Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Post-release)

I knew that Tarkin was going to be in the movie, but I was expecting the recast actor with some prosthetics, like ROTS; and limited to a cameo or over-the shoulder shots.
When he turned around, I audibly gasped - much to my wife's surprise. I did not expect him to look that good, or to be so prominent in the film. I've enjoyed Peter Cushing's work for a long time, and was very pleased with how his role worked. Were there a few moments that looked a little off? Some lines that sounded more like someone pretending to be Cushing & not actually Cushing? Sure, but the effect was very convincing and satisfying for me.

Chirrhut Imwe and Baze Malbus need their own prequel spinoff!
I want that more than I want a Han Solo origin.

Did anyone else think Vader looked a little hunched over or too small for his costume in his first close up shot? I just almost chuckled because he looked more like someone cosplaying than REAL Vader. It was like his helmet sat too low on his shoulders or something.

After a full weekend of thinking on R1 -- and a weekend of enjoying everyone's comments -- I have some more thoughts in no particular order.

CGI -- I was fine with it. Yes, as mentioned up-topic, those of us here on the RPF are highly (I almost said ridiculously) attuned to spotting things while those not so attuned are not. My wife had no idea Tarkin wasn't real. None. But then again, she not only isn't that knowledgeable about CGI, she has no idea who Peter Cushing -- as an actor -- was. She saw ANH multiple times, since I dragged her to it at least half a dozen times back in 1977 and enjoyed it each time, but she's still not a sci-fi/horror person and so Cushing is a stranger to her. For those reasons, the Tarkin that appeared in R1 seemed perfectly real and natural to her. As for Leia, her thought was just that Carrie Fisher looked so young, just like she remembers. (Which is unreal in itself, I suppose.)

I have to agree with what Kylash said above regarding lip movement. That's what always seems to be the telltale for me with CGI humans. It's also why the CGI K-2SO seemed perfectly real at all times to everyone or, for that matter, dinosaurs and other non-human animals on screen elsewhere. (That's why the apes in the new Planet of the Apes movies just don't work for me -- their lips don't move right.)

The real thing that bothered me about Tarkin, and I'm not sure anyone here has mentioned it yet, was his voice. It was good, but not great. It surprised me, in fact, that they couldn't have gotten a better voice actor for that.

Finally on Tarkin/Leia... I wonder how they'll look on my TV? It's really easy to see flaws when Cushing's head is 20 feet tall. It may all play much better on the home screen.

Fan service -- I liked most of it. R2 and 3PO were not only fine, but their moment added a lot for me. It wasn't overdone; just the right amount. (Yeah, we should have seen them on the Tantive, though, and not at the base.) All the cockpit shots of Red and Gold leader (and, I swear, Biggs) were wonderful inclusions. Dr Ugly and Walrus Guy were a stretch, logistically, but still didn't bother me. In short, most all were good and helped to connect R1 to the events of ANH that take place only a short time later. Thank goodness there was no Wookie, or at least I didn't spot one. I think that would really have crossed the line from fan service to fan pandering.

Wilhelm scream -- I never heard it. Maybe I missed it, but I'm hoping film producers are finally getting away from that. Popping that in is no longer "clever." It's not only annoying, but every time I hear it -- EVERY time -- it instantly takes me right out of the movie. Just like stupid 555 phone numbers.

Missing trailer bits -- There were several I would like to have seen, but none more than the shot of that TIE fighter rising at the end of the walkway as Jyn approaches. For me, that was the single most memorable shot in all the trailers (and they used it repeatedly). It's one hell of a fantastic shot, and I couldn't possibly be more disappointed that it wasn't in the final film.

A.J.

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Oh, one last thought on the discussion of Chirrhut being able to walk through a barrage of Stormtrooper fire without getting hit. He absolutely HAD to be in touch with the Force for that to happen. If not, then our only recourse is to assume that Stormtroopers can't manage to hit the side of a barn.

And that certainly can't be true, can it?

A.J.

Its 21st December 1981 all over again!!!!
I am left slightly stunned ,but I guess I really shouldn't have been. I honestly thought Jyn at the very least would have survived!!! Killing everybody, particularly the lead heroine will not, I think , appeal strongly to the general viewing public, and whilst it was a bold step to have taken, loosing her and the entire cast simply left me feeling rather depressed. It was the "Blakes Seven" final episode again ,particularly with that abrupt cutaway ending with Leia, and I was left with a disorientated, dislocated sense that what I had seen shouldn't have really happened like it had. So much for guesswork!!!
Actually seeing how much footage and dialogue from those early trailers isn't there and or is now very different, its not a surprising reaction. Whilst watching it I actually thought they had accidentally shown me the wrong version, you know the "bad" one before they were ordered to reshoot that "miserable" ending because it was too downbeat for Disney!
That being said I think its a minor miracle R1 works as well as it does , given what seems to have been changed, and I badly want to know what was redone. The original cut is going to be the source of much myth and legendary debate from now on!
There still seemed some odd scenes injected into it though. After that terrific opening that strange orbital city piece with Cassain seemed grafted on if only to "explain" the initial set up. Jyns introduction after it also made her seem alot weaker than in the trailers, less assertive and self determined. Then there was that suddenly crashed X wing that appeared in Jedha without any apparent fighting over head before hand. I was looking for those pilots being rescued?All those missing trailer beats left the new narrative seeming a bit disjointed for me, given how much I had tried to work out before seeing it.
I'd also have much rather wished to see them go out on the tower after just getting the transmission off , rather than eventually just wander down to the beach and sit in the sand watching the end of the world like they were on the worst touring holiday in galactic history. That sudden decent into wistful melancholy as they died really impacted on the ultimate climax ,which was then strangely rescued instead by Vader thundering in and slaughtering everybody!!!! I then felt horribly guilty for seeing all that sacrifice whilst thinking just how brilliantly cool and thrilling it was watching Vader murder everyone!!!
Ultimately if I have any particular complaint or observation to make its that there could have been some better writing choices made if Lucasfilm HAD given themselves time to get the script properly finished but they are rushing these films out to get released by the Xmas deadline, and that seems to be preventing them hitting the "classic" button right there on the nose. God knows how much the reshooting and VFX work cost them to get it done again, but they would have been better served by getting the shooting script rightish from the go . They deservedly got away with it this time but if they **** the Han Solo script up, they'll be in proper trouble .
All that said I thought R1 overall had some absolutely terrific moments and it was definitely a strong Star Wars film (which could have been totally brilliant ,rather than simply just that for many,many parts of it). At least there weren't all those stupid coincidences that dogged the TFA and can we leave the weird tentacle monsters to GOTG where they belong better? What they did cram in though that was otherwise new was frequently very exciting and well designed and to see so much of the original OT resurrected back into this movie was rather thrilling. That third act was fantastic!!!
The VFXs were stunning, the props and sets totally in line with the OT series, and the characters a good strong mix of characters though I got annoyed by some minor things ( I agree with alot of the comments made here and won't repeat them).
I do have to wonder what parts of R1 may show up again in EPVIII. The most obvious one seems Vaders "Mordorvilla", where I fully expect to see Kylo bobbing about in his grandfathers bacta tank playing with his rubber Jar Jar!!!
PS
The Vaporator argument again!!!!!??????
Vaporators are supposed to condense pure water from the air. Given that they shot this in Iceland its not hard to imagine the volcanic soil they base the planet on is also contaminated with minerals and toxic materials that would make drinking ground water hazardous. Which is why there is not alot of healthy vegetation growing.

LOVED IT! I took zero issues with the CGI! I loved Tarkin, Leia, Red and Gold Leader and even seeing the original Red 5. Pure awesome! I have only one critique. I WISH they had started the movie the main Star Wars Logo and have it drift into the background as it always had. They didn't need a crawl but the opening was a bit cold.

LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!

Over 290 million world wide estimate, I wonder if it will have legs now?

It seemed pretty blatant that Chirrhut had some Force Sensitivity, they literally did everything they could to get that across, aside form having him move something with The Force. Im kind of amazed its even a discussion.

Rather than go home and post my immediate thoughts on the movie, (I saw it Thursday night) I decided to take some time to digest it, and really collect my thought. So here we go. First, I am a OT Star Wars fan, I grew up on the OT, was in my mid/late 20's during the prequels, now in my 40's. At this point, there are several generations of fans to appease, which is quite a task to take on. Having grown up on the OT as a kid of the 70's/80's, I could be in another room and if I heard the 20th Century Fox music followed by that unmistakable composition by John Williams on t.v., I would come running into the room. I felt the same excitement when I went to the opening of EP. I, II, III, & VII. I did not feel that excitement when I started watching R1 and that really bothered me. I even left thinking why didnt I get as into this one as I have all the others?

This was to be a stand alone film, I get that, not to be considered directly connected to the OT, however; it is and I believe that is the disconnect for me. Rogue One ties so closely to ANH that the last hour could be the first act of ANH. It totally sets the stage IMHO. With that being said, the only real "issue" I have with the entire thing is that it did not start out like a SW movie. I believe the absence of the crawl and the theme music did it a great injustice that would have otherwise had more of us thrown into it from the beginning. I am sure many disagree, and that is totally fine, but how many of you went to see TFA and immediately cheered and felt your heart pound when STAR WARS flashed onto the screen followed by John Williams scored theme? Same for the other prequels, which are what they are, but we immediately connected with it is a STAR WARS film.

I can deal with the little issues, discrepancies, etc., I just did not get as hyped as I would have, had it started by getting me pumped and letting me know I am about to watch some really cool SW ***** happen. Being a huge SW fan I did not feel as vested in it from the beginning. I did still enjoy it, it was a solid movie, great action, good story, picked up to a nice pace after the first 30-45 min, and gave us some nice DV footage. I had to run home afterwards and pop in my BR copy of ANH when I left the theater. I suppose what makes SW for me is the 2 min you get before the pan down to the beginning sequence. When it comes out on BR if I can splice in those added ingredients, I think I would enjoy it so much more. It may sound trivial, or some may say why complain, and I not trying to complain, but rather just voicing my opinion like the rest of you on what "I" think may have made it better.

On second viewing, I liked the "Chtulu" (What was it's name used?) mind monster scene more. Added to the horror aspect like ANH Trash compactor Diognoga, ESB mynocks and Space Slug, ROTJ Sarlacc, TFA Rathtars.

As you can see by the above examples, it really is a Star Wars tradition!

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Kylash said:

Did anyone else think Vader looked a little hunched over or too small for his costume in his first close up shot? I just almost chuckled because he looked more like someone cosplaying than REAL Vader. It was like his helmet sat too low on his shoulders or something.

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Honestly I'd have to say that the R1 Vader looked a little bit like a cosplay Vader trying to be a Pro-Cosplay Vader to credit the 501st or those 1:1 scale elite replications like Gino. Overall it was fine (especially later in the film), but I strongly feel like they should have just tapped some of the community here to get one on set that already looked like the real deal. It just seems like they can't get it 100% these days with the paid Hollywood pros who should be able to nail these things better than any of us, right?

Another thing that bugged me was the kerning on the title. It was just SO WIDE!!!

Went to an afternoon showing on Friday, and sat in front of a family with 3 or 4 kids. You could feel the mood of the room change as each character met their end in the closing minutes, and I'm pretty sure 3 if not 4 of the kids were unsuccessfully fighting back tears, starting with K2 and continuing through to the credits. Bear in mind that some of these kids must've been pretty young (one apparently needed an older sibling to read aloud every subtitle text and location that appeared on screen.) The only words I managed to hear near the end were "Daddy, I don't like this movie no more." The kicking of the back of my seat that had been happening intermittently ceased around this time as well.

For anyone with kids who didn't have a "talk" after Force Awakens, this movie might be a good time to talk with your children about the idea of death. How you approach that is something you'll have to figure out yourselves.

This is a pretty good video going over the body doubles they used for the CG Tarkin and leia:

Is anyone else annoyed by the meddling of blaster fire sounds?

When the X-wings attack the base, they show cannons VERY similar to death star canons from anh.
They didn't sound anything like them though. If they want it different then just use original sounds
and enhance a little but don't change them for the newness factor please. Same for the storm trooper guns.

Loved the Vader scenes, especially the castle which is well known in the novels/comics and I thought
that last scene of Vader in space atmosphere was extremely cool. There's no wind in space but the
windy reaction on his cape did make it more dramatic.

I really enjoyed this one...more than TFA.

Borjis said:

Loved the Vader scenes, especially the castle which is well known in the novels/comics and I thought
that last scene of Vader in space atmosphere was extremely cool. There's no wind in space but the
windy reaction on his cape did make it more dramatic.
.

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The only wind in space is the wind you make, like the exhaust of a Correlian Corvette hauling ass out of there!



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Count me as one who thinks it was a good idea they didn't open with the rousing John Williams score we all know. Aside from the debate about wether or not it would cause confusion, the score would have been tonally inconsistent with the kind of story that's being told.

Many folks couldn't get past the minimalistic treatment of character arcs. I don't have a problem with that either. The genre of "war films" tends to be less about individuals and more about the "mission". I think this film is true to that spirit and I love that.

I don't think they needed to tie it so tightly with the Leia cameo. I almost would have preferred if the OT characters were a little more scarce. Tarken and Vader are all this movie needs.

But I still loved it. This is the kind of film I'd watch repeatedly.

dascoyne I wish I felt this way. I just dont. I asked earlier, but nobody answered me. How come the pilot didnt go mad like Saw Guerrra said he would after the slug hypno-squid had his way with him?

dascoyne said:

Count me as one who thinks it was a good idea they didn't open with the rousing John Williams score we all know. Aside from the debate about wether or not it would cause confusion, the score would have been tonally inconsistent with the kind of story that's being told.

Many folks couldn't get past the minimalistic treatment of character arcs. I don't have a problem with that either. The genre of "war films" tends to be less about individuals and more about the "mission". I think this film is true to that spirit and I love that.

I don't think they needed to tie it so tightly with the Leia cameo. I almost would have preferred if the OT characters were a little more scarce. Tarken and Vader are all this movie needs.

But I still loved it. This is the kind of film I'd watch repeatedly.

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Good point, this wasnt a rousing space adventure opera. This was a REAL and COSTLY series of events.

Snikt said:

@dascoyne I wish I felt this way. I just dont. I asked earlier, but nobody answered me. How come the pilot didnt go mad like Saw Guerrra said he would after the slug hypno-squid had his way with him?

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Saw's statement just came across as a generalization rather than a prediction. It may be the case that repeated exposure to the squid would certainly cause madness (maybe he was planning a series of treatments) or how the effects of a single exposure could vary depending on someone's psychic integrity. I could see that the pilot was at least psychologically shaken. That's how I perceived it and it didn't bother me one bit.