"Rogue One is the best Star Wars movie" Topic

It's total awesomeness is off the charts.
And it did not end in a phony Lucas manner.
It's way too early to say more so no SPOILERS from me.
Suffice it to say that it ended with integrity.

Hmmmmm….
Could it be that the showrunners had seen a few Zaitochi movies?

I need to see it one more time to be sure but it's up there.

Well,Lucas had certainly seen The Hidden Fortress,so. . .

I saw someone post, "This IS the prequel you've been looking for."

We just saw it. I enjoyed the story and the way things tied in with the current Rebels TV show and the original Star Wars movie.

Matthew

I'd put in 3rd in line for best.

Its good, but not that good. I put it behind Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Sith, but ahead of The Force Awakens,Attack of the Clones, The Phantom Menace, and Return of the Jedi. Id say its about on par with A New Hope.

It does for Star Wars what 'Fury Road' did for Mad Max- it has made the rest of the franchise even cooler than it was.

I enjoyed it, only time will put it in any rank with the previous movies.

Rogue One goes into dark and gritty territory without revelling in it, as many other movies have been doing lately.

It was very good. I'd put it third behind Empire and a New Hope.

As somebody else said,now you dont have to watch 1,2 and 3.

> As somebody else said,now you dont have to watch 1,2 and 3.

With that in mind I change my stance, Rogue One *IS* the best Star Wars movie.

I also put it behind Empire and New Hope. Enjoyable movie in all respects.

For myself I like ALL the Star Wars films so that means 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and Rouge One.

It's hard to say which Star Wars film I like most and which I like least.

And when someone said you don't have to watch 1,2 and 3 I would say to that person WHY would I not want to watch 1,2, and 3?

No one is going to tell me which Star Wars films I should watch and what Star Wars films I shouldn't watch.

> And when someone said you don't have to watch 1,2 and 3 I would say to that person WHY would I not want to watch 1,2, and 3?

Sand. (I was going to write more but that pretty much sums it up)

I have said to friends that Rogue One is the best prequel ever, not just for Star Wars but for any film. That's partly because Rogue One is a very good film (not sure if I'm ready to call it great yet), amd partly because I have been disappointed with other prequel films I have seen.

Overall I would say that Rogue One is a better story than The Force Awakens, but that I cared more about the characters in Force Awakens than Rogue One. For me I could nt put it as the best Star Wars film ever, because I love A New Hope an Empire Strikes Back so much.

So for me personally Rogue One is in my top 4 of Star Wars films, ahead of Return of the Jedi. I need to watch it more to decide if I prefer Rogue One or Force Awakens. I am going to see Rogue One again tomorrow.

Rouge One? is that where Han pimps Leia out to the Wookies?

Sorry Dynaman8789 Sand???

It gets *everywhere*…

Only thing holding back Rogue One is Jen's lack of character development. She goes from angry outsider to inspirational leader too quickly – most likely the result of the reshoots and editing that occurred late in production.

They didn't do quite enough with Captain Andor's character, either, and allowing him to…err…resolve Jen's paternal conflict issues at the end on her behalf further weakened her arc.

Otherwise, really solid.

It's a tough call, but IMHO Rogue One is probably the best, followed by Empire & A New Hope. It was a grittier film than any of the others, and I was pleased that it had more characters to identify with, and what a cosmopolitan group they were.
The Force Awakens was just a pale shadow of A New Hope, and was a missed opportunity.
That said, I'm now rewatching my original SW DVD trilogy as it has been a while & then I'll go back to the flicks for a 2nd showing of Rogue One

I'll go against the grain and say that I wouldn't put it in the Top 4, never mind the best. It wasn't a bad film by any means, but I left the cinema saying 'why didn't I enjoy that very much much?' – whereas for all the flaws it has, I enjoyed the Force Awakens more. And I wouldn't put it near any of the Original Trilogy.

I found Jyn and Andor very wooden and undeveloped, the rest of the team was better – but still not great. I don't know maybe the gritty factor just put me off it more, it didn't feel like the Star Wars I like. Sometimes it felt like it was being dark because it could.

(Also every time Tarkin appeared it just felt awkward, the CGI was very good for him, but it didn't work for me.)

I just saw Rogue One today- awesome movie!

I do think it is a worthy prequel for Episode IV. It fits in very well and does a lot to expand the story that began in Episode IV. It's freaking cool to see what was just a quick paragraph in the opening crawl transformed into a compelling movie that conveniently covers some interesting gaps in A New Hope.

I would say for now on you need to watch the two together to get the full experience! Which is what I'm going now!

Hi Captain:

Anakin's sand speech when he is hitting on Padme. It is the perfect example of the stilted dialog and just plain bad writing in the prequels.

Just watched it. I cant believe how moved I was watching this. Amazingly brilliant movie. My favourite Star Wars possibly behind Empire Strikes Back : Best war movie I've seen in ages

Re: the headline.
Uhm, not by a long shot. It's a fine movie, and worth seeing, but it's in no way near the caliber of the original, nor Empire Strikes Back.

[INDIRECT SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW]

It is an effective prequel, but its darker tone departs from the lighthearted adventure of the original trilogy, which were all three homages to classic Saturday morning serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Crazy escapes, plucky heroes and over-the-top villains are present, yes, but in the end harmed by the downbeat elements. True, it's the story before the story, with the Rebellion in dire straits, and there's certainly a wartime realism to the play of events and outcomes, but more individual triumph could have been included with little loss to the film. Also, the original movie is a briskly paced, tightly edited work that moves almost seamlessly from start to finish, with every scene and location logically set up and delivered, with never a moment of "so, where, exactly, are they, and why?", which, alas Rogue One fails to achieve. The expanse of travel is too broad and leaves one wondering why each segment had to happen on far flung worlds, and not condensed into just one or two. But, that's Star Wars, I suppose, though I did feel the transitions were rough at points, and there were times when the action dragged and the spunky fun fell away.

But all of the above is not to say it's not a good movie or an effective addition to the franchise; it is. But it's not the best. And even if it were better than the original (and it is not), without the original it makes no sense, not the least because certain prominent cameos would be confusing to anyone who has never seen nor known of the original trilogy. Indeed, the ending itself is utterly inexplicable and out of the blue if you do not already know what happens next.

Quite honestly I really thought the Star Wars franchise couldn't offer me anything truly new or interesting after so much saturation in series and those incredibly poor prequels that seemed completely satisfied to rehash old ideas and live off former glories and then this comes along with a level of gritty realism and emotion that has completely reawakened a deep hunger to revisit and explore this Galaxy far far away. Crazy good IMO

I found the story a super massive black plot hole.

Most of the comments here are getting me pretty stoked to see this. The wife and I have tickets for next weekend. We love the original trilogy and Awakens, so it soulds like Rogue will not let us down.

As for 1,2 and 3, we haven't yet told the children (3 and 5) that those abominations exist and we do our best to pretend the same for ourselves.

ordinarybass Episodes 1,2,and 3 do excist and they are NOT abominations IMHO.

And one day your kids will find out about them and who knows they might even like them much to your horror.

I like ALL the Star Wars films 1-7 plus Rouge One and for me I'm very pleased with that.

Yep, definitely one of the top two, or three of the eight movies made thus far.

I still give the nod to Episode IV as the best, due to its age, originality, unique story-line, and great space battle scenes with relatively low-tech equipment available for film production.

Episode V and 3.9 (Rogue One) are about tied for me.

I'm torn between the two a bit, since I loved The Empire Strikes Back (excepting for teddy bears beating up and defeating Imperial Stormtroopers in battle).

Thankfully, Episode 3.9 had none of that silliness, and the battle scenes and ending were superb – a good, gritty ending for adult fans (not for the kiddies).

So, I'm still on the fence about 3.9 vs. V. 3.9 beats Ewoks, but part of the early-mid section of Episode 3.9 could have been a bit stronger.

I agree with the disjointed editing and lack of character development of Rogue. Needed a bit more time, and/or a few more scenes to make it a bit better in those parts. Disappointed some of the trailer shots didn't get included in the original film too. Perhaps they'll be added on when the DVD is released.

Still, the ending was epic, and superb.

The Force Awakens sucked.

Worst of all the movies, and I thought the first three "prequels" would be hard to beat for that dubious honor.

It's just Episode IV, rewritten, with a more PC, "inclusive" cast.

Left me wondering how many times they'll re-tell the same story, over and over again, using the same script, with just a few minor tweaks.

The answer is "many" my friends, since the writers/producers are very lazy, and have clearly run out of ideas.

t is an effective prequel, but its darker tone departs from the lighthearted adventure of the original trilogy

So The Empire Strikes Back, that starts with the Empire overrunning the Rebel base, and ends with one main character frozen and lost and another main character emotionally traumatized and dismembered is lighthearted?

I'd argue that ESB is the best precisely *because* it's not lighthearted. Normally I'm not a fan of the 'grimmer and darker' model of story telling but it worked for ESB and it worked for Rouge One.

-Will

SPOILER ALERT

Will, there is a great deal of difference between "frozen" or "dismembered" and flat out dead. In ESB, our heroes were left in danger-- the classic serial cliffhanger-- but not done. The hope and anticipation of a surprising and exciting recovery remained fully intact. In RO, no such hope remains, at least for the main characters. So, yes, I maintain that ESB retains the lighthearted adventure aspect of the original, even with its darker, more dramatic elements, whereas RO distinctly sacrifices this. One can argue this is fitting for the film, but it is a significant departure for the franchise.

Rogue One is the best Star Wars movie

I wouldn't go that far, but it's a very good addition to the Star Wars universe.

I'd say it is very, very close to Episode IV, in a different way.

Need to watch ESB and RO to determine which I like best, especially a couple more times for RO.

Love the Deathstar special effects, especially the one near the end of the movie.

Will, there is a great deal of difference between "frozen" or "dismembered" and flat out dead. In ESB, our heroes were left in danger-- the classic serial cliffhanger-- but not done. The hope and anticipation of a surprising and exciting recovery remained fully intact. In RO, no such hope remains, at least for the main characters. So, yes, I maintain that ESB retains the lighthearted adventure aspect of the original, even with its darker, more dramatic elements, whereas RO distinctly sacrifices this. One can argue this is fitting for the film, but it is a significant departure for the franchise.

SPOILERS, READ NO FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE FILM

I don't think it's that far of a departure. ESB dealt with seriously heavy stuff; Han's seedy past catches up with him, Luke finds his entire life is a lie (again), Leia sees the motley little family she's assembled get torn apart. It's not about whether they have hope left or not; it's the weight of the challenges each character goes through and the choices they make that lends ESB the dark feel.

YES SERIOUSLY HUGE SPOILERS BELOW, DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF

Rouge One deals with it's own set of weighty issues, though I'm still trying to unpack everything. But one of the core issues it wrestles with is what is worth fighting for, and what is worth dying for. That is a question of similar weight to what the main characters dealt with in ESB. That is why I find the two movies are so similar in tone and feel.

As a final point, I don't think RO characters end without hope, I'd actually argue the opposite; the thrust of the movie is that even though they will not live to see the day, their actions have created and sustained hope that the Empire can be defeated; even they die without knowing this they died knowing what they were attempting was worth it.

-Will

The prequels were made for kids, full stop.

Rogue One was *definitely* not made for kids. It was brutal and racked up a higher on-screen body count than any other (not including Alderaan and the two Death Stars being destroyed).

WARNING: Here there be spoilers! You have been warned.

The high points:

Directing: R1 was by far the best-directed of the lot. The timing and pacing were excellent, with tensions were allowed to grow and allowed to reach critical mass before moving on. The actors were generally compelling and did not go in for cheap melodrama a la Hayden Christensen.

Cinematography: Camera angles, lingering moments, lighting, scenery, foreground/background contrast… wow. R1 is the best since TESB in terms of beautiful camera work. Compared to the camera work in R1, the prequels seem flat. Sure, they were filled with bright and colorful CGI, but they felt like the painted curtain at the back of a stage. The settings in R1 were as much a character in the film as the actors. The contrasts in colors were brilliantly artistic.

Variety: I was going to say "diversity", but that word has been so overly politicized. R1 harked back to Mos Eisley in its degree of scum-and-villainousness. Unlike the prequels, where too many minor characters and races tried too hard to be funny, quirky, or just obviously different, the races in R1 were who they were and didn't need any crazy backstories to give them worth. Speaking of variety, despite the pseudoreligious babble surrounding the Force, there was a refreshing lack of mind tricks, midichlorians, and lightsabers.

Grit: One thing I despised about the prequels was that everything was shiny, chromed, and straight from the 1950's. The clone troopers were too clean, the starships too swooshy, and Padme was wearing a skintight half-shirt. Seriously. In R1, the universe has been lived in, fought in, and fought over. Jyn is dressed like someone prepared to eat her own guts and ask for seconds.

The low points:

Shallowness: Despite the depth of the story itself, most of the characters were not well-developed and never reached their true potential. Part of the problem was the sheer number of them -- there were so many named characters that it would have been impossible to do them all justice. I honestly felt that Felicity Jones did very little for her role, either. Tatiana Maslany, who auditioned for the role, would have been far superior. In any case, when a character was killed, I didn't feel a whole lot of attachment or sense of loss.

Plot holes: I felt like certain story arcs just didn't need to be there. Forest Whitaker, for example, while he did a fine job, seemed to occupy an unnecessary 45 minutes in the film.

Anyway, that's my take, for what it's worth.

Lack of trade disputes ruined it for me.

Kidding, loved it. A different kind of Star Wars. Not really for the kids.

spoilers next, you've been warned many times already

The captain killing his contact on Jedha, that's dark, stormtrooper being shot in the head…comparable to Anakin beheading Count CuCoo or slaughtering the younglings, that what comes to mind anyway. The irony of Alderan and Hosnian sauce system… oh yeah I almost forgot: TPK! (If you have to ask go to RPG board)

A couple nits to pick, just for fun we need to make some holes since this one finally seals up the original movie's biggest (can you say 'serious design flaw'?

Disk drives really? And mechanical retrieval mechanisms. Very Star Wars like, creates dramatic climbing scene.

"Plug in this cable into the ship it's super important to the whole rebellion" later ship destroyed to no negative effect. I guess they made their one phone call.

The unfortunate side effect is insanity…but not in this case…post mind rape leaves pilots mind like a steel trap.

Hammer head Corvettes have a lot of thrust. Why push inoperative ship into another Star Destroyer creating a collision of two that seems to defy Newton? Why not just push the inoperable one into the planet shield? Cool effect but left me wondering.

Thermal Nuclear type shock waves are super slow moving.

I liked it. It was better than the Silmarillion.

SPOILERS, READ NO FURTHER IF YOU PLAN ON SEEING THE FILM

If the Alliance has instantaneous radio contact why does the fleet have to hover about the shield door to get the message from the archive building radio dish? They could of received the plans safe at base.

The arrival at the shield door caused it to close potentially causing the plan to fail.

Then again when the fleet does receive the radio transmitted plans why put it on a holograph drive and keep it with the rebel fleet? Giving it to Princess Leya and that whole part of the plot. Just re-transmit it back to base. The whole radio transmitted plans gimmick just put a hole in the plot.

OBLIGATORY SPOILER ALERT

Then again when the fleet does receive the radio transmitted plans why put it on a holograph drive and keep it with the rebel fleet? Giving it to Princess Leya and that whole part of the plot. Just re-transmit it back to base. The whole radio transmitted plans gimmick just put a hole in the plot.

That's a good point; I presumed transmitting the plans directly to the rebel base would have revealed the location of the base, but that is absolutely not explained in the movie.

-Will

OBLIGATORY SPOILER ALERT

There is also no explanation of why the archive building radio dish is? With a shield around the planet that blocks radio transmission the only place it can transmit through would be an open shield door. Why wasn't it pointed there to begin with? Why did Jyn have to re-position it?

OBLIGATORY SPOILER ALERT

There is also no explanation of why the archive building radio dish is? With a shield around the planet that blocks radio transmission the only place it can transmit through would be an open shield door. Why wasn't it pointed there to begin with? Why did Jyn have to re-position it?

Well, that could be explained as the shield gate station is orbiting the planet and the radio dish has to be pointed at the gate to transmit. And during the attack the auto-tracking or whatever was turned off so the dish was no longer pointed at the station, since the station is always moving.

This supposes actual physics in Star Wars though, which is a stretch! :)

-Will

OBLIGATORY SPOILER ALERT

That's possible. Then it is fortunate that the opening was not on the far side of the planet when this was happening.

Then again shouldn't the space shield 'on' be the default if the shield door frame ship is destroyed? The opening is not the default but is created by the orbiting door ship. If the force field shield is projected by planetary bases like we've seen in other SW films the hole would need some sort of local control. Once that is gone the entire planet is covered by the shield.

..or maybe the dish only had transmission 'windows' where the shield was dropped for a short while…

Implication was that destroying the window actually brought down the whole shield. Not sure why that would be the case.

Of course if that were the case aligning the dish was moot.

Well done movie, but getting flack from wife and daughter that the movie should have ended 10 minutes sooner.

Of all the cameos, only the two guys from mos eisley seemed gratuitous.

VERY glad they didn't try to include anyone from EP1-3 except Bail Organa.

Was always worried they'd somehow try to sneak in a Jar Jar cameo in an attempt to redeem him.

OBLIGATORY SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER ALERT

I would conjecture that the physical storage system was intended specifically to prevent networked hacking attempts. And the Alan Tudykbot did say that the data file was too large to transmit without accessing the archive tower dish.

As far as the reason why only one ship received it, maybe it was the only one positioned directly above the archive tower, and since it was disabled immediately thereafter, it was unable to re-transmit it to another ship. Hence, it was burned onto a chip and given to Princess Leia to run to Yavin with.

Was always worried they'd somehow try to sneak in a Jar Jar cameo in an attempt to redeem him.

I think too many audiences would have burnt the theater down.

"I think too many audiences would have burnt the theater down."

LoL…I needed to comment after been somewhat coerced to play The Phantom Menace for my kids yesterday I ended up watching the first 15mins out of curiosity just in case all the negative press have prejudiced my opinion over time.

Instead I realized that its actually WAY worse than I remembered…wow. IMO they warrant been completely redone

Its different for me, this week I actually watched all the Star Wars DVDs in sequence.
I actually liked Ep 1 (The Phantom Menace) more than 2 and 3.
I think in retrospect I would rank the films as:

#1 The Empire Strikes back
#2 A New Hope
#3 The Phantom Menace
#4 Rogue 1 (No, I dont have the DVD!)
#5 The Force Awakens
#6 Return of the Jedi
#7 Attack of the Clones
#8 Revenge of the Sith

That's my take anyway!

Jar Jar Binks in Rouge One would've made Rouge One that much better IMHO.

For me as I've said before seeing that Gold Plated droid was the ONLY bad thing in Rouge One.