MOVIE REVIEW: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

During the tumult of the Trump presidency, I got to experience overt racism at work. A normally tolerant coworker suddenly exploded on anyone darker than a brown paper bag, and not only did he keep his job but was promoted by the company. It was the last straw among a long list of micro-aggressions, and I took my complaints to HR (my last mistake in dealing with the company). No only did HR ignore my concerns, but every witness to the micro-aggressions closed ranks to protect the offenders. I was both discouraged and unwanted in that position, so I quit for my safety and my sanity. They have since lost nearly every high-visibility account, but they are still in business.
That same year of the start of the Trump presidency other people fought back against injustice: you’d be forgiven if you thought I meant the Rebels of the Star Wars universe, but to be honest many resistance protests and actions sprung up that year in opposition to the political figure in the story above (amongst many other issues facing the average American citizen). But we’re not here for that; we’re here for the prequel movie that brought director and visual effects artist Gareth Edwards into the Star Wars universe called Rogue One.

RAG-TAG BAND OF HEROES: Pictured are (l-r) Bohdi Rook (Riz Ahmed), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) and Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), mixed in with assorted extras.

Named after the call sign for a Rebel spacecraft flying a special operation to steal the plans for the Galactic Empire’s planet-killing superweapon called the “Death Star” (last seen in Attack of the Clones), it’s a break-neck rush by a Rag-Tag Band of Heroes™ to save the galaxy. We get to see new planets, aliens, technology, and conflicts of the Star Wars universe through the eyes of said heroes:

• Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones, The Amazing Spider Man 2 [2014], Brideshead Revisited [2008]), rebellious daughter of Imperial scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen, Valhalla Rising [2009], Indiana Jones an the Dial of Destiny [2023]) and key to the whole mission
• Saw Guererra (Forest Whitaker, Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai [1999], The Crying Game [1992]), a hyper-paranoid and reckless cyborg Rebel leader who is Jyn’s absent guardian
• Cassian Andor (Diego Luna, Y tu mamá también [2001], Vampires: Los Muertos [2002]), a Rebellion operative and native of Navarro who’s the kind of moral-gray characterization the fandom has been clamoring for
• K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk, I, Robot [2004], “Powerless” [TV-NBC]), a reprogrammed Imperial droid that acts as Cassian’s muscle
• Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed, Four Lions [2010], Sound of Metal [2019]), an Imperial mechanic and pilot who has defected to the Rebellion
• Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen, Iron Monkey [1993], Ip Man [2008]), a blind warrior-monk who is Force-sensitive but not actually a Jedi
• Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen, Red Sorghum [1988], Warriors of Heaven and Earth [2003]), master of heavy weapons and Chirrut’s bodyguard

Rounding out the bad guys are Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn, Knowing [2009], Captain Marvel [2019]) and the franchise’s favorite villain Darth Vader (voiced by the late James Earl Jones, The Sandlot). What makes this movie extra special is bringing back or de-aging members of the Original Trilogy that have since passed away, namely Sir Peter Cushing (died 1994; At the Earth’s Core [1976]) and Carrie Fisher (died during the filming of 2017’s Star Wars episode VIII: the Last Jedi), through the computer magic of artificial intelligence. Using this new tech, our favorite actors can embody the characters over and over again to tell the stories which the Star Wars franchise has depended upon. This has a whole new level of applications, meaning once an actor is recorded their likeness can be used in many more things, even aged forward and backward to tell prequel and sequel stories for new audiences. It’s a whole new era of filmmaking possibilities, and it starts here!

THE WORKERS FOUGHT BACK: One ramming Hammerhead corvette was able to take down two Imperial Star Destroyers at once during the Battle of Scarif, because the Imperials underestimated Rebel tenacity.

Just like the Empire, Hollywood tried to overlord with technology and it backfired: it looks like their plan was to record all actors along with existing footage of deceased actors and make digital copies of them, as opposed to re-casting with flesh-and-blood actors. Digital actors don’t need rights, meal breaks or royalties, can be made to perform any action (cutting back on stunt performers), can be reshaped if they’re too fat or thin or old or young or whatever, and can be in as many roles as there are movies in a given year. But what of the actors on who the digital copies are based? Hollywood basically said “fuck you guys” to them and tried to bully actors (as well as writers) into one-sided and uneven agreements leading deep into and after the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually leading to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.
As a result, most living actors and late actors’ estates are wary and working to establish legal clauses that prevent unauthorized usage of voice and likeness while terminating the use of voice and likeness in future projects after death. Such wariness of the issue led to actress Scarlet Johansson voicing opposition to her voice being used without her permission to make an AI assistant called “Sky” by OpenAI in 2024. The AI assistant sounds similar to the one Miss Johansson portrayed in the 2013 movie Her. “Sky” made a 98% match with Miss Johansson out of a test with 600 different voice actresses, and has since been pulled due to the backlash. Robert Downey Jr. has also instructed his estate to “sue the pants off” anyone that tries to do the same with his likeness or voice. But even better things came out of Rogue One, thanks to the skill of Gareth Edwards.

The Outer Rim worlds of Rogue One go far beyond Tatooine —but since Jedha is yet another habitable desert planet in the Star Wars galaxy, not that far — with asteroid space stations, tropical military bases, grimy city streets, dark rainy mountain passes, and Imperial brutalist architecture. The manicured trees of Core worlds are gone, and environmental features (like the fallen Jedi statues on Jedha) add a layer of history and mystery. Smooth clean lines of well-built buildings have given way to the rough and unwashed grime of Imperial neglect. No more high fashion; the only way you’ll see clothes like that is on underworld types while the rank-and-file peasants are in filthy rags. The homogeny of humanity is lost in the varied textures of alien bodies both organic and inorganic. The beauty in each environmental tableau is all this exoticism is not so exotic to the people living in these worlds; it’s any given day.
Such beauty was exhibited in Gareth Edwards’ later work The Creator, and it made for amazing visuals which I gush about endlessly in my review. Just like the later movie, there were some problematic visuals (beginning to think Mr. Edwards has issues with Asian people) and a Death Star analogue in NOMAD, but I still believe Rogue One makes the grade based on its visual storytelling alone.

I leave you with the Darth Vader hallway scene as proof of my point.

YOU’RE NOT READY: The end of Rogue One ties into A New Hope with a nice red glowing ribbon.

CHOICE CUTS:

• “Rouge” is not the same as “rogue”; spelling is important.
• Saw Guererra’s super raspy voice was hilarious and over the top. I know he’s a cyborg that’s more machine than man but c’mon…
• PRICELESS QUOTE: “This is a rebellion, isn’t it? I rebel.” — Jyn Erso, confronted by Mon Mothma and Rebellion leaders; I love how Mon Mothma’s stifling laughter at how ignorant Jyn is of the stakes.
• I’d like to point out the Decraniated, a form of bio-droid created by Dr. Evazan (the guy who threatened Luke Skywalker in the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope), who shows up in a cameo. They’re the most terrifying thing I’ve ever read about in Star Wars lore, and there's a reason why Dr. Evazan has the death sentence in 12 star systems.
• The street battles on Jedha were fine, but my interest only piqued when Jyn broke ranks to save that child. I was on pins and needles the entire time, and I could only relax when the child was safe with her parents.
• PRICELESS QUOTE: “Are you kidding me? I’m blind!” — Chirrut Îmwe, when a bag is placed over his head to transport him to Saw Guererra’s secret Rebel base in the desert.
• I don't want to leave out Irish actress Genevieve O’Reilly out, as she continues to play one of the most consequential members of the Rebellion next to Princess Leia — that of Mon Mothma — in several Disney-owned projects.
• If people were crying out for amazing starship battles, Rogue One did not disappoint with the Battle of Scarif.

WHAT WILL YOU BECOME?: This shot of Jyn in an Imperial TIE fighter uniform was only used for the trailers, but it ignited my interest in the film.

• PRICELESS QUOTE: “Did you know that wasn’t me?” — K-2SO, after watching Jyn Erso blast an identical K-2 unit.
• FUN FACT: Actor Diego Luna has a thing for Jabba the Hutt. Considering Jabba is a slimy fat alien crime lord and nobody likes him, this is certified weird.
• Learning that there are specific planets for different generalized races of humanity (Navarro for Latin people, Hays Minor for Asian people, and Savareen for Black people) led me to the realization that Star Wars also homogenizes races and cultures like they do their planetary global climates.
• PRICELESS QUOTE: “Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director” — Darth Vader with the dad jokes after Force choking Director Krennic.
• CAMEO: Blink and you’ll miss C-3PO (Anthony Daniel) and R2-D2 (as a prop)! No you won’t; the movie makes sure you see them.
• No Bothans died to bring the Rebellion this information.
• It would be pretty cool if that culturally-ambiguous Latin nation in Disney’s “Elena of Avalor” was an ancient kingdom of Navarro.