by Dai » Fri Dec 16, 2016 12:59 pm
I was concerned by the talk of extensive re-shoots for this movie, but thankfully it hasn't been turned into a fashionable witty banter action adventure; Rogue One is almost 100% the war movie we were told to expect. It doesn't get off to a good start, with an opening scene packed with tired tropes, but once the pace starts to pick up it just gets better and better. The cast turn in generally strong performances, though the main villain is a disappointment, being a bit hammy in his delivery and not terribly interesting. The characters aren't a loveable bunch like Episode VII's, but they aren't meant to be; they have an edge, but it's not edginess for its own sake. Humour is--appropriately for this story--thin on the ground, but there are a few good laughs to be had. On the whole I thought it was great, and a good change of pace after last year's excellent (but overly conservative) entry. Gareth Edwards is proving to be a consistently reliable director on most fronts.
I'm glad that Disney didn't de-claw it in the editing suite, but it's clear that significant changes were made. I can't remember any movie diverging so far from its trailers, even Godzilla 2014, which did so quite a bit. Almost none of the dialogue from the first two trailers (the only ones I watched) is in the movie, several of the most iconic shots are missing, Jyn is generally less snarky, and certain scenes play out differently. If you're the type who goes through a first viewing mentally ticking off shots from the trailer, this may prove an odd experience, almost like an alternate universe take on the same story.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW