Conmose goes Rogue (Review Rogue One)

 

Warning: This review does contain spoilers for "Rogue One". If haven't seen it yet and you don't want to know, get your ass over to the cinema, watch it and read our review afterwards!

Yesterday we attended Dutch Xmas Con in Utrecht. It was a great day and we will write about it very soon. We had to leave Utrecht early (it’s a two-hour ride), because of our little furry friend (Sigmund and Carola’s dog Moopy) and his bladder. Nevertheless we had a great day and being home early gave us the opportunity to combine Xmas Con with a night at the movies. This week a movie we (and with us the rest of the world) were waiting for premiered and this was our chance to watch it together. Of course we are talking about “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”.

 

“Rogue One” is the first so-called stand-alone movie in the Star Wars Anthology. Although it’s set between “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and “Episode IV: A new Hope”, it’s the first Star Wars Movie that doesn’t focus on the classic George Lucas story of Han, Leia and Luke (to keep it simple). Where “Episode VII: The Force Awakens” really is a sequel to “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”, “Rogue One” is not part of this story, although technically it is (are you still following me). We can see “Rogue One” as a spin-off of the “Old” story.

 

As I said “Rogue One” is set between Episode III and Episode IV. Of course we all remember the Empire’s weapon of Mass Destruction (the Death Star) from Episode IV. Well “Rogue One” is the story of its development. To be more exact: it’s the story that leads up to the Rebels acquiring the blueprints of the weapon that ultimately leads to the destruction of it (if you have seen Episode IV you will know what I am talking about). Yes I warned you there would be spoilers. I will not go further into the story of “Rogue One”, because you probably already saw it (and if you didn’t you shouldn’t be reading this).  What we will do is give you our review of the movie and no ordinary review. On our way back in the car we decided to record our thoughts about the movie, just like Carola and I did with “Suicide Squad”. But this one is extra special, because we had the whole Conmose Team together. So sit back and relax and let us tell you what we thought of “Rogue One”.

Carola: “Shoot”

Liv: “I think it was better than Episode VII”

Carola: “You do? I don’t”

Sigmund: “Yes, I kind of agree with Liv.”

Liv: “Even though it’s a stand-alone movie it’s fully in line with “A New Hope”. I like that, because you can place the story. It enables you to fill up some gaps. But I also like the idea of a new story within the Star Wars Universe. A story that does not lean on the characters from the original trilogy. Besides Darth Vader of course. I love the way they brought him into the story.

Carola: “Yes, Darth Vader is pretty cool”

Sigmund: “I really like it’s a movie that stands alone. And I think it’s great they brought some of the darkness back…”

Liv: “I agree, it’s more of a movie for the adult Star Wars fans again”

Sigmund: The childish elements of the previous movies are a lot less obvious. It’s more serious.”

Liv: “The body count is certainly high”

Carola: “Yes that’s true. I don’t know, I missed certain elements I saw in other Star Wars movies”

Liv: “What did you miss?”

 

Carola: “Well, I was just thinking I missed a type of character like Jaba the Hutt when I saw the mind reading octopus like creature at Saw Gerrera’s place. I liked that scene, but it only lasted for ten seconds or so. I would have liked to see more of it. And in the previous movie there was the bar they were in, with the frog chick (Maz Katana) and there was the cantina (“Who shot first”) in “A New Hope”. I liked that and something like that wasn’t in this one. I thought the movie was a bit too regular, it was in the style of Star Wars, but I missed the high amount of creatures and droids. I missed the atmosphere that created. 

Liv: “There was a little bit of that in Saw Gerrera’s lair. When Cassian, Chirrut, Baze and Bodhi are in jail. There were some creatures there.”

Carola: “Yeah, but just a little bit. But for me there could have been more like this. I missed that in this movie.

Sigmund: “I get what you say and I do agree with you in a way. But I think it’s great that this movie is able to give you the Star Wars feeling, without relying and leaning on a large amount of the old creatures and characters. They achieve this with all new characters. There are some of the old characters in there (like R2D2, C3PO and Darth Vader), but they only play a small part. I think that’s a strong point of “Rogue One”.

Liv: “I agree. It is a whole new story, with new characters and stands out”

 

Sigmund: “Exactly. One of the things that made “The Force Awakens” so cool is the familiarity of the characters from the original trilogy. I think the movie leans on them.”

Carola: “I like it when there are recognizable things…”

Sigmund: “Yeah I know and I don’t mind that either, but I think it is cool to see that “Rogue One” can give you the Star Wars feeling without things like that.”

Liv: “Yes I agree, “The Force Awakens” was cool, because the old characters returned. Not only because of that, but it gave it the extra special feeling. “Rogue One” did not have that extra to lean on, except for Darth Vader. I thought there were some pretty cool actors in this movie.”

Carola: “That’s true, but I also got the feeling, that it was a normal story with a Star Wars dressing. I missed the specific elements.”

Liv: “I really díd get the Star Wars feeling…”

Carola: “For me it had on one side, but it didn’t on the other side”

Sigmund: “I for one think it’s a good thing, that they can do this, without the Jedi-elements.”

Carola: “I don’t know. It’s difficult to explain.”

 

Liv: “I also liked the music, it was the same style, but different from the other ones. But I think the style of the music plays a big part in creating the Star Wars feeling.”

Sigmund: “I also liked that the CGI effects in this movie were a lot less and of better quality.”

Liv: “I read somewhere that “Rogue One” is the best movie in the Star Wars universe since “The Empire Strikes Back” (episode IV) and I do think this is the best one since the old trilogy.”

Sigmund: “I don’t know if actually like it more than “The Force Awakens”…”

Carola: “I think they are equally good. I may sound a bit negative, but I do think it’s as good as “The Force Awakens”. In both of them there are things that annoy me and things that I really like. Like I said: I really liked the specific Star Wars stuff in “The Force Awakens”, it’s the reason I love to watch Star Wars. Because of that “Rogue One” just didn’t give me the true Star Wars feeling. But in “The Force Awakens” I thought Kylo Ren was a big disappointment, at least when he took of the helmet. And in “Rogue One” I think all the characters are strong.”

Sigmund: “What I did notice was that all other Star Wars movies revolve around one significant bad guy and this one didn’t. There was Darth Vader, but he was kind of an extra. The Empire was the bad guy, but not really a character like Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Kylo Ren and so on. It lacked the end boss fight, you know what I mean? I kind of like that.

Liv: “True. What I did think was a flaw in the movie: was the face of Leia. It would have been better if they had just left it with the shot of her from the back…

Sigmund: “Yes I don’t know what happened there ha-ha. They could have left that out and just stop at the moment you see her from the back…

Liv: “Everyone knows it’s her anyway. But other than some small flaws, the movie didn’t disappoint me at áll.”

Carola: “I thought the story was very good, I really liked watching the movie. I thought the characters were good and they told the story in a nice way. There were some parts I did not like or were too predictable and one of them was the death of Saw Gerrera. I thought that was disappointing and not necessary, with the whole self-sacrifice.

Sigmund: “I did think the start of the movie, with the history of Jyn was pretty cliché…”

Liv: “Yes that was very predictable…”

Sigmund: “You knew what was gonna happen from the beginning”

Carola: “Yes exactly, you knew she was gonna end up helping the rebels and fight the Empire. And the whole idea that Cassian had to kill her dad. I just knew there would be a moment that he could pull the trigger, but didn’t.”

Liv: “Yes that part of the story was pretty predictable...”

Carola: “I really thought that was a pity and like I said I did not like Saw’s death. There was no reason for him to stay behind. He could have gone with them.”

Liv: “I also thought it was a pity, that the role of Mads Mikkelsen was small, I think he is a great actor”

Carola: “Yes his acting was strong, but I also thought Forest Whitaker was pretty good. I think they could have put more effort in his death. What I also did not like, but that is my opinion was that Jyn and Cassian end up hugging and holding hands. That whole love stuff is unnecessary for me.

Sigmund & Liv: “Yes…agree”

Carola: “Just a high five to celebrate that they did good, would have been enough.”

Liv: “That’s true, but I did like it that they die a few seconds later. It’s not really a happy, lovey-dovey ending for them.”

Sigmund: “What I also liked was that the humor of K2 (the reprogrammed droid) was very subtle. He did bring some humor in the serious story, but it was a bit of black humor.”

Carola: “I agree, I really liked the droid”

Liv: “Me too! He wasn’t annoying like Jar-Jar”

Sigmund: “Exactly and he wasn’t too much like C3PO. He had his own humor.”

Carola: “I liked his humor and the things he said were pretty logical, but in a funny way.”

Sigmund: “It fitted the movie. It was a kind of humor that blended in really well with the darkness in the movie. I like that. “

Liv: “I must admit I was pretty afraid we had lost that darkness when Disney took over, but I’m glad I was wrong”

Sigmund: “Exactly, “The Force Awakens” was somewhere in between.”

 

Carola: “I really do think they have to watch out, that the upcoming movies don’t slip into being just normal/standard movies, with people flying around in spaceships. They must be sure to keep the authenticity of the Star Wars Anthology.”

Liv: “Indeed...”

Sigmund: “I do agree with you on that one. When I was watching the movie I didn’t really notice, but later it struck me that there was a lack of typical Star Wars creatures.”

Carola: “Yeah, like I said I really liked the octopus creature in Saw’s lair, but his appearance was too short…”

Sigmund: “” That was a bit strange, it’s like they cut the rest out. It wasn’t really clear what happened”

Liv: “I was glad to see Admiral Raddus, as I am a fan of Admiral Ackbar...haha. But you are right Carola; there could have been some more of the real Star Wars creatures.”

Sigmund: “Like the animals they ride on in the other movies. It was pretty cool to see the vehicles and the imperial walkers.”

Carola: “They were pretty cool; I liked the spaceships that look like birds”

Sigmund: “I did think some of the fights in the movie, involving the imperial walkers, were pretty epic. The way they should be”

Liv: “As a whole it left me with a very good feeling”

Carola: “Absolutely! It was a good movie”

Sigmund: “It’s nice that it’s a standalone movie that does give you the Star Wars feeling.”

Liv: “And in a way it is part of the original Star Wars story. It gives us a little more insight in what happened before “A New Hope”

Carola: “The action and the high body count do helping making it less predictable”

Sigmund: “I keep on comparing it to “The Force Awakens”, I shouldn’t to that. But I do think the new characters in “Rogue One” made a stronger impression as than the ones in “The Force...”

Carola: “It does surprise me that “Rogue One” has some pretty well-known actors in the cast, like Forest Whitaker and Mads Mikkelsen. It’s a pretty big risk. And of course Jimmy Smits...”

Liv: “Oh I love him”

Carola: “I was very glad to see him, he is so cool. He did play in another Star Wars movie didn’t he? He was in Episode III. So it was nice they brought him back. I did have my doubts about Cassian (Diego Luna), he wasn’t bad, but in my opinion he was the least convincing.”

Liv: “One of my favorites was Bhodi (Riz Ahmed). I thought he was great”

Carola: “Yes I liked him too. The biggest casting failure ever was Kylo Ren in “The Force Awakens”.

Liv: “Well yeah, he was cool until he took of the mask. At that moment I was like: Whuuut? Anyway let’s get to the overall rating. For me it was an 8”

Carola: “7, 5”

Sigmund: “Do I have to rate it with a number. I don’t want to. I am very positive about it. It’s another Star Wars Movie in a very positive way!”