ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY
OUT 10 APRIL DVD, BD, 3D BD, Digital HD EXTRAS Featurettes (BD)
Animated series, ewok telemovies, Holiday (from hell) Specials… funny to think that Star Wars spin-offs were more moppet-friendly before Disney took over. Rogue One, the first Anthology entry, is made by a mega-fan (director Gareth Edwards) for the megafans. Gritty, cool and packing more Easter eggs than a Tesco Superstore, this Episode IV expanded prologue is both a love letter to Lucas, and a corrective. Exhibit A: after more than a decade of living with Episode III’s “Nooooo!!!” moment, the die-hards finally get a dose of vintage Vader.
If nothing else quite warms the geek-cockles like the Sith Lord having a shit fit, the whole film essays an anti-prequel aesthetic. Edwards’ galaxy is lived-in, with a limited palette (black, white, dirt) and no room for anything cringey or cutesy. Mind you, it could do with more laughs. And a bit more character in its characters: several here seem not so much edgy or troubled as simply down in the dumps. Stealing the schematics to the Empire’s planetkiller is a serious business, but as a certain space pirate once quipped, let’s keep a little optimism here.
Really, the movie starts once the mission does. After a first half that has its moments (the Death Star’s apocalyptic capabilities), but also its dry patches (too much talk of the Death Star’s apocalyptic capabilities), Edwards storms the beaches. Paradise planet Scarif becomes the centre of a delirious mash-up of classic SW battles, complete with swooping X-wings, lumbering AT-ATs and fishman admirals. And as foregone as the conclusion is, tension still mounts (even when an underused Riz Ahmed is info-dumping overcomplicated instructions for how to throw a big switch). Jyn (Felicity Jones) and co may not be as special as franchise heroes past (future?), but their ordinariness becomes a virtue as the situation approaches terminal. This is the first Star Wars film to downplay the Jedi mysticism, yet it’s when evoking a sense of sacrifice – with no hope of ghostly return – that the Force is strongest with it.
Sadly, owing to an “unplayable” review disc, Small Screen was denied a peek at something even more vital than those Death Star plans: the extras. Still, we can tell you that they’re Blu-ray-only and featurette-based; no deleted scenes or audio commentary (yet). Several of the mini-docs focus on individual characters, while another delves into the backstory of this ‘back’ story with originator John Knoll. There’s also an Easter egg round-up (floaty probe droid! Warwick Davies! Blue moo-juice!) and most intriguing/ potentially disappointing of all, a look-ahead to future Star Wars stories.