in. Ben Mendelsohn, Forrest Whittacker and Mads Mikkelson are all memorable, if underused in spots. Ultimately, the real draw of this flick is the intense plotting and smartly choreographed action sequences.



The Bad: there are a few plot holes and shortcomings that honestly seem amateurish in comparison to how good the rest of the flick is. The decision was made to plug in CGI characters and honestly, that seems like a mistake. The rest of the flick looked SO great that the CGI characters looked cartoony and cheesy. I also feel that Mads Mikkelson and Forrest Whittacker were underused. It seems like a shame to bring them on board to a Star Wars movie and not make the most of them.

In all though, I really enjoyed this one. By fitting squarely within the Star Wars universe but making pains to rely on wholly new, diverse and different characters, the film enriches what Star Wars is and can be. Serious kudos to Disney too for not pulling punches. If you've seen it, you know what I mean.

8/10

2015: The Year in Film: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Review

As we all know by now, Disney bought the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas a few years back with the promise of making new, ongoing films in the Star Wars universe that hopefully aren't as depressingly horrific as episodes 1-3... which accomplished little other than making children want toys to commemorate heartbreakingly embarrassing betrayals of famous characters and moments and make Obi Wan and Vader's light saber duel in A New Hope look like the worst thing that's ever happened. Patton Oswalt said it best. JJ Abrams, the nerd king, was hired to try to resurrect a beloved franchise, and as more and more trickled out, nerd expectations began to get higher and higher in a very Stockhold Syndrome-y way. By the time the full theatrical trailer was released, nerd-dom was whipped up into a frenzy, and the film shattered all opening weekend and all time domestic box office records.  But we're here to answer the only question any of us really care about: what did I think?

20 years after the events of Return of the Jedi and the defeat of the Emperor, all is not rosy in a galaxy far, far away. Luke Skywalker's attempt to rebuild the Jedi has failed, and the remnants of the Empire have been rebuilt into a powerful and fearsome force that threatens to again shroud the galaxy in darkness.

The Good: it's been said over and over again that the film's deliberate copying of the style, tone and story of the first Star Wars film was a bad thing, but I think the opposite. I believe that bringing back that old mojo was exactly what the franchise needed both as a boost to the fans and a mission statement by Disney of what, exactly, their iteration of Star Wars was going to be. Forget about Lucas' stiff, painstakingly crafted but emotionally empty and hollow attempts to tell tales in the style of greek tragedy. Star Wars by Disney is all about fan service, bold moments, big heroes and even bigger villains. From that perspective: JJ Abrams was the perfect choice. This is the best cast and best acted Star Wars film to date. Relative newcomers Daisy Ridley (as Rey) and John Boyega (Finn) knock it out of the park while having a blast doing so. Ridley is given a TON to do as the second coming of Luke Skywalker and she manages to be compelling and captivating while appearing in virtually all of the film's most crucial moments. Fellow newcomers Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and Domhall Gleeson (General Hux) round out the excellent acting among the new additions. Returning are Han, Leia, Chewie, C-3PO and a host of familiar faces from the original Star Wars trilogy. The prequels are largely ignored and forgotten as befits their place in the relatively distant past and their relative lack of quality. Somehow, despite the fact that this is literally the EXACT SAME MOVIE as the first Star Wars, it works. It's an absolute joy, and the callbacks feel like homage more than imitation due to the obvious care that every single person involved is taking in bringing this to life. I'm also going to give a shout out to Adam Driver. Known up to this point from being a totally unique and bizarre dude on Girls, he gives us the best Sith lord we've seen since Vader in Empire. He's full of rage and confusion and emotion and this complex picture of villainy is exactly what this new generation of Star Wars films needed to bring the story into our time and beyond. Kudos to all the actors involved, but especially Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver... who just killed it. 



The Bad: as I said before, this is the EXACT SAME MOVIE as episode IV, with a few tweaks. That is both good and bad, so I'll mention it in both sections. The political picture of the galaxy is a bit confusing and nonsensical, but after the hyper dense politics of the prequels, a little hand waving isn't necessarily a bad thing. Additionally, there's a sloppy middle that just isn't as compelling as the film's first and third acts, which are as good as anything that Star Wars has ever done. The effort to force EVERY beat from A New Hope into this film resulted in some weird decisions, and the updated Catina sequence just seemed out of place. Plus - the weird monster chase? Lame.

However, all in all this is an absolute blast of a movie full of memorable characters, great moments, and enough high drama to propel Star Wars into the future in capable and trusthworthy hands. I'm excited for what's to come, and can't wait for more Rey and Kylo Ren. (plus Poe Dameron and BB-8, guys!) I'm going to dock it a little for some missed opportunities, but I love this movie. Bring on Rogue One, and with Rian (Looper) Johnson writing and directing Episode VIII, something tells me that the next flick is going to blow us all away.

8/10