Star Wars: Episode VII: Revenge Of The Septuagenarian

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Opposite for me, I'm not nearly as excited for this story as I was for Episode VII or will be for Episode VIII but I am still seeing it at 7 pm one week from tonight.
 
Took me about a month to see TFA (and only did because the girlfriend du jour wanted to go to the movies for her birthday). It only got a second watch recently when I stumbled across it on the movie channels...however I did really enjoy it.

Will probably see this a bit faster. I suspect I'm more excited simply due to the concept.
 
Probably no one knows the answer, but does anyone know if Rogue One was filmed in 70MM? I only ask because it's being offered on RPX(Regal Premium Experience) screen, which is like an IMAX screen I guess, but I gather that it's not worth it unless the film will fit the whole screen, otherwise it'll have black bars on top and bottom and won't look that much different from a normal screen.

I just want to know if the film will fill the whole screen or not.
 
Early reviews are coming in, generally with cautious praise. Either they don't want to make the same mistake as last time when they hype-gushed over a flashy remake, or they're actually being critical.

Here's The AV Clubs take. Particular praise for director Gareth Edwards, you know, that hack from the Godzilla film only cinematic clods went to see.

http://www.avclub.com/review/rogue-one-adventure-star-wars-dark-side-247345
 
Maybe! But among some the initial excitement has worn off and it's not viewed as favorably as it was upon release. Kind of like a new U2 album being received better purely because it's not the previous release.

Maybe I'm talking out of my bum and watching too much South Park this season, I'd have to cross reference cinema vs dvd reviews to be sure.

Regarding Rogue One, also glad to read that Edwards has brought the sense of scale over from Godzilla. Script had issues but he filmed it well.
 
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Maybe I'm talking out of my bum and watching too much South Park this season

Can you explain this? I've never been a South Park fan. They making fun of Force Awakens?

Not that there's anything wrong with making fun of Force Awakens. Just curious.
 
Something with that many flaws and considerable lack of originality doesn't really translate to "great" for me.

I'm willing to say "very good".

I agree.

I would say it's a bit like the No Line On The Horizon of Star Wars films, but doesn't have a scene so bad that it could be the equivalent of Stand Up Comedy.
 
I don't see a lot of flaws in that film, I find it to be expertly executed in terms of direction, acting and dialogue. After the dumpster fire prequels, it was nice to see someone else in charge of the franchise.

The plot is exceedingly lazy, however. That's the knock and it's true. But I would say it was a great Star Wars film in that it gave me everything I wanted and very little that I didn't. It's an 8/10 for me.

But I think VIII may very easily be better. The renewed optimism I have for the series is the highest praise I can give to TFA.
 
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Can you explain this? I've never been a South Park fan. They making fun of Force Awakens?

Not that there's anything wrong with making fun of Force Awakens. Just curious.


They've been very serialized the past two seasons. This last one they've equated America's love of nostalgia to the Trump campaign message, with one of the riffs being how JJ tried to recapture the greatness of Star Wars by simply recycling what people loved about it. More to it, but that's the gist. Fell apart by the end, but it was 7/10s a good season.

I enjoyed it when it came out, as my post last year probably attests. After the prequels, it was a relief for it to be so much fun. And it's hard to go wrong with the raw ingredients of the OT. But it came across as high quality, underwritten fan fiction without the soul of the real thing. I'd argue the only successful character was Kylo Ren. Rey was awesome but didn't really earn her victories (again, fan fiction), Finn's character was wildly inconsistent, Oscar Issac was cool until he got a boring-ectomy offscreen and Han veered between world weary and disengaged. And I still don't understand the deal with the Resistance and the Order.

So it was fun and stuff, but as much as I look forward to the upcoming films I don't feel the need to rewatch it as I do with the OT. Kind of like all these mostly reliable, single use Marvel movies.


But I think VIII may very easily be better. The renewed optimism I have for the series is the highest praise I can give to TFA.


:up: #bob
 
Hot take? Hot take. First cut contains general review, second cut contains major spoilers:

Like Godzilla, which was uneven for its first two thirds and dispensed with its best actors far too early, Rogue One has an absolutely thrilling final act. The heist / assault to steal the Death Star plans is a series highlight, combining clear, perfectly executed action with a palpable feeling of dread. This kind of fatalistic tone hasn't been felt since Empire, and it's about time. I walked out with a mingled sense of giddiness and emotionally drained, whereas the final scene of TFA just made me roll my eyes.

But as good as the final third is, the first two are a bit lacklustre. The plot rushes from one incident packed locale to the next, with the underdeveloped and/or unmemorable characters arguing all the way. It's simultaneously in a rush and too drawn out.

However, whilst they could have took some notes from the original two regarding basic pacing, they definitely did their homework when it came to the look of the film. It's so evocative of the first film in particular, with certain sets (Jyn's family home, the Rebel base, Jedha) fitting in perfectly with what we've seen before. Even the cinematography is a match, meaning watching this back to back with the original should be seamless. Which is something you'd likely want to do as soon as you get home.

Super spoilers:

Fair dues to Disney, they didn't shy away from letting the whole cast be annihilated at the end. This is bleak shit, but even as you're reeling from the explosion swallowing Jyn and Cassian it cuts straight to the rebels acquiring the flows and desperately getting them to safety as Darth Vader cuts them down like flies. The image of his light saber illuminating himself in that dark corridor is chilling.

But going back to those deaths, every one is felt. Even if the characters themselves weren't all great, their deaths mean something in this story. As Jyn herself says, they were simply taking one chance after another until there are no more chances. Every small victory is earned as we the audience know this is a suicide run and they could fall at any moment. The pilot finally making contact with the fleet is hard won, brave and uplifting. His expression moments later as he sees that grenade land by him is devestating. K-2SO takes storm troopers out like a boss with a quip, but gives his last actions helping the others to have one more chance. Great filmmaking.

It was lame to have Cassian rise from apparent death to save Jyn just in the knick of time, but Krennic's realization upon seeing the Death Star bear down on him makes up for it. As does the scene with the two of them embracing on the beach, resolute in their victory and accepting of their doom. It's a total crib from
Melancholia
, but if you're going to steal, steal from the best.

Having them all lay down their lives for this one gambit against the Empire also sells the scale of what they're involved in, and how they fit in. They're small time, such minor players that even the film they star in is merely 'a Star Wars story', it's not even part of the core series and their sacrifice was not mentioned originally. They were expendable soldiers, and showing how Forrest Whitaker's crew were engaging in guerrilla warfare provides much needed depth and shading to a saga that has been dominated by one single family for 7 out of 9 planned films.

Final thought for now: whoever insisted on CGI Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher needs a word. A horrifying combination of creepy and laughable. What is this, Final Fantasy?

TL;DR it's good go watch.
 
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I agree with much of your thoughts. The first act is a little rocky, too much happening in too many places we've mostly never been to, and the unfortunate title cards telling us the names and function of each place highlight this. There may have been a more smoother way to do this.

But yeah, despite loving the Jedi/mythology stuff more than anything else (a big part of why I enjoy the prequels so much), I have to put this above The Force Awakens because it got better as it went along instead of worse. While the characterizations weren't filled in enough for me to care as much as I should have (Rey and Finn were better written and acted), I didn't see the lazy recycling as much as in TFA. Even the cliche "infiltrate the base" sequence was far better here than in the previous film. The space battle was better. The demonstration of the ultimate weapon was better, more resonant and descriptive of its effect.

I didn't have as much of a problem with the CGI characters as some did. I thought they did a miraculous job with
Tarkin, and I feel only old school viewers who know the actor is dead would even notice.
The other cameo, not so much, and the cheesy line didn't help.

One last thing: that final scene with
Vader
is maybe the coolest I've seen in a movie in decades. Every childhood fantasy came to fruition, and yet as fist-pumping as it was, it also conveyed the horror of the victims. That's just one for the ages, and one has to admire the restraint in riding that fan service line so deftly. They could have easily overused him, much as they did with Han Solo in TFA, like the lame Kessel Run reference that we all knew (and dreaded) was coming. Instead we got a couple choice scenes that deepened the character.

So yeah, I'm onboard with these tangential Star Wars Story installments, as long as they continue to deliver something fresh.
 
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A lot of the Jedi references with those two monks went over my head, but reading online it seems the hardcore fans had lots to be excited about.

But yes, that final scene. Amazing for all the reasons you said and by holding off earlier it became the scene I didn't know I wanted until it became instantly legendary within the series.

High hopes for the spin offs if Disney are going to let the narrative run its natural course. It'll be interesting to see how the box office gross fares compared to TFA and Ep VIII, and if they're happy to continue potentially sacrificing some cash for franchise credibility.
 
You guys have me pretty pumped, especially as someone who's less fascinated by the Jedi mythology than the other stuff in these movies.
 
Vader is awesome in Rogue One. Other than that? Eh. It's the 8th best Star Wars movie. Not a bad movie by any means, I just didn't dig it that much. Didn't have the magic for me.

Bring on Episode VIII and the shit that doesn't feel like it's off-brand.
 
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I saw it yesterday, and I pretty much loved it.

I view these "Star Wars Story"/Anthology/Standalone/whatever-you-want-to-call-them films as Extended Universe novels on film. As such, I feel the creative/narrative goals of these films should be the same as those novels, which imo are to world-build, be entertaining, convincingly show how the specific story connects to and effects the overall story, and in doing all of that add some depth, richness, and new perspective to the main films/story. I think that Rogue One succeeds at all of this.

People are saying the characters don't have enough backstory, that we don't get to know them enough to care, but I think those types of criticisms kind of miss the point. The main character of the film is not any of those characters - not Jyn or Cassian or Bodhi - but rather all of them. The main character of the film is the Rebel Alliance, and each of these characters is a square in that quilt. The film is about the Rebel Alliance and the diversity of the people fighting for its cause, from an orphan-turned-soldier(Jyn) to captains who have done morally grey things for the cause(Cassian) to defected imperial pilots(Bodhi) to defected leaders who are leading separate, more extreme actions(Saw Gerrera, who I really enjoyed thanks to always great Forest Whitaker, despite limited screen time) to monks who happen to believe in the force(Chirrup, Baze) to scientists working for the cause even when forced to work for the empire(Galen Erso) to the senators in charge(Mon Mothma, Bail Organa),
to even the five-second Leia cameo at the end,
It's all about how these characters from different walks of life are coming together to fight the one great evil, and as such I don't think we really need to know that much about their backstories other than the basics, because it's not the
individuals' deaths you're supposed to care about at the end, it's the collective loss of life and willingness to sacrifice that life for the greater good, to strike a blow at evil, that's supposed to hit you.

So, narratively, I really have no issue with the film. In terms of pacing, certainly I thought to myself that it was a bit slow at the beginning, taking a while to get going in the first parts of the film, but I also thought to myself that it wouldn't be a problem if the payoff ended up being worth it. And boy was it ever worth it.

All of the fight scenes, on the ground and especially the space/air-fighting scenes with all the x-wings and tie-fighters, were thrilling, exciting, and gorgeous. Maybe it's because I was watching the 3D version on a bigger premium screen, but this might be the best looking Star Wars film ever. The shot of the X-wing fleet arriving at the final battle was incredible. Also loved seeing the imperial walkers(AT-STs and AT-ATs). Seriously, the battles in the second half of this film might be the most exciting since the Hoth sequence in Empire or the original Death Star run.

And yes, as has been said,
Vader
was awesome. Like Laz said, they used him sparsely and as a result when he was on screen, he had maximum impact. The last scene in the hallway was obviously incredible, breath-taking in its visceral impact - the cinematography, framing, and just the sounds of the lightsaber,
Vader breathing, and the people screaming and dying.
It was just awesome. But I also thought the first scene with Krennic(hard to believe the actor, Ben Mendelsohn, is the same guy from Bloodline) was effective in its brevity and narrative impact. It was brief, but it allowed Vader to take a subordinate down a peg, essentially saying 'you're nothing, you're replaceable, don't forget who works for who', that kind of thing. And although some found it corny, I think the line "Don't choke on your aspirations" is an instant Vader classic in the vein of "apology accepted, admiral", "I have altered the deal, prey I don't alter it any further", and "I find your lack of faith disturbing". Pun or not, it's still badass imo.

I will spoiler this whole next part for those who haven't seen it yet...

I guess I have to talk about the two human CGI characters. It's being talked about a lot, and I'm surprised to see that there's a fair amount of negative reaction mixed with the positive reaction. I guess there are two separate levels to object on: the technical level(i.e. was it well done, did it look good) and the ethical level(using technology to resurrect a dead actor). To be perfectly honest, I understand that latter more than the former.

I hadn't thought about Tarkin at all really going into this film, I was pretty spoiler-free so I didn't know he'd be in it. Additionally, I didn't actually know for sure that Peter Cushing was dead. I should've, but I didn't. So my reaction when I saw him on the screen was first, 'he's still alive?', and second, 'but even if he is alive he'd be like a hundred years old', and third 'maybe they got a lookalike?'. But I decided not to think about it anymore until later because I didn't want to miss anything in the movie. Point being that the CGI was convincing enough to me that it didn't occur to me that it was CGI. People are saying the CGI wasn't good enough but, just to my eyes, there wasn't a single moment where I thought he wasn't human. Perhaps on future re-watches I'll notice things with the knowledge of what's going on that I didn't on first viewing. I get the ethical concerns, but I think it was a good thing. I hadn't thought about Tarkin going into the film, but in hindsight, he's an important character at this point in the story, and the film is better for having him.

As for Leia, I wasn't expecting that either. I thought they'd just show the back of her and that would be it, but I was really tickled when it happened, and thought it was a great way to end the film. Again, it looked good enough that I wasn't even thinking CGI, I was just thinking 'how did they do that'. Movies like this are supposed to induce childlike wonder when they're at their best, and that's kind of what I was feeling when I walked out of the theater, so I say job well done.

The ethical question is a grey area that I think makes for a really fascinating conversation, but ultimately I don't have a problem with what they did in this film, since they apparently had permission from Cushing's family(and I would assume Carrie Fisher herself).

A few other things...

I loved K-2SO, easily the best comic relief since C-3PO in the originals, and leagues better than Jar-Jar. Funny lines but also played a significant and believable role in the action. Good stuff.

I very much appreciated the overall aesthetic of the film matching up pretty well with ANH, such that watching them back-to-back wouldn't be too jarring, and I also appreciated immensely that all of the planets in the film looked like live-action worlds and not like total cartoons like the planets in AOTC and ROTS did. This is the way it should be. I think they did a really great job in using CGI effectively without letting it overwhelm the film the way Lucas allowed it to overwhelm the prequels.

I very much missed the traditional scroll and fanfare at the beginning. I understand the reasoning for not including it, but I think it was a mistake. To see 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...' and not have it be followed by the legendary theme and visual just felt wrong. Along with Cassian showing up to save Jyn when he had been assumed dead, about the only issues I had with the film.

Finally, I've seen it suggested elsewhere that the film had too many links to the OT in the way the prequels did, but I disagree with this, because the links in this film were necessary to the story being told, from
CGI Tarkin
to the Vader appearances to the ANH fighter pilots to even
the Leia and C-3PO/R2-D2/Leia cameos
, they all added to the story and made total sense, whereas in the prequels, there are things that seemed squeezed in just because. Like, there was no reason for Jango and Boba Fett to be in AOTC, or for C-3PO/R2-D2 to be in any of those films, just to name a couple of examples.

On the whole, this is an immensely entertaining film that did a great job balancing jaw-dropping action with world-building that expanded the mythology of the galaxy far, far away, and it did so while being the kind of darker Star Wars film fans are always clamoring for(and that TFA was as well); indeed, this film channeled, for me, anyway, the sprit of Empire more than any Star Wars film since ROTJ, and I can totally understand why some reviewers are calling it the best Star Wars film since Empire. Not sure I quite agree with that, but I can totally understand it, as well as the sentiment expressed by another reviewer that it's the prequel that all the prequel-haters always wanted.

This is a worthy addition to the Star Wars canon. I'll definitely get the 3D Blu-ray when it comes out. Disney is doing a great job of restoring this franchise to something approaching its former glory.

P.S. I really hate the way the spoiler tags indent everything that comes after. Somebody should fix that.
 
The lack of scroll threw me off for probably the first 2 or 3 minutes. And there were a couple times where the music felt really wonky and not quite matching up to the action on scene. Otherwise, i thought it was pretty awesome. K-2SO was the best.
 
saw it last night. I overall really enjoyed it, much agreed with Monkeyskin on his entire review, including the reference to
Melancholia - the shot of the Death Star looming over the planet as well as the shock wave
.

I missed having that feeling of OMG YAY WHEE I had with TFA, but I'm just happy these are happening and that they're good.

Also thrilled at the theme music at the end, since it was so weird to not have it at the beginning after the "A long time ago..." text. Heh.

Also, I love Mads Mikkelson.
 
I loved it. Imagine the continuing Star Wars Saga as an analog to WWI through WW2 and beyond (1914-1945). They have to cover so many bases in many of the movies, with the exception of ANH.

This was a self-contained movie that covered one mission. The Dirty Dozen of Star Wars movies.
 
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