Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Score:  ***1/2 out of ***** (B)

Directed by Gareth Edwards
Starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn
Running time: 133 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Rogue One is the first stand-alone film in the Star Wars universe, whose main characters are all-new (though familiar ones make cameos).  It's an interesting set up, led by another capable young woman in Felicity Jones playing a pre-Luke Skywalker rebel.  There's plenty of action and then some, much of it impressive, but ultimately the film fails to let its new cast truly shine and make a connection, playing it too safe.  You'll have a good time watching it, but temper those expectations.


On a cold and lonely outpost in a galaxy far, far away, a young woman named Jyn Erson (Jones) languishes in the captivity of the ubiquitous, evil Empire.  A small group of renegades breaks her out; surprised that anyone should come for her, she discovers that her father, Galen (Mikkelsen), is helping the Empire to develop a superweapon.  The renegades - working for the Rebel Alliance - hopes she will help them find him.  Jyn is sent first to another Imperial-controlled world which harbors an old friend of the Erso family.  The man takes Jyn to an Imperial pilot who has defected, bringing with him information on the nearly-finished Death Star, a message from Galen himself.

Jyn and her companions manage to escape with the news and return to the rebellion, but there is panic at the imminent danger to all.  Therefore Jyn, herself recently thrust into the galactic war between the Empire and the rebellion, must choose her own path, caught between the stakes to the galaxy and her family's personal involvement in the danger.

Rogue One has a solid, impressively diverse, yet unspectacular cast.  Leading the charge is Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, the daughter of a crucial weapons engineer who herself becomes a rebel at a young age.  Jones does a nice job, a charismatic presence with her share of strong moments, but is let down by the script.  I'm all for a female hero/leader in the wake of The Force Awakens' Rey, but despite an interesting set up there isn't much development of her character.  An engaging hero, Jones' Jyn is also merely a generic one by the end of the film.  Jones is joined by an ensemble of fellow rogues; Diego Luna as the main rebel spy commander, who has hints of a grittier background and character but is even less well fleshed out.  Most interesting are a blind warrior and a droid.  Donnie Yen plays Imwe, who maintains strong faith in the Force despite the last (known) Jedi having disappeared years ago.  Yen makes Imwe's faith fervent and fascinating when allowed to, and he is unexpectedly (and somewhat mischievously) funny.  Alan Tudyk voices the droid of the film, a reprogrammed Imperial.  He, too, is quite funny (more directly so) and gets the best lines.  Ben Mendelsohn, a great actor, does well as the primary Imperial villain, although his part doesn't reach its menacing potential.

Rogue One is the first stand-alone Star Wars film; in other words it doesn't have a single Skywalker (let alone a Jedi), whose lineage has served as the backbone of the franchise.  In ways this is freeing, allowing more storytelling flexibility with many familiar elements (the space ships, aliens, etc.); yet also challenges the filmmakers to develop a new set of compelling characters.  Rogue One has the pieces and potential for a truly special development of the Star Wars universe, but unfortunately only succeeds in limited ways.  The collection of characters is an intriguing one, as described earlier, a group that fits their predecessors' scrappy nature perfectly.  Each has different, interesting reasons for fighting against the Empire, as well as realistic flaws.  In fact, Rogue One gets into the politics of Star Wars, similar to the prequels (which I continue to defend) and much more than in the original trilogy - both on the rebel and the Imperial sides.  The effects are very good, of course, and the final 30+ minutes put the "war" in Star Wars, both in the trenches and in space.  I did enjoy a lot of this quite a bit, watching X-wings, Star Destroyers, AT-ATs (walking tanks) and more engaged in far more spectacular battle than ever before.

However... in the end, Rogue One in other ways lives down to its status as a stand-alone film, unable to ultimately distinguish itself within the Star Wars universe.  The film begins with a flashback that appropriately takes its time in introducing Jyn's family and their role - and then the film kicks into hyperdrive, in a bad way.  Jyn is all grown up, and being hustled around as quickly as the exposition that is shouted around and about her.  Not only is it done too quickly, but it all gets straight to the point - the Death Star - leaving little to the imagination; and far worse, neglecting to pay any attention to the characters that are involved.  Things start to settle down a bit, yet the script remains quite clunky in trying to fit all the pieces together, always focused on the Death Star to the detriment of everything else.  Other problems crop up here and there:  stormtroopers are mowed down at a ridiculous clip, the score is clearly trying to invoke John Williams but is a sad imitation (not the composer's fault - he was brought on late and had literally only a few weeks to start and finish it).

***

Rogue One is still a solid film; if you're looking for an entertaining action movie, you're not going to do better right now (unless Doctor Strange is still out).  But Rogue One also isn't just any movie: it's a Star Wars movie.  The results remind me a lot of Suicide Squad - both exist in well-established franchises/worlds, but focus on a new set of grittier, much less well-known characters.  Both films introduce a set of intriguing new characters, potentially worthy of their own mini-franchise.  But both films also largely squander this potential by trying to play it safe with formula and focusing on the plot and action at the expense of nurturing their characters.  Yes, it's cool to know how the events of Episode 4 - A New Hope were made possible (i.e. blowing up the Death Star) - but it would have been even cooler to have launched a parallel set of rebels to continue the fight behind the scenes.  Maybe repeat viewings will bring me around to it, but for now I am well entertained but ultimately disappointed.  Moderately recommended, but not a success like The Force Awakens was.



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Manchester by the Sea

Score:  ***** out of ***** (A+)

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan
Starring Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler
Running time: 137 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  Manchester by the Sea is a quiet, simple drama on the outside, and a tumultuous and affecting one on the inside.  It's also one of the best films I've ever seen.  Casey Affleck leads a set of brilliant performances as the film takes a deep, sometimes painful but always revelatory, dive into his character.  Amazing writing and filmmaking turn ordinary people and events into both a moving and thought-provoking experience.  A must-see.


Lee Chandler (Affleck) lives a lonely existence as a janitor in Boston.  Forced to deal with abrasive tenants in an apartment, Lee's patience is often tested and he frequents a bar to cope.  One day, his routine is abruptly interrupted when he receives a call that his brother (Chandler) suffered a heart attack.  Lee rushes to him, but by the time he arrives his brother is dead.  Left behind is his sixteen-year-old son, Patrick, and Lee is shocked to learn that he is to become the young boy's guardian, according to his brother's will.  Once close, Lee and Patrick are now tense in each other's presence; Patrick dealing with school, girlfriends and a band, and Lee trying to sort out his brother's affairs and coping with his past.  One missing a father, the other his brother, the two must relearn how to live, together.

Manchester by the Sea boasts an ensemble that works so well, both individually and as a group, that it is easy to forget that they are acting.  Casey Affleck delivers an incredibly powerful, nuanced and memorable performance as the quiet and tormented lead, Lee.  The camera follows Lee throughout the film, and mostly his misery is internal, seen through his gaze and his weary but persistent march through life's everyday challenges.  Affleck brings Lee to life as fully as any film character I've ever seen.  Like any human, he sometimes responds awkwardly to others, makes odd decisions, and grits his teeth and bears life's annoyances; and he is also sympathetic, a good man trying to find his way after losing it years ago, though often conflicted about whether he should even try.  Lucas Hedges does a great job as teenage Patrick, simultaneously aware of the adult challenges of his situation while showing the pain of the loss of his father as he experiences both setbacks and joy in other roles.  Michelle Williams' screentime is fairly limited, but she makes the most of it as Lee's ex-wife by bringing startling detail and individuality to a character that could have merely been a powerful symbol of Lee's old life.  Kyle Chandler is in the final significant role, as Lee's brother Joe in flashbacks; although we don't get to know him, he excels at portraying the pillar of emotional stability in the family, without which we can see (partly) how things have fallen apart.

Manchester by the Sea is an incredible film, the drama of a simple story of ordinary humans, but the film delves deeply - and movingly - in and through those people.  The main plot event, Joe's death, is front and center, yet the film's most powerful event is one from the past and in more subtle ways it affects everything and everyone in the film just as much.  I won't reveal what that is (and please don't go look it up!), but it is a symbol of the way the film overall works not through direct events but through individual responses and relationships.  Manchester confounds expectations everywhere; it is deeply affecting and emotional, yet by the end neither depressing nor uplifting but simply life affirming.  It is not Hollywood drama in any way, yet not minimalistic (read: boring), either.  Though there are a few incredibly emotional scenes (especially the one above), you can regain an emotional equilibrium afterward.  The film has no jokes, and of course is quite serious, yet it finds humor consistently and effectively through the little things in life.  The film ends with the characters having made progress and there is hope, yet it is not at all tied up with a bow; it resists expected resolution and not everything works out the way you think it will or want it to.

How does Manchester by the Sea achieve such balance and power while relying on simple components (characters, plot, setting)?  The acting described above is of course an essential part, and just as important is a phenomenal script which, combined with the performances, creates one of the most vivid worlds I've every seen on film.  The plot - Joe's death, and what that sets in motion - is only the canvas of this work; it is the characters and their relationships that are the "action".  The pacing, in a conventional sense, is therefore deliberate (some would say slow), yet it is the characters driving the pace, not the events.  Everyday life makes up most of the scenes, particularly that of Lee adjusting into his old hometown, Patrick struggling with adolescence, and the two attempting to bond (or at least put up with each other).  Each scene shows one (or usually several) of the following: another side of a richly shaded character; a small (yet important) thing that causes them to change; and/or something amusing.  This allows us to know the characters as few other films can do, increasing the impact of all that happens to them, from the small to the large.  We genuinely root for them, want the best for them, because we see some of ourselves in them.

***

Manchester by the Sea is one of the best films I've ever seen, period, and is therefore one of the few films that I've give an A+ to outright.  I admit that when I first heard about this film and read the premise, I was unimpressed.  But I read (while trying to avoid too much detail) that it was outstanding, and I try to see most films that get praise like that.  Fortunately for me, my rural theater happened to show it.  This is a film that had me thinking about it the rest of that night and the next morning.  The performances, writing, and filmmaking in general are masterful.  And there's plenty you can take away from it, both specific to the type of tragedy it illustrates as well as to life's struggles and changes in general.  I'm not sure what more I need to say about it here, though it's also a film that I could talk about all day.  Manchester by the Sea is a must-see classic.



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