Rogue One (with SPOILERS)

Good job, Jeb.

Nodens wrote: A post on tor.com led to me wondering if the Hollywood Reporter's review really said that the movie not having a male lead to legitimize the female lead through being his love interest diminished the main character. I went and checked, think he did. Outrageous! This might end up as the most subversive movie of 2016. I feel a strong urge to go back to the theatre for another viewing.

Ehh, I think there are definitely "I wanna bone you if we make it out of here alive" vibes from Jyn and Cassian. Their final embrace was mostly just the need for human comfort before the end but I think there was some romantic connections brewing. I did like that Jyn was the one facing the blast wave. FUCK that is a powerful scene, even after three viewings.

dysjunct wrote: Good job, Jeb.

My bad, guys. Thankfully, the Internet Grief Police have arrested me, and I will serve time in Internet Jail for my crimes against celebrity.

As cool as the Reb fleet warping in to save the day - didn't they JUST refuse to do the mission because of how dangerous it would be? And now that the cover's blown and the mission is on the verge of failure (but also success - probably key), they decide that it's worth it to risk the entire fleet in a direct engagement. But the decision was taken in the heat of the moment, likely without consulting the cowards and the entire council. And when they try to escape, Vader's ship arrives and almost screws up everything - loved seeing the transport initiating light speed only to crash right into the ISD. That's another thing - why bring a transport ship to this engagement?

The Death Star's ray hitting the top of the tower - kind of a lucky shot there, wasn't it?

Seeing this movie the very day Carrie dies - good grief!

Also regarding Leia hugging Rey and not Chewie (also we can imagine that happening off-screen) - it probably foreshadows that Rey's her daughter who just lost her dad, right?

Columbob wrote: As cool as the Reb fleet warping in to save the day - didn't they JUST refuse to do the mission because of how dangerous it would be? And now that the cover's blown and the mission is on the verge of failure (but also success - probably key), they decide that it's worth it to risk the entire fleet in a direct engagement

IIRC, they thought the group would not be able to infiltrate the planetary shield. Once they realized the rebels had gotten through they probably figured it was worth the risk.

I missed the transport warping* into the destroyer. I will need to see it again.

The blast wave approaching didn't move me especially but it sounds like that scene is more impactful than I thought, again I need to see it again.

Really good comparison to TARS. We need more droids like this.

I know we didn't get Jek but dont you think that red five pilot was meant as a jek throwback?

Going to be weird to see so much Leia in the next star wars


*forgive me, it's boxing day week if Trek on Space channel

Columbob wrote: why bring a transport ship to this engagement?

You get to re-roll a red die on squadron attacks within range 1.

The movie was OK. The plot seemed mostly about maneuvering pawns on the SW story chess board to make it all fall into place for ANH, almost too precisely. Chirrut and Baze were excellent. Jyn was unmemorable, Discount Lando forgettable, robot was great. Tarkin was over-used, a single line of dialogue could have established his interest in establishing primacy for the Death Star from his story-convenient proxy. Ghost Dog and Director Cape had way too much screen time that could have been used better to bring more humanity to some of the blaster-fodder we should care about. Some red shirts showed up after the rebel HQ pow-wow to do the Call of Duty game level bits. Master Switch was clownshoes, Vader finale was underserved and undeserved, but he just tapped them with his glow stick and they went sleepy-weepy. I still expect the internet to cut a frame and paste it into a poster for Sweet Sweetback's Bad Ass Song.

Final battle was awesome, throwing a planetary-shield sized lamp shade over the physics of smashing ISDs.

Final Verdict: Not Enough Y-Wings, but I'll take it.

Not enough Y-Wings?!?! Not only does Gold Squadron show up with Pops leading them, but the Y-Wings actually make bombing runs and use their ion cannons. We get to see the alliance workhorse earn its name!!

Black Barney wrote: , but the Y-Wings actually make bombing runs and use their ion cannons.!

You know, I think they say "fire ion TORPEDOES". Is that a new weapon? Maybe it was a script error (though the fx seem to show them firing blue torpedo looking things). Seems WAY too easy to disable a Star Destroyer, be interesting to see if this weapon is modelled in Armada.

Y-Wings are supposed to be equipped with ion cannons. Although it seems weird that a star destroyer would be messed up so easily, don't forget that Y-Wings are the most equipped to deal with capital vessels. They have bombs, ion cannons. They can’t survive a dogfight though cuz they can’t maneuver, so the ISD should deploy their TIEs and that's that.

I like Jeb's reference to The Battle of Algiers. I Googled it and now want to go watch it. I had an Algerian student who was not fond of France and got me reading about the whole mess.

I like that this movie showed the grittier, morally ambiguous aspects of the rebellion, having to do things you regret in support of a greater cause. It was like a recruiting film for ISIS or something--YOU WILL HAVE TO DO REPREHENSIBLE THINGS BUT IF YOU QUIT AT ANY POINT YOUR MORAL SACRIFICES ARE WORTHLESS SO KEEP BEHEADING NON-COMBATANTS UNTIL WE TELL YOU TO STOP K? It's the sunk cost logic.

Saw Gerrerra's fighters felt like they were Mujahedin in Afghanistan or something.

That mind-sucking monster was like a cross between a Blob fish and Jabba the Hut's naked mother.

What was up with Forest Whittaker? He had more lines in the trailer, then disappeared. I heard earlier cuts of this film were a big mess.

If the Force appears darkly around people who are about to kill--well let's just think about what that says about determinism and violence, shall we? It means there is something out there that exists outside of linear time and knows when you will kill. Or maybe it is just thinking about the killing that does it. I don't now.

Princess Leia looked like she was a Jedi Nun on a commemorative plate. We just saw the movie a few days after Carrie Fisher died, so it actually kind of worked.

Donnie Yen was great. His Bromance buddy with the cool gun was cool too.

The only time I really felt elated was when the X-wings showed up to cripple the AT-AT's, but I did enjoy the movie despite falling asleep twice during the intro. I'll watch it again, but with the deleted scenes at home.

Black Barney wrote: Not enough Y-Wings?!?! Not only does Gold Squadron show up with Pops leading them, but the Y-Wings actually make bombing runs and use their ion cannons. We get to see the alliance workhorse earn its name!!

Still not enough Y-Wings! Need Y-Wings in every scene.

On the darkness in the force- he made that statement and then Discount Lando did not take the shot, so it seems only to relate to intention not outcome.

Moar Y-Wings !!

I don't get the Discount Lando thing I believe you don't even have to pay Billy Dee Williams to be in a movie anymore.

We know that hate and anger are dark emotions to Jedi and can be sensed. Maybe Chirrut sensed another dark emotion/feeling coming from him that he knows people preparing to kill someone feel.