Spectacular cinematic stories need equally spectacular cinematic backstories.
That would explain why some found 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' a tad too bland and, to hit closer to the franchise, 'The Phantom Menace' as a tad undercooked and ponderous. Audiences served heady doses of thrills, spills and spectacle expect that their favorite tales of heroes and villains, of good and evil should be backed up with equally awe-inspiring stories serving as the backdrop to all the drama on the screen. And when their favourite entertainers get too busy or self-indulgent with their methods, the results can be understandably disappointing.
Of course, you can always argue that, in both cases, these prequels did set up a solid groundwork for the existing narratives. But 'Rogue Nation: A Star Wars Story' is something different- a thrilling, crackling prequel that renders, with its furious, economical storytelling, pretty much all of Lucas' prequels (at best expansive, at worst self-indulgent) a tad redundant for the hard-core franchise lover.
It does not meander into entire multitudes of characters and creatures or even introduce fan-alienating concepts and elements. Instead, director Gareth Edwards and his team play it safe and stellar- weaving an intriguing story that lets us into a whole new perspective into the central dramatic arc. Instead of letting us see wannabe Jedis duke it out with lightsabers or wizened old spirits talk mumbo jumbo, it lets us see a battered bunch of divided rebels laying everything down on the line to do their bit to defeat an evil Empire.
It is revolution in the galaxy as a cornered and clueless Rebel Alliance is waging a losing war with the tyrannical Empire that is scrambling the barrel for new ways to let loose its reign of terror. The greatest cinematic villain of all time is at the helm of things, Grand Moff Tarkin (here a digitally resurrected Peter Cushing) is still his henchman of choice and big plans are being finalised for an all too well-known weapon that is called by many as a 'planetkiller'.
In such a critical time, disillusioned but determined Jyn Erso (played evocatively by Felicity Jones) emerges out of oblivion as an unlikely crusader entrusted with a crucial task of transporting possible sabotage plans to the Rebel Alliance. Her wide, exquisite eyes are sad and knowing- her father Galen Erso (an effectively sober Mads Mikkelsen) has been tugged away to be a part of the Empire's new devilish invention and her mother has been killed by the hard-nosed ruling authority. Yet, the film's enthralling, urgent narrative sees her banding up with misguided insurgents and free-booters on a heroic quest that will prove ultimately utterly important in paving ahead a whole series of adventures. I hope that I have not spoiled it for you.
What distinguishes 'Rogue One' from the rest of the Star Wars canon is how it looks and feels. While all the other films are showy, grandiose space opera crowdpleasers, Edwards' film is visibly gritty and grimy; the film has a grubby, sordid and slummy atmosphere to its plot, shifting stealthily from rusty innards of cavernous ships to the ruins of a destroyed order- at one point, we zoom out of the decaying sprawl to see a fallen rock statue resembling a famous Jedi warrior. There is little to take your breath away in terms of sheer wonder; in its place, there is only a wistful, brooding air of gloom over what has been lost in the war. Even the obligatory cantina scene looks more dreadfully dangerous rather than flat-out amusing. There is not even an introduction crawl to keep most fans satisfied.
The brisk, serious air of the proceedings, however, does not disguise the film's splendid and well-judged sense of delivering the big goodies. While the unreasonable fans can whine about there being no lightsaber duels, Edwards knows certainly to dole out the action in large, delectable and deliriously rollicking chunks. The battles are big and monumental- cinematographer Greig Fraser delivers bang for the buck with the relentless barrage of dogfights in the star-studded galaxies, blaster standoffs with armies of Stormtroopers and explosions of planets at mere flicks of switches. They are not only immediate and tense but Edwards also gets his influences right- from industrial galactic hellholes fashioned after the cityscapes of 'Blade Runner' and a monster fashioned after the terrifying emissary from 'Dune' to frenetic ghetto riots and battles fashioned after modern geopolitical terrorist thrillers to a Zatoichi-style blind warrior to the fervent climax in the sunny lagoons and palm groves of tropical Scarif, which could mirror Vietnam War classics like 'Full Metal Jacket' and 'Apocalypse Now'. These touches are superbly done and work great on their own.
As a plot that heads in a starkly different path, 'Rogue One' does well, bolstered with a taut, flab-free and frequently action-packed script by reliable hands Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. The marriage between pulp and plotty sophistication is all too evident in how the film unfolds with both a breakneck pace and enough genuine smarts up its sleeve. The film flits dynamically between the adventure amped up with enthralling stakes to the tumult of emotions that accompany the bigger reveals that follow with trademark Star Wars-style flourish. There is a compelling cast of new characters, all of whom are refreshingly unconventional in their own ways and among them, Diego Luna's conflicted Rebel hitman Cassian Andor, Donnie Yen's sight-impaired swordsman Chirrut and Alan Tudyk's endearingly sly-witted K-2SO emerge as wonderfully fleshed creations. Bringing an equal level of sinister menace is Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic, a power-hungry Imperial Military head, whose quietly devilish presence lends startling fireworks to the events- especially one moment with the great, great Lord Vader that must not be revealed.
Refreshingly enough, Edwards plays out his film like more a rattling World War II action thriller rather than a typical space opera. Its heroes are dogged soldiers fighting for a cause and its villains are dictatorial geniuses hell bent on decimating entire worlds without a shred of emotion. Hell, it also unleashes the angry beast inside the galaxy's most powerful kingpin.
Yet, with all its iconic cameos and clues pointing at the epic story that lies ahead, 'Rogue One' is ultimately, as its title says, a Star Wars story. However, as he had never really believed in the powers of 'hokey religions', this blaster-wielding badass prequel might be the Star Wars movie that Han Solo would have loved gladly.
My Rating- 4 And A Half Stars Out Of 5
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