#Star wars a rogue story movie#

Star Wars was naive, unreflective, simplistic, corny and earnest - and I love all that about it.

A whole planet is destroyed, but a minute later itвЂ™s like nothing happened, and before long Alderaan girl Leia is bantering with Luke and Han as if it had been a bad dream. The original Star Wars films have been criticized for promoting a morally simplistic view of war and whitewashing its horrors. вЂњGood guys and bad guysвЂќ is a somewhat suspect concept these days, not without reason. Conversely, in the prequel trilogy Anakin went from a Jedi to a Sith, but it was always clear that the Jedi, even if they were less wise and virtuous than Ben Kenobi led us to believe, were good guys. But Han was a loner mercenary and a smuggler who wasnвЂ™t part of the Rebellion until he was, and when he joined up he put on the proverbial white hat, even if he wore it at a rakish angle. Yes, Han shot first in the original original Star Wars. It may not be not the filmmakersвЂ™ fault that this comes as children are tweeting out of Aleppo that they are about to be killed as regime forces crush the rebels, but you know, itвЂ™s not not their fault either. The first major action sequence is an urban terrorism-style attack on Imperial forces, with innocents, including children, put at risk by the anti-Imperial insurgency.

Later he leads a mission ostensibly to rescue JynвЂ™s father Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelson), a scientist being forced by the Empire to work on the Death Star project - though CassianвЂ™s real mission, about which he deceives Jyn and other allies, is to assassinate Galen. The main Rebel Alliance character, Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), murders his own informant in his very first scene. While thereвЂ™s no one right answer, hereвЂ™s what it comes down to for this child of the Star Wars generation: In all previous Star Wars movies, one side wore black hats and the other wore white it was always clear not only which were the bad guys, but also which were the good guys.

#Star wars a rogue story movie#

Watch how he dodges blaster fire before anyone pulls a trigger clearly he has the вЂњJedi traitвЂќ of вЂњseeingвЂќ things before they happen, even if he canвЂ™t see with his eyes.ДЄll this raises a question: When is a Star Wars movie not a Star Wars movie? Except, of course, that this is a Star Wars movie with no Jedi, so itвЂ™s really like if The Magnificent Seven featured Toshiro Mifune and no Western gunslingers.Д¬hirrut goes into action rattling off the mantra вЂњThe Force is with me, I am one with the Force.вЂќ Is there room in Star Wars for mystical warrior-monks who are devoted to the Force but arenвЂ™t Jedi? What are they then? Some sources claim that ГЋmwe isnвЂ™t actually a вЂњForce sensitive.вЂќ This seems absurd. The effect is a bit like if you were watching Seven Samurai and suddenly John Wayne strolled in. Also funny, and pretty cool, is Hong Kong superstar Donnie Yen ( Iron Monkey) as Chirrut ГЋmwe, a blind warrior-monk who is basically a Star Wars version of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman.Д¬hirrut ГЋmwe is an odd presence because he embodies the Asian mystical warrior-monk archetype that inspired the Jedi in the first place, but heвЂ™s not a Jedi and uses a cane instead of a lightsaber. Much of the humor comes from Alan Tudyk as a deadpan robot named K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid whoвЂ™s so tough and effective in battle that itвЂ™s unclear why the Empire doesnвЂ™t replace their incompetent battle droids and stormtroopers with K-2s. ThereвЂ™s nothing wrong with that, I guess.

Much like a typical Marvel movie, Rogue One is diverting enough while itвЂ™s unfolding, with a canny blend of action, humor and fan service, to send crowds away with smiles, perhaps debating the implications for canonical continuity, but neither greatly disappointed nor much changed. Whether an art or a science, Disney seems to have it down: this process of crafting competent franchise films that are good enough. Like DisneyвЂ™s first Star Wars outing, The Force Awakens, the protagonist of Rogue One is a tough, capable young woman - but where Rey was unusually strong in the Force, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is not a Force adept at all. There are no lightsaber duels indeed, no lightsabers at all, until a brief flash of red at a critical moment. Except, of course, that this is a Star Wars movie with no Jedi, so itвЂ™s really like if The Magnificent Seven featured Toshiro Mifune and no Western gunslingers.