Star Wars: Rogue One

[Landlord]

The Rogue One story (mostly through poor character development) does have it's problems, but is far from BAD, imo. Also important to note the missteps aren't really any worse than almost any other Star Wars movie imo, which has never had a cornerstone of great screenplay.

The cinematography was an absolute highlight as it's by far the most beautiful Star Wars movie we've seen, and I really appreciate the ways that it gave a fresh coat of ambiguity/nuance paint to the Star Wars universe.

 

[ZRod]

Didn't care much for Rogue One the first time I saw it, but when I rewatched it I appreciated it much more. The character building sucks and it has to many locations, but the final act and battle scene is one of the best. It also doesn't have you typical happy ending.

 

[Redux]

Once you let yourself get past Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen's awkward chemistry, the prequels are actually quite good. They get a bad rep because that's the popular opinion. There is a lot they added to the original trilogy.

 

[Landlord]

Once you let yourself get past Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen's awkward chemistry, the prequels are actually quite good.

This just isn't true.

 

[Mierin]

The internet was in its infancy as far as public use when Ep I came out. RottenTomatoes was brand new and small. MySpace didn't exist as a social media platform yet. I'm not sure why anyone would think people disliked Ep I because it was popular to dislike Ep I.

For the record I didn't hate Ep I, I thought Ep II was enjoyable and thought III was really good. I really don't think people dislike them because it's popular to dislike them, though. And the comparison to LotR is cray cray.

 

[Redux]

Once you let yourself get past Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen's awkward chemistry, the prequels are actually quite good.

This just isn't true.

I guess it doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be. They aren't for everyone I guess, even though people who hate them have seen them multiple times over and over.

 

[whateveritis1224]

Once you let yourself get past Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen's awkward chemistry, the prequels are actually quite good.

This just isn't true.

I guess it doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be. They aren't for everyone I guess, even though people who hate them have seen them multiple times over and over.

The prequels, imo, are ok but could have been so much better with every little adjustments. The main issue with the prequels is the dialogue and then the directing of the couple scenes with Hayden and Natalie (then also Jake in Episode I). The underlying story of the prequels is intriguing, what with Palpatine using the Trade Federation to generate a sympathy vote to get hi elected to the highest office. He then subtly subverts the democracy to the point that when he declares an empire with him as emperor to "thunderous applause". Anakin's story too, was alright, but needed some changes. Overall just a missed opportunity.

I liked Rogue One fine, but it falls behind the OT and TFA for the disjointed first 2/3rds. The last part is amazing (especially the Vader scene), but it doesn't completely overcome the first part of the movie to push it ahead of the OT and TFA.

 

[ZRod]

Once you let yourself get past Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen's awkward chemistry, the prequels are actually quite good.

This just isn't true.

I guess it doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be. They aren't for everyone I guess, even though people who hate them have seen them multiple times over and over.

I think you basically have to get past 99% of Anikan's dialogue in the prequels.
The overall stories are pretty good though. How a whiney little kid becomes the bane of the galaxy!

 

[zoogs]

I think it's just really fun to see the Jedi Order in full operation, and that's what the prequels alone give us (as far as films go). If you look at it as an episodic backstory series for Obi-Wan, it's not too bad at all, an Ewan McGregor does a *great* job.

Overall I think they kind of exposed what George Lucas was capable of. Minus the novelty and the landmark SFX work, etc...but at the end of the day, it's still Star Wars and that's pretty special. It's a case where the universe he built exceeds the movies themselves, and always did. So he should get credit for *that*, anyway.

 

[Mierin]

My favorite thing about the prequels was Sidious.

 

[Enhance]

Rogue one has some cool scenes, but overall, it's a bit of a mess. It's behind the OT for sure, and muddled somewhere in with the prequels.

I'm with you - personally, I don't understand why it's ranked so highly on people's lists. I think it has a lot of storytelling concerns (too many characters, plot holes, too much technical explanation and planet-hopping, and there are some themes that could've played into the larger universe that didn't get time to develop.) It's also just a big fat downer.

When I first heard Rogue One was coming out years ago, I thought it was a Netflix series. I still think it would've been much better in this format.

How can you critique Rogue One for plot holes and too many characters when New Hope has the exact same issues?

A movie can have similar issues to another but still be considered better. This sentences suggests all cinematic faults are created equal. I think we'd both agree that's false.

There are several reasons I think Rogue struggles. The first 20 minutes are convoluted and told from too many perspectives, the first 2/3 of the movie is simultaneously too slow and too fast and we're not given enough time to care about many of the characters. But, in my opinion, the most egregious aspect of it is this: it's not fun. Star Wars, despite having some dark and tenuous moments, still goes back to being fun. Rogue just isn't. Sure, the last 30-40 minutes is an excitable space battle with a badass Darth Vader scene, but it doesn't negate the filmmaking concerns in the first 2/3 of the movie.

Part of the problem is that we already know how this is all going to end - few if any people were going to survive this movie, and it was by nature going to be dark, but I believe they still could've done a better job making people care. And when it was all said and done... I just didn't.

For some, there might be a lot of entertainment value to Rogue, and that's fine. Some movies can be average but provide a lot of entertainment value. I haven't seen Rogue since it came out and I doubt I'll ever watch it again.

 

[Enhance]

Once you let yourself get past Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen's awkward chemistry, the prequels are actually quite good.

This just isn't true.

I guess it doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be. They aren't for everyone I guess, even though people who hate them have seen them multiple times over and over.

For me, all the Star Wars films provide some level of entertainment value, but some of them boil down to being poorly executed films. I will rewatch Ep. 1 at almost any time and have fun doing so, but I can also look at it with a critical eye and believe it sort of stinks as a film.

Not accusing you of this, but I think people sometimes have trouble separating the entertainment value from the movie when analyzing it. Sometimes, it's a good idea to look at them separately and together to give yourself a different perspective. We can enjoy a movie even if it's not a very good movie, and we can dislike a movie even if it's a "good movie."

Case in point: The Godfather is a well put together movie, but I don't enjoy watching it, so I don't.

 

[Redux]

Episode 1 is a better film than given credit for. It's biggest downfall is the slow pacing of a lot of the film. For me, I enjoyed that. The cast is mostly great. Most the story I really enjoy, there are parts I'm not fond of. It also had the unfortunate luck of being an out of order prequel followup to one of the most iconic trilogies of all time.

Episode 2 is mostly trash. The general plot of the clones, I enjoy. The love story aspect is incredibly forced and the two have a very awkward chemistry that sucks most out of the moment. The action is mostly good, but a lot of cheesy crap forced in there as well.

Episode 3 is fantastic. The story is great, the acting is mostly on point. Some of the action feels a bit drawn out but the pacing is good. Some things fall flat but the ending is beautiful. And it has hands down my favorite scene of all the films, the Palpatine concert scene is just so well done.

 

[Mierin]

And it has hands down my favorite scene of all the films, the Palpatine concert scene is just so well done.

It's one of my favorites of the series too.

 

[Redux]

Episode 4 is iconic. The action sequences and the story still to this day holds up. The acting is top shelf. There are some glaring plot holes and clunky story transitions. If I'm being honest, its originality is the best thing about it.

Episode 5 is the strongest of the series as far as character development and pacing go. The story is so well written and executed. The acting is the most believable of the original 3. Even the cliffhangerish ending is satisfying. So good, and one of the most iconic twists ever.

Episode 6 is not great. The story is pretty good, but the execution is half a$$. Too many cheesy elements thrown in to good scenes. Boba Fett dies via fart joke, Ewoks defeat the imperial army and Han Solo gets turned into a pansy a$$. The action scenes are stellar though.