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Thread: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Gareth Edwards)

  1. #51
    Winston* Classic Winston*'s Avatar
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    Watched the first few minutes. I've definitely been guilty of it in the past but I am sick of that sort of dismissive, snarky internet criticism.

  2. #52
    General Star Wars pleasures keep this from being unwatchable, but it's such a wasted opportunity to do something different with the franchise. If this is what "Star Wars Stories" are generally going to be (exposition-laden re-hashes of other movies without the good characters or humor to make it work) then I predict everyone in the world will be sick of Star Wars within five or so years. It works now only because we're all hungry for more Star Wars. Disney needs to be very careful in how they treat this franchise going forward--movies of this quality will only hurt it in the long run.

  3. #53
    Quote Quoting Winston* (view post)
    what was Luna's deal? Hard to think of a single defineable character trait.
    Jyn too.

  4. #54
    The Pan Spinal's Avatar
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    This was actually pretty darn good. I liked it more than Force Awakens. I liked the tight focus on a single objective. I liked that it was a film about sacrifice and that is was willing to show us the consequences of defiance in the face of growing evil. I loved Felicity Jones in the lead role. Whereas Daisy Ridley's character often felt like a franchise trying a little too hard to make up for the deficiencies of past female characters, Jyn felt authentic and lived-in. What a wonderful, captivating face Jones has. The film even has a comic relief droid character that is actually funny!

    I thought Forest Whitaker and Donnie Yen characters were weak points, although not necessarily due to the performances.

    It's funny how you can tell that there's someone different in the Vader suit, even when he's just walking. But boy, that scene towards the end of the film was awfully cool. It elevated our understanding of the character, whereas the prequel films did precisely the opposite.

    I may be willing to get on board with Fezzik's declaration that this is the best of the series since Empire.
    Coming to America (Landis, 1988) **
    The Beach Bum (Korine, 2019) *1/2
    Us (Peele, 2019) ***1/2
    Fugue (Smoczynska, 2018) ***1/2
    Prisoners (Villeneuve, 2013) ***1/2
    Shadow (Zhang, 2018) ***
    Oslo, August 31st (J. Trier, 2011) ****
    Climax (Noé, 2018) **1/2
    Fighting With My Family (Merchant, 2019) **
    Upstream Color (Carruth, 2013) ***

  5. #55
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Why does Vader live on a lava planet? Shouldn't he avoid lava?
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    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
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  6. #56
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    I'll have to take the time to read this whole thread, but quick thoughts is that I was really nervous that this would actually be BORING at first, but it picked up steam after leaving the first planet. The first war scene seemed really cheaply done, despite being a $200 million dollar movie. 1980s style explosions with sparks was so disappointing.

    But then once it hits the stride, basically on the first Death Star shot, it really gets going. Pretty exciting, especially with all things going on in Scarif.

    The Darth Vader scene is why I think these movies will work. It's exactly what fans would want.

    I'll have to pay attention better, but hardly knew any of the character names. Donnie Yen is a welcome addition to the elite characters though.

    Forest Whitaker, sadly a dud.

    Awesome machine gun.

    Don't quite understand the point of Mendelsohn as a whole. Once Tarkin arrived, he was the stronger villain.

    The last fifteen minutes make me really want to watch A New Hope.

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  7. #57
    In the belly of a whale Henry Gale's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Why does Vader live on a lava planet? Shouldn't he avoid lava?
    It fits perfectly within Edwards' philosophy of, "It might be dumb, but damn if it doesn't look nice."

    EDIT: And I'm not sure how I feel about it making it seem as if Anakin hasn't left that planet since Obi-Wan had the high ground and cut off his limbs there. Like, that's the only isolate place you could build a castle to have your milk baths? There?

    Thematically it's a little more nicely tragic, but logically...
    Last edited by Henry Gale; 12-24-2016 at 06:31 PM.
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    Bad Trip (Sakurai, 2020)
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  8. #58
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Henry Gale (view post)
    It fits perfectly within Edwards' philosophy of, "It might be dumb, but damn if it doesn't look nice."

    EDIT: And I'm not sure how I feel about it making it seem as if Anakin hasn't left that planet since Obi-Wan had the high ground and cut off his limbs there. Like, that's the only isolate place you could build a castle to have your milk baths? There?

    Thematically it's a little more nicely tragic, but logically...

    Well that's what's weird about it. He has left the planet. He was rebuilt at the Grand Republic Medical Facility on Coruscant. (C'mon everyone knows that. ) which makes going back to Mustafar really weird.

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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  9. #59
    Winston* Classic Winston*'s Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Ezee E (view post)
    Don't quite understand the point of Mendelsohn as a whole. Once Tarkin arrived, he was the stronger villain.
    I thought Mendelsohn and his character were great. A harried middle manager trying to impress his superiors by delivering a project on time.

  10. #60
    Winston* Classic Winston*'s Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Spinal (view post)
    It elevated our understanding of the character, whereas the prequel films did precisely the opposite.
    I feel that way about the film as a whole. I thought the thing was going to feel completely redundant based on the plot description, but it ended up effectively adding some extra depth and logic to the original.

    I wasn't even sure if I was going to see it but his movie has sat very well in my memory. I even liked Forrest Whittaker. I liked that he went for it.

  11. #61
    The Pan Spinal's Avatar
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    It's almost like Star Wars is the military recruitment ad. See distant worlds. Save the girl. Be the hero and get a medal.

    And then this film is closer to reality. Go to a dangerous place. You'll probably die. And few will know you were there.
    Coming to America (Landis, 1988) **
    The Beach Bum (Korine, 2019) *1/2
    Us (Peele, 2019) ***1/2
    Fugue (Smoczynska, 2018) ***1/2
    Prisoners (Villeneuve, 2013) ***1/2
    Shadow (Zhang, 2018) ***
    Oslo, August 31st (J. Trier, 2011) ****
    Climax (Noé, 2018) **1/2
    Fighting With My Family (Merchant, 2019) **
    Upstream Color (Carruth, 2013) ***

  12. #62
    White Tiger Field Stay Puft's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Why does Vader live on a lava planet? Shouldn't he avoid lava?
    I laughed out loud at that part. All that was missing was the Eye of Sauron.

    Anyways, I'm not sure I liked this movie. It's probably the third best Star Wars movie overall? But I guess I'm not much of a fan.

    Agree with Spinal about Vader, though. My roommate and I were talking about that on the way back. This film accomplishes in three minutes what the prequels couldn't manage over three films.

    The CGI characters really pissed me off, though. This movie goes down the checklist of modern blockbusters, and the callbacks and CGI de-aging (or resurrecting, in the case of Peter Cushing) just does not sit well with me at all. I think I might have actually been fine if we only ever saw Tarkin's reflection in the glass, like that first shot... you know, leave a bit to the audience's imagination... but then it's all close-ups on computer animation and good god what the fuck are they doing. And yet, as wildly offensive as I eventually found every scene with Tarkin, it still wasn't as bad as that final shot. I think the last literal fifteen seconds of this film managed to destroy any goodwill I may have discovered on the journey up to that point. I can't remember the last time a movie managed to trip so fucking hard with only fifteen seconds left to go. Christ, this movie is stupid.
    Giving up in 2020. Who cares.

    maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore (Sky Hopinka) ***½
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  13. #63
    Since 1929 Morris Schæffer's Avatar
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    Why does Vader live on a lava planet? Why does Batman have a batcave? I think it makes sense coming after his fiery 'demise' in Episode III.

    I also have to say that comparing this Vader to the one from the prequels feels like a cheap shot. He's in full villain mode in Rogue One, his arc in the prequels is more tragic and yet there's still merciless killing in ep III's climax. Not saying the prequels don't deserve derision, but you guys missed the mark twice. In my humble opinion of course.
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  14. #64
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    I'm pretty sure that if this story wasn't set in the Star Wars universe I wouldn't have liked this.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  15. #65
    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    I'm pretty sure that if this story wasn't set in the Star Wars universe I wouldn't have liked this.
    Exactly.

  16. #66
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    But it is.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
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  17. #67
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    It is, and I had fun with it, but I realized that a lot of what I liked about it is just the cool aspects of seeing it play with the Star Wars elements (like how "the force" becomes a question of faith to a non-Jedi believer like Donnie Yen, or how it reestablishes Vader as a horror villain, or the idea of petty office politics between Tarkin and someone else)—which is what drew me to the EU world years ago.

    I dislike its construction as a film, though. I thought the pacing was terrible and the characters were too thin. The action scenes are repetitive (particularly the X-Wing dogfights) and the emotional moments too abrupt to land (I loved Godzilla but this was its weakest aspect too). I hate that it spent an hour just assembling the team. This is seriously the plague in modern ensemble movies. Just fucking have them be a team already.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  18. #68
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Speaking of emotional moments that don't land, what a misstep to reveal the fact that the Death Star can be blown up with one shot to a ventilation shaft was an act of deliberate sabotage during Galen's first time talking to Jyn. I got from Felicity Jones' acting that it's supposed to be an emotional scene but I didn't hear what Galen said to her because I was too busy howling in laughter.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  19. #69

  20. #70
    Second star to the right [ETM]'s Avatar
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    Yeah, that's pretty much me when it ended. Although I did enjoy some of the icing, it left a bitter taste in general.

  21. #71
    Since 1929 Morris Schæffer's Avatar
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    Just out of curiosity, how many of you know that Vader is literally the Dutch word for father?

    The biggest twisteroo in movie history laid on not exactly thinly by a certain Mr. Lucas.

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  22. #72
    Second star to the right [ETM]'s Avatar
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    It's pretty well known, even among those who don't speak Dutch.

  23. #73
    Since 1929 Morris Schæffer's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting [ETM] (view post)
    It's pretty well known, even among those who don't speak Dutch.
    Well ok, I admit I was hoping for a "OMG YOU BLEW MY FREAKIN' MIND!!!"
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  24. #74
    Pretty raggedy-ass all things told, yet another victim of the churn-them-out franchise building that all studios think they must engage in these days in order to build and maintain an audience (and whose to say they are wrong on that front?). Just like the Marvel movies are starting to creak and moan under the weight of both previous and future release dates... I mean, movies, the first two Star Wars movies have been fitted out to appease the cinematic universe without anyone really bothering to check whether the engine under the hood is up to the task. Turns out, it's not. A bunch of random characters tossed together in dramatically unsatisfying ways, with unsatisfying or absent motivations and arcs, and then sacrificed to the cinematic universe in which they are trapped, doomed to bounce from set-piece to set-piece, exposition to exposition, call back to call back until some recycled plot point is resolved.

    In a way, my problems with this film are very similar to my problems with La La Land - directors with a pretty good eye pushing cardboard cut-out characters at us in between show-stopping numbers feeding off pre-existing movie lore. At least Rogue One's set pieces are more impressive and it lacks dishonesty regarding the characters and story and themes (it's a war movie through and through, though a pretty half-arsed one at times). But please, someone get an expert script doctor on the phone for these tent pole movies, stat.
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  25. #75
    The Pan Scar's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Why does Vader live on a lava planet? Shouldn't he avoid lava?
    A constant reminder of his greatest defeat.
    “What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”

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