Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Finally, I’ve had some time to sit down and write this Rogue One: A Star Wars Story review! In a way I have been a little nervous about this review, I liked the film but I didn’t fall as head over heels for it as other moviegoers seem to have. Read on to find out why. As per usual this review is SPOILER FREE.

Rogue One follows the band of rebel spies who attempt to steal the plans for the Death Star, who we first heard about in the opening crawl for A New Hope. The film stars a whole host of characters, most we haven’t seen before, played by a talented ensemble cast including; Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker and Mads Mikkelsen. Now it should be noted that even though we have a female character in a central role, this film is still very dude heavy. It’s a diverse cast in terms of race but its lack of diversity in terms of gender still leaves a lot to be desired in this new age of Star Wars films. Don’t get me wrong, everyone in the cast is great, some a little underused, but I really hope Disney push diversity in their Star Wars films further as we go on.

Now onto the film itself. For the most part I really enjoyed it. There are some really great moments and some really badass moments that will make any Star Wars fan squeal with delight. The final act of the film is just pure enjoyment at its finest. However, I do feel like my enjoyment could have been heightened if I was more invested in these characters. Some of them get more time than others to shine but I never really felt for any of them that much, their backstories were summed up as they had all had bad things happen to them because of the Empire. Cool. Is that it? The main character Jyn gets a little more time devoted to her story so there is more of a connection with her, but considering this is very much an ensemble film it would have been nice do dive deeper into some of the other characters.

The story itself though is something that the prequels should have inspired to be. This film adds to A New Hope and makes the story richer because of it. If this is what we’re going to get from these ‘spin off’ films then I am totally in for more. If I had had the time I would have re-watched A New Hope right after this because I feel like my experience might be different because of this film. This is a really good thing.

Another thing I loved was the special effects, apart from the odd CGI character (they’re not awful but you’ll know when you see it), the effects in this film are pretty much flawless. Like The Force Awakens this film finds a fine line between practical and computer enhancement making this one of the best looking Star Wars films yet. Seriously, the Death Star has never looked better.

Now I know I keeping going back to negatives but this is my final gripe with the film; the score. Now I realise this was probably one of the most difficult decisions to make, do you go with a completely new score to differentiate from the episodic films or do you keep using John Williams’s iconic compositions. In the end they decided on going for something that was a bit of both, which for me just didn’t work. The music riffs off of the classic William’s music but changes little elements of it, so just as your humming along it takes a left turn, I couldn’t help but find this really noticeable and annoying, like a fan film trying to use the same music but can’t because of copyright issues, it kept taking me out of the film. I really wish they had just gone for something completely different.

Overall this film is a great time at the cinema, a good edition to the Star Wars lore that will make a lot of fans happy. For me it suffered with some of its character development and gender diversity but I was still won over by its special effects and some of its truly incredible sequences. If the spin offs can only improve from here, then we are in for some really great Star Wars stories in the future. I am giving Rogue One: A Star Wars Story a rating of 3.5/5. I preferred The Force Awakens but we still have a bright and hopeful future ahead for Star Wars films.

What did you think? Best Star Wars film yet or worse than the prequels? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Godzilla

I have been really pumped for the latest Godzilla film after all it's great trailers and posters. Even though looking back at the 1998 version now, it's awful, but I remember seeing it when I was younger and being terrified and in awe at the same time. And it looked as though the latest film had grown up with me and took a more realistic and serious look and what would actually happen if a massive lizard, whale, dinosaur thing appeared. This film is a lot different to the films before it and thankfully a whole bunch better then Roland Emmerich's version! Read on for my spoiler free verdict on the latest Godzilla.

I won't go too in depth to the plot because although it's a Godzilla movie, it's different. It's hard to explain but the less you know the more you will probably enjoy it. However don't go in thinking this going to be your average disaster movie filled with destruction after destruction after destruction, because it's not that. It's a film about humans more then anything, it's about seeing the rampage from a point of view that grounds it in a form of realism.

These human characters are played by Aaron Taylor Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen and Ken Watanabe. Cranston brings the raw powerful emotion with a force from the very beginning, he leaves you tugging at your heartstrings within 10 minutes. Which is all well and good but I wish the other characters had been just as awesome, because they fall short of this. Aaron Taylor Johnson is ok, we root for him but at times his character feels more like a plot device to get you from A to B than anything else. I wish I could care about his wife Elisabeth Olsen more, because she is also great but severely underused to make much of an impact. The film gets it right at times with the characters but always just seems to miss out on perfection after the first act.

Don't get me wrong though, there is heart to the story and it's helped along by beautiful camerawork and cinematography. The film is one big tease so when the camera decides to take a step back and admire the destruction scenery it does so with elegance that makes the image on screen look like a work of art. It's great to see that Gareth Edwards didn't just sell out to the big studios after his indie hit Monsters. You can definitely tell he had a big impact on the film and how it plays out.

One of my favourite things about this film is that it defies expectations. It's a film that doesn't give you what you think you need, it goes against all the general conventions of a Hollywood blockbuster and instead of just letting you watch the action play out, it cuts away and saves the best for later. It may be fustrating at first but what you get at the end, when you're on the edge of your seat in anticipation, is spectacular. The build up really pays off and there is no way you won't leave the cinema with a great big grin on your face.

The monster himself also looks incredible, never has there been a more glorious Godzilla on the big screen. The CGI is top notch and you will find yourself believing that the king of monsters is real. He looks great and when you finally get the full body shot complete with the iconic roar I assure you it will send shivers down your spine!

Godzilla will defy your expectations but that is not completely a bad thing. It puts characters first over action so it is shame that not all of them are worthy of your time or care. But everything else is pulled off brilliantly, it's great to see something a little different and unexpected at the cinema, especially from a big summer blockbuster. I had a great time and thourougly enjoyed the film, therefore I am rating it a 4/5. The king of monsters is back!

What did you think of Godzilla? Love it or hate it, let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

SDCC 2013 Thoughts #1

So as the 2013 San Diego Comic Con kicked off today I thought I would post my thoughts and opinions on some of the news that comes out of the event. Now unfortunately I am not at the event but like most of the Internet, I am still having a lot of fun at home sitting patiently for the next big piece of news from Comic Con. So this is the first of what could be many SDCC posts over the weekend.

So to kick things off, here is the teaser for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Hall H panel, which also happens to reveal Jamie Foxx's villain Electro.

Now although it isn't much, it's still enough to create some hype for Spider-Man sequel. Now although I was a bit disappointed with last years film, I am hoping that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 could be Spidey's best outing yet. Now I don't want to get my hopes to high but how cool does Electro look! Now we should be getting a full teaser trailer for the film in the next couple of days but for now this will do to wet fanboys appetites. I am still hoping that they change the title to something more original but unfortunately it looks like the only new addition is the number 2 at the end.

The second thing on this list is the reveal of the Comic Con poster for the remake of Godzilla.

This poster really shows off the epic scale of Godzilla and looks very cool! With Monsters director Gareth Edwards at the helm, this film promises to be one of the biggest of 2013, literally! There have also been other reveals of Godzilla that tease at a more faithful design to the Japanese original film. Again we should be seeing a teaser trailer for this one in the next couple of days! After seeing Pacific Rim the other day I cannot wait to see more giant monsters on the big screen!

Thanks for reading and keeping coming back for more of my thoughts on the latest news from Comic Con!