Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/12/22/rogue-one-is-good.html
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On the whole, I like what you wrote. But, I’m going to say it: Star Wars isn’t science fiction.
And a lot of the time, neither is Star Trek.
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Sorry, where did I call it science fiction?
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I thought the movie caught fire as soon as Jyn got on the shuttle and had her conversation with K2. I think some of the early planet-hopping could have been avoided with a somewhat different exposition, and the scene with Cassian on the market asteroid whatever didn’t effectively establish him to a first-time viewer wondering who the hell these people are.
On diversity: as my spouse points out, there are basically two women in the story (aside from unimportant minor characters and Leia’s cameo). It would have been nice if at least one of the volunteers to join Jyn on Rogue One was a woman. Or maybe the defector pilot. Or K2, Chirrut or Baze.
I thought Krennic was a much better villain than Emo Ren, and I loved his interplay with Tarkin and his brand of snarkiness.
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Even the Mon Calamari had better ethnic representation this time around. It’s almost impossible for a blue fish-man to get a prominent role in a a Hollywood blockbuster.
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more like “I wish this was science fact!”
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If “sci-fi” no longer means “science fiction,” the spelling should be further watered-down to… oh… something like SyFy.
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To be accurate, Rob said that Rogue One is science fiction, not Star Wars.
But science fiction is also a subjective term with no one single definition or set of qualifiers that everyone agrees with, so you can say you don’t think it’s sci-fi and others can say they think it is and everyone is correct!
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My favourite definition of science fiction is ‘it’s made for an audience who will understand that a sentence like “her world blew up” can have several different meanings, including the literal one.’
Not that there is any one definition of scifi that works for everything/everyone.
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Re: Women in the movie. It was nice to see at least one included among the Rebel pilots during the final battle-sequence.
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Can’t disagree here. The opening 20 or so minutes felt incredibly clunky. The cold opening was done was done with basically no context. The whole scene with that kidnapping could have been relegated to a flashback later on when the characters are better established. All of the planet hopping so quickly felt jarring and unneeded.
I agree about the the market scene. In fact I think it could have been skipped completely. I had even forgotten about it (and how he basically murdered the informant) until someone brought it up later. Surely there are better ways to establish him as morally ambiguous but ruthlessly dedicated to the rebellion.
As a whole it was a fine film but there were definitely issues.
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Right, because in the real world we have planetwide shields, hyperdrive, living crystals and the force. Oh and, for the moment, aliens.
Understood, if these things don’t meet your definition. But if these, currently fictional elements, drawn out from extrapolating where science is trying to head in the future, don’t qualify as science-fiction, then I don’t know what else to call it.
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$7 to see Star Wars? I wish ticket prices were that cheap near me. I might go more often (last time I went was the previous Star Wars).
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The thought about how this movie would have done if Star Wars wasnt in the name intrigues me. On one side I feel like even casual fans are suddenly disecting every detail as though they are a seasoned editor, and im not sure that is fair. The other side knows that i get goose bumps just hearing the first horn blast of the classic score, so how honest/unbiased are my positive opinions on anything star wars related?
I guess i love the franchise, and i enjoy the hell out of most of it, warts and all. (i mean, Ive seen trolls declaring that one shouldnt even waste their money on it. WTF??)
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I agree, the first 20 minutes or so could have been a bit less difficult-- too many characters and too much info thrown at the viewer. Once it got rolling, though, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Nevertheless–for all it’s goofy flaws I am in the (likely) minority position of preferring “The Force Awakens”. That one was much closer in tone and feeling to the original trilogy that I love (I don’t subscribe to the “grittier/darker is always better” view.) And… as great as Rogue One is (and it really is great), parts of it felt less like Star Wars and more like a cliche-ridden PG-13 war movie.
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In my city, the high cost of the premium theater experience is leaving room for the budget theaters to flourish. I was able to purchase two tickets online (w/fee), opening night, reserved seating, leather recliners, for $20 total. The theater also has a bar, all you can drink sodas, and popcorn seasonings.
Have you tried theaters in the older neighborhoods in your city?
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I think the market scene should have been expanded on. We only briefly touch on the city’s importance (besides kyber crystals). Jedha is a holy city under Imperial occupation. Many of the background extras are pilgrims. (Especially the ones that look like Imperial Guards. What’s the connection there?)
You don’t really get the spiritual importance from all the clunky story telling in the 1st third of the movie. I think Jedha’s destruction would have had a lot more impact if they invested a little more time telling its story.
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I like the opening, mostly because of Krennic. And blue milk. 
But I feel like once Saw showed up for Jyn, they could have maybe gone to a brief montage of her growing up with him in his rebel band, training to shoot at Stormtrooper helmets on poles maybe, his abandoning her, her criminal years on her own, getting caught, and then move on to the rescue. Something like that.
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I loved how the “primitive” computer displays of the original Star Wars era were convincingly upgraded into an intentional UI aesthetic.
This was my favorite thing about the movie.
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