Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
roundshort said:
TO me this is as big of a plot hole as why the little people didnt take they giant eagles to drop off the ring in the hobbit movies....

Well, we are talking about a man who hates sand. You know, it's coarse. Gets everywhere. Perhaps he was thinking about other things at the time.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
roundshort, I think it you listen to the stormtrooper back-chattering in Rogue One you'd understand that Vader is an older model whose processor needs to be warm up after a long stint in a Bacta Tank.

It's likely the same reason why Vader's settings weren't right in his TIE fighter in New Hope -- he still didn't have his equilibrium back, which I would argue Vader didn't get back until Bespin in Empire.

To round short's point and speaking of New Hope, my big problem with Imperial technology is how does a ship get a name like 'Star Destroyer' when it can't even blow up a tiny blockade runner?


Seriously, as to Rogue One, I've never been a big Star Wars fan -- but I have always been a fan of Star Wars production art, going back to the original 'Star Wars Sketchbook' that came out shortly after New Hope. My copy is battered and dog-eared but it is one of my most prized possessions from my childhood. Without even really cracking a copy, I bought my son 'The Art of Rogue One' for Christmas. I have been very impressed with the quality of the art and believe that some part of the success of the film can be attributed to the early artwork to help the identity of the picture. If you get a chance, I recommend it to all.
 
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Lance Quazar

Well-known member
roundshort said:
SPOLIER for anyone reading this thread but had nto seen the movie.....







The last scene - if Vader knew what was going on (and being a bad ass jedi we have to belive he knew the urgency of the situation) why didn't he just nuke everyone in passage way? Instead of the cutsiey killing them one by one - and giving the rebels enough time to make the most drawn out hand off ever? TO me this is as big of a plot hole as why the little people didnt take they giant eagles to drop off the ring in the hobbit movies....

Vader doesn't carry a hand-held nuke. Vader only carries a lightsaber. So that's what he used.
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
Lance Quazar said:
Vader doesn't carry a hand-held nuke. Vader only carries a lightsaber. So that's what he used.
Spoiler below










I guess he means why didn't they target the rebel flag ship that had the transmission, instead of boarding it and risking people escaping with the plans. I am unsure if the first Death Star is supposed to be capable of targeting a capital ship (It targets cities in Rogue One so maybe its possible), plus its recharge time is much longer than the Death Start II, which could fire again quite quickly. After firing on Scarif, it may have needed time to recharge. Perhaps Tarkin would have been better off firing on the rebel flagship instead of Scarif. I didn't think about it until after the movie, but the Empire must have still had personnel on Scarif, showing their disregard for their own men.
 

Moedred

Administrator
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DARTH ZOIDBERG

Well-known member
Disney Hit Two Grand Slams Right Out Of The Park!

After seeing RO twice so far I rate it slightly below TFA but Disney has hit huge grand slams out of the park for me right up there with the OT way better then the prequels and I enjoyed the prequels but Disney's first two star wars films were what we have all been waiting for since Return Of The Jedi ended!!!
 

AndyLGR

Active member
DARTH ZOIDBERG said:
After seeing RO twice so far I rate it slightly below TFA but Disney has hit huge grand slams out of the park for me right up there with the OT way better then the prequels and I enjoyed the prequels but Disney's first two star wars films were what we have all been waiting for since Return Of The Jedi ended!!!
Agree with that, I think they've managed to recapture the spirit of the originals.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Crystal Skull deja vu:
“Knoll’s very first story treatment for Rogue One was titled Destroyer of Worlds,” Hidalgo says, “which is from Hindu scripture, but Oppenheimer used it to describe his reaction to nuclear weapons development.”

With Edwards in the director’s chair on Rogue One, the production’s codename would be “Los Alamos,” appropriately borrowed from the town in New Mexico where the Manhattan Project was based.

References to films like The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Where Eagles Dare (1968) would be thrown around the story table during pre-production on “Los Alamos.”
 

Attila the Professor

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Staff member
I thought it handled the pseudo-nuclear destruction scenes rather well; it's been interesting how these latter day installments spend more time on showing the devastation and destruction of those on the ground during a Death Star strike, though I'd argue that <I>Rogue One</I>'s more localized take plays more meaningfully, in operating on a more comprehensible <I>and personalized</I> scale than <I>Force Awakens</I> dozen-o'-planets approach.
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
Attila the Professor said:
I thought it handled the pseudo-nuclear destruction scenes rather well; it's been interesting how these latter day installments spend more time on showing the devastation and destruction of those on the ground during a Death Star strike, though I'd argue that <I>Rogue One</I>'s more localized take plays more meaningfully, in operating on a more comprehensible <I>and personalized</I> scale than <I>Force Awakens</I> dozen-o'-planets approach.

I think the main reason the two new films focus more on the super weapons effects on the ground has to do with superior technology which would have been impossible to do when the original film was created.
 

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
dr.jones1986 said:
I think the main reason the two new films focus more on the super weapons effects on the ground has to do with superior technology which would have been impossible to do when the original film was created.

It's a reason, but I don't know whether it might be thought primary, at least in the case of <I>Rogue One</I>, a product of a director who has previously shown an interest in bleak images of vast devastation.
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
Attila the Professor said:
It's a reason, but I don't know whether it might be thought primary, at least in the case of <I>Rogue One</I>, a product of a director who has previously shown an interest in bleak images of vast devastation.
I think if Lucas had been making the original film during an era where he had CGI in his arsenal, there is a good chance he would have given us a sequence from the point of view of the people on Alderaan as we saw in the most recent two films. I haven't seen any of Gareth Edwards other work in their entirety, but Rogue One had to focus on this even more than George Lucas or JJ Abrams did because this is the first time that the main characters were the victims, so it was more critical to the story. Edwards previous film was Gozilla, so destruction on the ground in that case is obligatory.
 
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DaFedora

New member
Redemption and the unlikely hero theme

I concur that I liked Rogue One in a way far exceeding The Force Awakens for various reasons.

First of: hats of to the likely previously unknown screenplay talent of Senior Visual Effects expert / engineer John Knoll - who has been for a long, long time with the LucasFilm family. He essentially scripted the story and Kathleen Kennedy and the other producers understood that, if well refined, this would turn out a gem with a full cast.

It took me a while to work into and 'embrace' the character of Cassian Andor as Diego Luna's still-Spanish accent was quite apparent during his dialogues... but okay I figured so why didn't I flinch with the very Mid-Atlantic sounding actors (think Grand Moff Tarkin) in a movie with generally American English accents...

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT BEYOND THIS POINT (!)





Key reason why I loved this movie even after a second and third screening was that I fully understood the effort put into making an "unlikely" story about Rebel heroes who basically couldn't anticipate the events they would be forced into. The theme of the unlikely hero (and quest for one's destiny) traces directly back to Luke Skywalker, the restless social castaway on remote planet Tatooine, whose destiny is completely reshaped by... two droids :)

Here, the key heroine, Jyn Erso, is at first a degraded fellon whose future isn't looking auspicious in a forced labour facility. However she is set to redeem (all) her misdeeds by volunteering in a mission which in fact puts the survival of the Rebels at stake. As for critics claiming that a story about the unlikely hero's redemption, fight(s), struggles and ultimate sacrifice being "a classic Leitmotif", well maybe so but it's brought in a very very Star Wars kind of way that is very likeable.

To nourish the idea of atonement into that larger-than-life finding of purpose, and ultimately, sacrifice - tied to the remembrance of a "stolen" (and heavily distorted) father-daughter relationship may not have been easy, but I think it stuck. That finding a new purpose was an uncertain journey for Jyn (and maybe some of her companions), for the sake of stacking up the odds and hold on to hope that the strategically weak Rebels would thrive in mythically defeating the biggest menace the galaxy is facing (Death Star)...

To be fair, given the resources the Rebellion seemed to have to commit to the dangerous, tragic battle and intel exfiltration, the odds were indeed stacked high against BUT that is exactly why their ultimate coordinated accomplishment grows into an epic and yes, mythical scale.

Giacchino's score (nailed in a racing 4,5 weeks timeframe!) was a brimstone that helped dramatize the scenes. I actually cringed in the Rebel bomber attack scene on Eadu, a breakpoint because of (a) Galen's death and (b) Jyn's obvious anger over being played / tricked by the Rebels and sacrifice her father, an Imperial collaborator (however reluctant), for a greater purpose.

All the way through from Jyn and Cassian uploading the schematics through the antenna tower on Scarif up to the very final scene, I felt overwhelmed the first time with an almost metaphysical understanding that "all this, it's all supposed to be *this* way" - for their story to end there - even though it's *so* bloody tragic, it's... the 'legacy force' (of the first trilogy?) and process of making the brave Rebels on Scarif and its planetary orbit, finding their way into immortal Star Wars lore as legends.

I specifically read as little as I could in order to dodge hypothesis about plot, endings etc. but only knew the basic outlines (hunt for the Death Star plans, and would involve Tarkin, Mon Mothma and likely General Dodonna at some point). Once that just-in-time Rebel trooper grabbed the disc and shut off the corridor door, the roll-up to the plot of Episode IV was like an acceptance bridge into the true canon and lore of the original trilogy. (y)

One criticism perhaps: who the hell lands their shuttle so far away in a flat barren plain, fully knowing that their targets (the Erso family) are pretty much defenceless... and make a long walk up to meet them? That's the only side rant I'd be able to come up with :)
 

IndyBuff

Well-known member
I've watched it a number of times at home and I'm finding it to be one of my biggest "go-to" movies when I'm in the mood to watch something and can't decide what to watch. Every time I see it I like it more and more, catching little things I missed and becoming more invested in the characters. I think it helps that it's a stand-alone film and at this point I'd rank it 4th. It's the gritty war film that Episode III should have been.

A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
Rogue One
The Force Awakens
Revenge of the Sith
The Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones
 
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Joe Brody

Well-known member
My wife pulled this out last night -- start with Rogue One and then TFA for the build up to Last Jedi. I figured I'd bump this thread to (a) give Rogue One kudos because I agree with the posts above about Rogue One getting better with every viewing (it is now my favorite Star Wars Film, followed closely by Empire) and (b) to raise the question if the Last Jedi production folks learned any lessons from Rogue One and are able to deliver a better Star Wars Experience than TFA (which I'd only rate as adequate).
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Rogue One = Strike Two

"STRIKE TWO" might have been a financial Succe$$ but...as lead-in to perhaps the most famous film in the entire world it's a dismal failure. A slick production of A HIGHLY STACKED PILE OF CRAP. (n)

IndyBuff said:
It was the gritty, dark Star Wars film I've been wanting for a long time. THUMBS UP
Violet said:
This film was the SW film I was looking for all this time- this was the kind of thing I expected from Ep 3 and didn't get. It was also the quality I wanted in TFA but didn't get.

This was the STORY that I've wanted on film since 1977 but DIDN?T get! :mad: Ever since ?77, the opening crawl of ?Star Wars? intrigued me so I really enjoyed the 1981 radio show because it did a wonderful job at telling part of that backstory. Its writer, Brian Daley, paid attention to the film?s dialogue and built upon it properly & logically. ?Rogue One? didn?t do that

Forbidden Eye said:
the overall premise is pretty much what someone writing fan fiction online would come up with

On top of this, it?s BAD fan-fiction. John Knoll (whom I admire because of Photoshop) came up with the premise but other people got their hands into the story (even one of the editors). Hopefully, J.Knoll isn?t responsible for the multitude of stupidities.

Not only are there problems within its own story, it doesn?t even match the details of the original! The filmmakers were too focused on frivolous connections, by cramming in self-referential nods?n?winks, that they mishandled the important elements. The film blatantly disregards what was established in 1977 and is void of any harmonious flow. It?s inconsistent on so many levels that it's hard to believe the people, who are involved so intimately, could make so many mistakes.

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CONTINUITY ERRORS:

- Death Star plans HAND-DELIVERED to Leia?s ship! (Didn?t anyone at Lucasfilm listen to the original dialogue?!? The spies tapped into Imperial transmissions and relayed them to the Tantive. It wasn?t one, direct upload nor was it delivered on a floppy disc! This is a complete contradiction to everything in the opening sequence of ?Star Wars? and the utmost stupid & unforgivable fault.)

- Vader actually witnessing the delivery of the plans. (Hello?!? He ?TRACED the rebel spies? to Leia. He didn?t see it with his own eyes.)

- The rebels being INFORMED about a flaw in the Death Star. (Ugh. They were HOPING to find a weakness & discovered one on their own.)

- Death Star?s laser being used. (The station wasn?t even operational yet! Alderaan was the FIRST TEST shot.)

- HUGE airfield on Yavin with ships parked outside on full display in broad daylight. (Cripes, it?s supposed to be a SECRET, HIDDEN base!)

- Mon Mothma. (Was she asleep during the Death Star attack & ending ceremony? Did she have somewhere else more important to be for the next 2 movies?)

- Rogue One team on Yavin. (Hey, Gen. Dodonna, you forgot to credit them for providing the plans. They were here just a few days ago.)

- Diverse personnel of sex/race/species on Yavin. (It sure was just human, white men a few days later...and beyond.)

- R2 & 3PO on Yavin. (Nice to see them again but they SHOULD NOT BE at the rebel base! How stupid can it get?)

- Rebel fleet as LARGE as the one in ?Jedi?. (Really? The rebellion had just started to grow before the beginning of ?Star Wars? and it only became bigger as the movies went along. To have the fleet so large at that time is an unforgivable foul-up.)

- And much more...

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INTERNAL BLUNDERS:
- R2 & 3PO watching the fleet take off from Yavin. (Why aren?t you two aboard the Tantive? Is Cpt. Antilles coming back to get you?)

- Leia?s ship hanging out, completely idle, at the battle above Scarif. (Shouldn?t you be on your way to get Obi-Wan right now? Whatcha waitin? for if ya ain?t fightin??)

- Galen?s message telling his daughter about the flaw. (Why didn?t he just pinpoint exactly what that flaw was? He said it was so small that the Empire would never find it. Oh, but the Alliance will, right? Not the guys who built the damned thing!)

- And much, much more...

The action is spectacular but there?s an over-abundance of dull scenes with dull characters giving ?sentimental? pep talks whilst doing absolutely nothing except standing still. When there are no ships or lasers shooting about, the movie is a charmless bore.

This thing was touted as a ?stand-alone? movie (when it clearly wasn?t) so please, ?Rogue One?, go stand alone in a corner with a dunce cap on your head where nobody can see you. As a popcorn movie, you look fantastic...but as a ?Star Wars? entry, you?re an unacceptable mess. :(
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Stoo said:
"STRIKE TWO" might have been a financial Succe$$ but...as lead-in to perhaps the most famous film in the entire world it's a dismal failure. A slick production of A HIGHLY STACKED PILE OF CRAP. (n) (

Profoundly eloquent. I love it. All of it. Didn't want to quote it here. Truly you have a dizzying intellect.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Stoo said:
This thing was touted as a ‘stand-alone’ movie (when it clearly wasn’t) so please, “Rogue One”, go stand alone in a corner with a dunce cap on your head where nobody can see you. As a popcorn movie, you look fantastic...but as a “Star Wars” entry, you’re an unacceptable mess. :(

I hear you and I respect where you're coming from -- but I'm not a Star Wars fan -- so a loyal backstory consistent with New Hope is not a priority to me, and I'm not beholden to details. . . . . and as someone who dislikes a fair amount of Star Wars, I'm all in favor a little 'blatant disregard. . . ."

No one hates dead exposition scenes and empty dialogue more than me, and I have a different perspective -- and appreciation -- for the Rogue One Script. I think there are some sublime scenes and performances -- scenes and performances that are not just insightful but both timely and timeless.
 

JasonMa

Active member
Also its not like the original trilogy doesn't have its own set of continuity and simple mistakes. The only one of Stoo's complaints that really resonated with me was his first one about the plans being hand-delivered. That's just hack writing that could have been fixed with 5 seconds more of screen time showing the final rebel trooper plugging the card into a transmitter and it being received by Leia in the Tantive IV on the edge of the battle. It works just as well and it removes the oddity of taking the ambassador's daughter into battle in a ship inside a ship.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Stoo said:
as a Star Wars entry, you're an unacceptable mess. :(
Tony Gilroy speaks for the first time about his rewrites and reshoots:
"If you look at Rogue, all the difficulty with Rogue, all the confusion of it, and all the mess, and in the end when you get in there, it's actually very, very simple to solve. Because you sort of go, 'This is a movie where, folks, just look. Everyone is going to die.' So it's a movie about sacrifice."

"I have to be careful. I don't know what the statute of limitations is. I've never done an interview about Rogue, ever."

"I came in after the director's cut. I have a screenplay credit in the arbitration that was easily won."

"That was my super power. I've never been interested in Star Wars, ever. So I had no reverence for it whatsoever. I was unafraid about that. And they were in such a swamp, they were in so much terrible, terrible, trouble that all you could do was improve their position."

"The gumption, the balls of Disney and Bob Iger and the people there to gamble on what they gambled on is astonishing. It was just a mess and fear."

"It doesn't appeal to me. But I don't think Rogue really is a Star Wars movie in many ways. To me, it's a Battle of Britain movie."
Now if I was paid $5 million or more for a job I would be clear about whether it was okay to discuss. You can listen here on "The Moment with Brian Koppelman" starting at 45:15.
 
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