Movie Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, or Six Reasons This Is the Best Star Wars Film In a Long Time

Coming Soon

Female leads and Latino guys are fast becoming a Star Wars staple.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD (But you should've already seen this film by now)

Ahh, Rogue One. The first film in the Star Wars franchise that's not about the Skywalker family. Also described by director Gareth Edwards in The Director's Cut podcast as "the District 9 of the Star Wars universe", in terms of having a relatively low budget but delivering the most bang for the buck. And indeed, it does deliver.

But like all films with a huge fan base, there will be complaints. Some complain about the different types of stormtroopers that are never seen again after Episode IV. Some complain about the morally gray characters, like the supposedly good rebels who kill indiscriminately. All I can say is, ignore them. Well, if you're a true Star Wars fan, you'd watch this film regardless of the reviews. Just as if you're a true Star Wars fan, you would've recognised Mon Mothma from the trailer. Yes, I'm talking to you, weird guy with a Kylo Ren lightsaber in the theatre.

That said, here now are six reasons why Rogue One is possibly the best Star Wars story since, oh I don't know, The Empire Strikes Back.

K2SO
K2SO is my new favourite Star Wars droid. I can't say I had an old favourite. Maybe Chopper from Star Wars Rebels. Or BB8. But they're astromechs, incapable of human speech. And I've always found C3PO to be a bit too effeminate for my tastes. And now we have K2SO, a witty, sarcastic, funny, and badass former Imperial droid refurbished for rebellion purposes. Almost all the laugh-out-loud moments from Rogue One were uttered by K2SO. Oh, and he's voiced by Alan Tudyk, who was practically given free rein to ad lib his way throughout the entire production. And that is the reason why Alan Tudyk is one of my favourite voice actors of all time. Ever.

Collider

Disney did good after having Tudyk voice Moana's voiceless chicken.

All the Easter eggs
Like I said, this film is a fanboy's wet dream come true. You can actually play a game while watching this, something like "Spot the Easter Egg". Let me rattle off some from the top of my head. The Mon Calamari fleet admirals (not Ackbar, sadly). The blue milk. Chopper, Artoo, and Threepio's cameo. That cantina duo from Mos Eisley (the one whose arm got sliced off by Obi-Wan Kenobi). Mon Mothma. Bail Organa. General Jan Dodonna. "I have a bad feeling about this." The rebel pilots Red Leader and Gold Leader. And of course, the special cameos of...

Star Wars

Chopper on the far left. Mon Mothma on the far right. Nerdgasm achieved.

Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia
While I consider this a real treat, the resurrection of late actor Peter Cushing has drawn flak from both fans and non-fans alike for the ethics of using a dead actor to reprise a role. But for that decision, Edwards is not solely to blame: Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) wizard John Knoll (who also wrote the story for Rogue One) can be held equally liable. The Star Wars flicks have always pushed the technological envelope, especially in terms of special effects, and the CG resurrection of deceased actors may or may not catch on, but you have to hand it to the special effects team. Well this should hardly be any surprise, seeing as John Knoll co-created Photoshop with his brother. Having Tarkin and Princess Leia in here is basically just like Photoshopping them in a motion picture.

Geek Tyrant

A younger Leia browsing on her smart phone. Like young people nowadays.

The most badass Darth Vader ever
Some not-so fans would probably discredit Darth Vader's power as being not-so powerful, what with his labored breathing, limited mobility, and lumbering lightsaber swings. Some of them would even argue that Darth Maul would be the most badass Sith, and that the only thing Vader has going for him would be his use of the Force to asphyxiate his enemies. But Rogue One shows us what slow lightsaber swings can do to an entire ship of rebels. It can still make them pee their pants in fear, apparently. And the best part is it's still James Earl Jones's voice. May Darth Vader haunt the nightmares of generations more to come.

Cheat Sheet

"I find your lack of fear disturbing."

It's a stand-alone film
This is possibly the best aspect of this film. Remember how greedy the Hollywood studio system has become? Bleeding franchises dry, adapting young adult novels left and right, splitting one book into two movies, that kind of thing? Well with Rogue One, Disney is seemingly reassuring us that "Look, we're not after your money. We're not going to give you three movies about one story when a single film will do." That's nice, Disney. But what they're really saying is, "Look, we bought the rights to this modern mythology that we all connect to, like the twenty-first century's Iliad, and we know you fanboys will eat up anything we release under the Star Wars banner. So this stand-alone film? This is nothing. We'll give you a hundred stand-alone films set in the Star Wars universe. And you'll all watch this like the desperate nerd losers that you are." That's pretty mean, Disney. But I have six words for you: Shut. Up. And. Take. My. Money.

Telegraph

Even Forest Whitaker's eyelid stands alone. Get it?

And finally... (spoiler)

Everybody dies
Yes, so sorry to disappoint you. There will be no other Jyn Erso movie, which means no more of Felicity Jones's face on IMAX. This is, after all, based on the opening crawl of Episode IV, about how "rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR". This is the story of those rebel spies. What they did was nothing short of heroic, having turned the tide for the Battle of Yavin. But where were those spies in A New Hope? Were they honoured with medals? Nope. If anyone deserved medals, it would be Jyn Erso, et al. But since the only one who got medals in that film were a rookie farmboy-turned-pilot, a smuggler, and a Wookie, we can only assume that everyone who had a hand in stealing the Death Star plans died. And this film is our way of honouring them.

Digital Spy

Good luck killing Riz Ahmed's career, though. This guy's everywhere.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. USA. 2016.



Original rating: 8.0/10
No Felicity Jones nudity: -0.1
Mads Mikkelsen: +0.1
Riz Ahmed: +0.1
Alan Tudyk's ad libs: +0.1
Diego Luna's sexy accent: +0.1
Guy Henry as Moff Tarkin: +0.1
All the Easter eggs: +0.25
Ben Mendelsohn: +0.1
No George Lucas creative involvement: -0.1
Final rating: 8.65/10

Review: Roots, o Isang Paggunita sa Ating Pinanggalingan

Variety

"Sisikat din ako sa USA tulad nina Idris at Chiwetel."

Hindi naman tayo dumaan sa karanasan ng mga egoy, pero bakit kaya ang lakas ng affinity ng Noypi sa mga African-American?

Ang mga African-American (tatawagin ko nalang silang egoy, kasi mas madaling i-type) ay hinugot mula sa Africa, kung saan sila na-kidnap mula sa mga pamilya nila, pinasakay sa barko na siksikan sa ilalim na parang cargo lang sila, dinala sa Amerika, binenta bilang alipin, at pinagtrabaho nang sapilitan sa mga plantation ng mga mayayamang puti.

First year high school pa lang ako, alam ko na ang kwento ng Roots (Hindi The Roots ha, banda 'yun sa The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon). Mahilig kasi ako magbasa dati (ngayon hindi na gaano, pero gusto ko ibalik ito), at lahat ng mga libro ng magulang ko inisa-isa ko. Elementary pa lang ako, nabasa ko na ang The Catcher In the Rye, kaya pagpasok ko n'ung high school, napakayabang ko dahil ang required reading sa English subject namin ay nabasa ko na noong grade school habang tumatae. Pero hindi 'yun ang point ko. Ano nga ba 'yun? Nalimutan ko na.

Tracking Board

"Lo diyes, motherfuckers."

Ayun, naalala ko na. Dumating pala sa isang point na nabasa ko na halos lahat except 'yung mga pangit ang cover at 'yung mga punit-punit na. So sabi ko sa sarili ko, "Sige na nga, don't judge a book by its cover, 'di ba?" Ang una kong kinuha ay isang medyo makapal na libro na sobrang gutay-gutay na, nahati na ito sa dalawa, 'yung tipong napunit sa spine 'yung libro. Nakasulat sa cover, Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley. Sinimulan ko ang libro sa chapter 1, at mula nang makilala ko si Kunta Kinte, hindi ko na binaba ang libro hanggang matapos ko ito.

Si Kunta Kinte (Malachi Kirby) ay isang Mandinka warrior mula sa Africa at ninuno ng author na si Alex Haley (Laurence Fishburne). Kinidnap siya mula Africa at napadpad siya sa plantation na pagmamay-ari ng isang puti na ang apelyido ay Waller (James Purefoy, sa isa na namang evil role). Naging kaibigan niya rito si Fiddler (Forest Whitaker na inaantok pa rin ang isang mata), at napangasawa niya si Belle Waller. Nagka-anak sila na si Kizzy, na siya namang binenta sa ibang massa ("master" sa salitang egoy) na ang pangalan ay Tom Lea (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, sa isang napakagandang performance). Ni-rape ni Massa Tom si Kizzy, at nagka-anak sila na si George Lea (Regé-Jean Page, sa isa ring magaling na performance). Dahil sa kulturang slavery, alipin pa rin ang tingin ni Massa Tom kay George, pero hindi naman mapagkakailang anak niya ito dahil namana ni George ang hilig ng tatay niya sa sabong, kaya siya nabansagang "Chicken George". Sa aklat na original source material, tuloy-tuloy ang kwento mula sa Africa hanggang kay Alex Haley, pero sa adaptation na ito ng History Channel, huminto sila sa anak ni Chicken George, na nagkataon namang natapat sa panahon ng emancipation ng mga slaves.

Malamang iba sa inyo ay nagtataka bakit ang mga African-American ay mga kakaibang pangalan, at ang mga British na egoy ay may mas African-sounding name. Isa sa mga dahilan nito ay ang Roots.

History

Ang "LL" ay tinatak sa Africa; sa Amerika idaragdag ang "Cool J".

Ang mga British na egoy tulad nina Idris Elba at Chiwetel Ejiofor ay may mga pangalang 'di mapagkakailang African. Bakit? Kasi sila ay mga second-generation immigrants; mga magulang nila ay galing Africa. Ang mga African-American naman, sila ay descendants ng mga dating alipin sa mga plantation. Ayaw na ayaw ng mga massa na may maiwan pang African legacy ang mga alipin nila, kaya pinagbubura nila ang mga pangalang "Kunta Kinte" at pinalitan nila ito ng mga English names tulad ng "Toby". Ngunit pagdating ng civil rights movement noong 1960s, kung saan aktibong nakilahok sina Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, at Alex Haley, nagkaroon ng reawakening para sa all things African. Nauso ang pagbibigay sa mga sanggol ng mga African o Muslim/Arabic names tulad ng Jamal, Abdul, Kareem, Rashad, Kenya, Zulu, Shaquille, Ali, and Hakeem. At ayan ang dahilan kung bakit ang mga African-Americans ay mayroong mga exotic first names (na pahirapan kung i-spell) at English surnames.

Kahit hindi naman talaga tayo nagkaroon ng kulturang pang-aalipin, bilang mga Pilipino, maganda rin na malaman natin ang kultura ng pang-aapi mula sa mga Western nations. Ang Pilipinas ay naging subject ng mga bansang Espanya at Amerika, at kahit hindi naman tayo naging pagmamay-ari bilang tao, tayo naman ay naging pagmamay-ari bilang bansa. Hindi ito ang unang screen adaptation ng Roots (may nauna pa noong 1977), pero ganoon pa man, ang mga tema nito ay naangkop pa rin sa panahon ngayon. Ang pangalang "Kunta Kinte" ay isang household name para sa mga African-American kids–ginamit pa nga ito ni Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot sa lyrics ng kanta niyang "Work It"–at sana ganito rin kalakas ang respect for cultural identity nating mga Pinoy.

At saka nga pala, hindi talaga ako mahilig sa mga palabas ng History Channel. Malakas talaga ang preference ko para sa mga gawa ng HBO at BBC. Pero para sa isang History Channel production, ang masasabi ko lang sa Roots ay, "Hmmm... pwede na."

Celebrity Images

NOT IN PICTURE: Kamay ni T.I.

Roots. USA. 2016.



Original na rating: 6.0/10
Hindi pagtuloy-tuloy mula Kunta Kinte hanggang Alex Haley: -0.1
T.I. bilang Cyrus: +0.1
Mas maraming eksena sa Africa: +0.1
Performance ni Jonathan Rhys Meyers: +0.1
Hilig ng mga egoy sa sabong: +0.1
Huling rating: 6.3

Platoon

More Vietnam war films, and they get heavier and heavier. Yet, no matter how heavy it gets, I'm sure nothing compares to the actual Vietnam experiences of the war veterans.

Platoon is one of the more famous films about the war in Vietnam, and is the only Vietnam film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It actually took home four Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director for Oliver Stone, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing).

I, however, have a problem with the Best Editing award, as there were some transitions used that personally did not work for me. I actually counted three, though the ones that bothered me the most were one cross-dissolve (from the scene where they were smoking marijuana to a low-angle shot of the jungle treetops), and one fade to black, with the next fade in happening too abruptly. Anyway, that's just the editor in me nitpicking. But really, bad transitions always bother me. Though maybe it's the overall impact of the whole film that garnered it the Best Picture award. And I agree that the cinematic excellence of the whole film was enough to override those three lousy transitions.

Written and directed by Oliver Stone, based on his actual Vietnam war experiences, the character-driven story shows Stone's screenwriting talent. I just hate Tom Berenger's character Sgt. Barnes so much. Not "hate" as in I didn't like Berenger's portrayal; I mean "hate" as in his portrayal was so effective that I wish he died earlier in the film. It was Berenger's character that killed Willem Dafoe's Sgt. Elias. How can you kill such a nice guy like Sgt. Elias?

Anyway, Charlie Sheen in the lead role isn't half as bad. He was able to pull off an inexperienced cadet, straight from boot camp to the Vietnamese jungles. The kid has some acting chops, though not as great as Johnny Depp's whose character Lerner is the only one who can speak Vietnamese. Depp was actually supposed to play the lead role, but that role was eventually given to Charlie Sheen, since Depp wasn't as famous yet. But Oliver Stone correctly predicted that Johnny Depp would become a Hollywood superstar one day, and look at him now. Hollywood superstar. Just like Stone said.

Also, I noticed that Willem Dafoe's face didn't change that much. Yes he looks older now, but he still looks like Willem Dafoe. I bet if he had a high school photograph, you could tell with one glance that it's still Willem Dafoe. And Forest Whitaker, too. Their faces don't change at all.

Anyway, this film was shot---where else---in the Philippines, like its predecessor Apocalypse Now. And here's some trivia to all the Johnny Depp fans out there: prior to shooting this film, Depp has never been outside the United States. So the Philippines is the first foreign country he has visited, at the tender age of twenty-two. I just hope he didn't have any Claire Danes experiences here.


*some info from IMDb and Wikipedia
pic from dlpreviews.blogspot.com


Platoon. USA. 1986.


Rating: Eight out of ten.
Willem Dafoe's classic arm-raising shot (see pic): Ten stars.

Vantage Point

This is what I call a "non-linear whodunit".

Writer Barry Levy gives us a spectacular script (those of you attuned to the intricacies of scriptwriting will agree that Levy has done a brilliant job), and it is this script that glues the whole story together. It also helped to have great actors in front of the cameras, who basically just followed the script and did their thing. Vantage Point is a work of art in terms of storytelling and directing, with Barry Levy and director Pete Travis providing the one-two punch.

Dennis Quaid plays the high-strung hero who gets a little too physical in the stunts (seems Mr. Quaid isn't as old as I thought he was), while the ever-serene William Hurt plays the "number one terrorist", a.k.a. the president of the United States. Oscar winner Forest Whitaker does his fair share of running around the streets of Spain, while Sigourney Weaver's very short screen time makes her virtually unnoticeable to younger fans who've never seen her in Ghostbusters. And of course let's give a shout-out to a great supporting cast.

A masterpiece is made when several elements come together to form something which will blow your mind away. This is one such example. The use of non-linear storytelling, great directing, great editing (watch the car scenes, it'll pump up your adrenaline), great sound effects, and actors who do not try to upstage each other all come together to give us one excellent story---and way up to the end you'll still be asking whodunit.

Rating: Five stars.