Movies

What Makes a Good ‘Star Wars’ Film: A Study of ‘Rogue One’

A new video essay explores the dead ends of ‘Rogue One,’ comparing it to other entries in the franchise.
Diego Luna Rogue One
Lucasfilm
By  · Published on June 1st, 2017

While there are many (and many of us here at Film School Rejects) who loved Rogue One, there are some who find an air of disappointment around the film’s shortcomings. Sure, audiences were always going to have trouble rooting for characters they knew for a fact were doomed from the beginning. But the film’s passive characters and constant planet-hopping made the job even harder for them. So why do some consider Rogue One to be the first disappointment of the reborn Star Wars franchise?

There were a lot of things that Rogue One got quite right. Felicity Jones was perfect for protagonist Jyn Erso, leading an action tentpole like nobody’s business. Also to love was the film’s talented and diverse cast, which included heavyweights like Forest Whitaker and Mads Mikkelsen to younger faces like Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed. But despite the cast, the problems of the film were in the screenplay. The plot “happens” to its characters rather than letting them take charge and find their own way there, a staple of the Star Wars franchise.

Here is yet another great video essay from Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay. It goes into the very details of Rogue One, comparing its script to The Force Awakens and other films from the franchise in search of what makes a good Star Wars entry. With the eighth chapter coming out this year and even more spin-offs on the horizon, let’s hope the filmmakers continue the franchise’s tradition of putting the story first.

 

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21. Filmmaker. Writer for Film School Rejects. Featured on MTV, Indiewire & The A.V. Club.