Rogue One – spoilers

Saw it yesterday with the binnerettes (9 & 12) and we all absolutely loved it!

Surely picking holes in the plot/timelines of a Star Wars film falls into the same category of joyless pointlessness as deconstructing jokes to explain why they’re funny?

Someone really should set about making a movie of or in one of Ian M Banks culture books.

Please God, no.

Surely picking holes in the plot/timelines of a Star Wars film falls into the same category of joyless pointlessness as deconstructing jokes to explain why they’re funny?

whilst this is true, I’ve never understood why people spending $200 million making a film wouldn’t get someone to give it the once over and ensure the plot at least made sense!

the same category of joyless pointlessness as deconstructing jokes to explain why they’re funny

Exactly. And a certain someone I know does both things excruciatingly well which is why I’m just happy for it to do what it says on the Star Wars tin.

Making sure the plot makes sense? The one with all the space ships, force fields, alien galaxies, star gates, Death Stars, and battle droids? 😆

Amazing to think that this bloke directed it – I’ll bet his side-step would have come in handy against a company of stormtroopers.

Someone really should set about making a movie of or in one of Ian M Banks culture books.

Absolutely not. Film and books are very different concepts. Some books cross over, but some don’t. That’s why fans are always whining about book conversions, because they have to be altered so heavily. To even suggest such a thing shows a lack of awareness…

You might be able to fit one into a whole TV season, but it really shouldn’t be done. It would cheapen the concept.

how did the two droids end up on Tantive IV, and when they did, why was whoever delivered them not given a copy of the Death Star plans?

Well I can only assume that the big Mon calamari ship it was docked to didn’t leave till after the fighters, by which time the droids had taken a shuttle/blockade runner up to it, bail organa mentioned captain Antilles as he left the meeting with someone in mind to escort the plans and c3po said in episode IV he was their last master.

To even suggest such a thing shows a lack of awareness…

I think you just have to accept that film or TV adaptations are different things, I love GOT, walking dead, dune, marvel etc books and films/series for all but you can’t get hung up on which is better.

Delighted to see I’m not the only one underwhelmed by it.

Little humour, no pauses for calm, non stop action, in 3d onlyn1 part of the frame is in focus, plenty to be grumpy about!

It’s about suspension of disbelief. Good sci-fi is believable sci-fi. With a few billion dollars budget, you should be able to nail the basics

You know it’s not a documentary, right?

To even suggest such a thing shows a lack of awareness…

Not overly precious at all then 😆

Nice cameo by Daniel Mays, who seems to be making a career out of getting killed off early doors.

I would love to see a film of some of the Iain M Banks stuff, The Player of Games is probably the most obviously film-friendly, nice simple plot and obvious dramatic tension.

I really like Marvin the Sarcastic Android.

I am not sure if this is the right place to make this argument, but Star Wars is NOT science fiction, so it doesn’t matter if the plot is rubbish. It has space ships and aliens, but at best it is space opera.

It is not a documentary, either…

Not overly precious at all then

About what?

It’s true though – a book doesn’t make a good film just because you like it. Ask Hitchhiker’s fans.

The Player of Games is probably the most obviously film-friendly, nice simple plot and obvious dramatic tension.

That’s a more straightforward plot – would be a good series. Consider Phlebas for a film, I reckon.

But the whole point of books like that is the huge scope, which would be impossible to do on anything like the same scale. So you’d end up with an action film with some smart-arsed artificially intelligent spaceships in it.

…

Which, thinking about it, might actually might be quite good 🙂 But the overall effect would be nothing like the books to the point where you wouldn’t really be doing the same thing.

Star Wars is NOT science fiction

No, it’s not. What’s the main theme of the film? It’s not anything scientific, it’s a mystical energy guiding all of life through those chosen few who can feel it strongly. That makes it a fantasy film. Happens to have spaceships and in it, that’s all.

Hels – we were all in agreement that Marvin the sarcastic android was the best thing about the fillum! Absolute genius! 😀

It’s true though – a book doesn’t make a good film just because you like it. Ask Hitchhiker’s fans.

Am I the only Hitchhikers fan who thought the most recent film was perfectly decent? I’ve watched (and enjoyed it) a coupe of times now. It’s not perfect but it’s far from terrible.

Very dubious about Iain M Banks transferring to film though.

I liked it too, but my comments were really addressed to the fans who moaned because it was different to the books. Of course it was, that’s why it took 30 years to get made. It had to be.

Just back from watching it, can finally read this thread whilst enjoying a G&T.

Lots of good comments, personally it could become my favourite Star Wars movie, I had an ending playing in my head where the robot named after potassium sulphate or something transfers his data into another droid before his death, then flies down and rescues the living couple. I was overjoyed when they simply got deaded instead.

Plot had ropey moments and some character arcs were all over the place. But still, Lots of clever references, technically it’s still too dark even in 2D though.

Seen it today IMAX 3D, thought it was great, so much so I’d like to see it again. Hate Hollywood whooping and high5 endings, Hollywood cheese etc so the whole thing was mostly satisfying in it’s more dark aspect.

Tarkin CGI, I think I wouldn’t have been any the wiser other than him looking more healthy than he looked in A New Hope. Maybe his position as Battle Station commander took it’s toll in that short time, not eating properly, late nights, worrying about facing Vader, hitting the bottle.

Princess Leia CGI was more obvious as her face looked strangely flat in IMAX 3D, but didn’t detract from the whole experience. A bit of a sad moment, considering the past few days.

Big scenes were fantastic in IMAX, but agree that some of the closed in blurred scenes where slightly annoying, what with it not being proper 3D.

One small thing that did it for me over last years film, watching it on a massive screen in sort of 3D, I wasn’t this time continuously distracted by obviously painted wooden props.

There were the occasional, “why would they do that/ put that there / how did they get there in that time frame / why didn’t they question that? etc etc” . I think you have those moments in all SW films, suspension of disbelief and all that, those moments weren’t that frequent here (or as obvious?), like in some really poor SW films.

overall I really enjoyed it (none SW nerd).

Took the kids to see it today, 5 year old boy who knows the expanded universe very well, 7 year old girl who likes the films but not overly bothered and me, like all the films, seen them loads but not obsessive. We all loved it! It’s a kids film and they both loved it! I loved it too. Yeah there my be some plot holes, but this is not citizen Kane, this is a kids film, and it’s very good for what it is

I saw it yesterday and really enjoyed it. My only issue is that, and i hope this doesn’t open a STW can of worms, but stormtrooper helmets are rubbish. One knock to the head and they are out for the count!

It’s a kids film

What? It’s about the ultimate sacrifice. How is that a kids’ topic?

Stormtrooper armour is indeed rubbish though. It doesn’t seem to protect them from anything at all.

I really enjoyed the film last night. I saw A New Hope first time around and liked the way they didn’t try to ‘update’ too much in terms of making things look slicker – my 10 year old me approves.

The reason why Vader has a fat neck.

I saw it day before yesterday. Thought it was average at best and I won’t be buying it on br when it releases.

Watched it tonight on full fat IMAX at GSC after doing the same with TFA. The difference is night and day between 2D and watching it on a purpose build mega screen.

Liked Vader showing up and watching about half a dozen ships destroy themselves trying to do a hyperspace jump through his star destroyer.

K2 with another imperial droid in a headlock interrogating its memory. Oh, and the grenade exchange 😀

Also liked seeing the dirty side of the alliance, just need to get another film showing things from the death star plumbers perspective and we’re sorted 😉

Lastly Culture films would be difficult to do. How would you ever convey the personality of a mind or someone glanding something? That said Consider Phlebas is a good shout, Player of Games is a good book but would need FAR too much explanatory dialogue and I think we can agree that even if Excession is about the best of the lot (for the Mind dialogues alone) it would be a complete car crash.

EDIT: The last standalone is Boba Fett, NOT Vader!

Judging by many of the comments here, this was a fan’s film and the detailed intricacies of the SW story that evidently was told in a way that appealed to fans of the wider story and background. Reading these comments makes me wonder if I watched the same film. Can someone explain where in the timescale of the SW series this is supposed to be? There didn’t seem to be much Jedi stuff going on.

Right before A New Hope. Jedi’s are wiped.

I wonder if everyone’s favourite Chiss art critic will appear in Ep VIII or IX?

I would love to see a film of some of the Iain M Banks stuff

I’m just finishing The Algebraist. It’s probably unfilmable really, but it’d be hilarious to watch someone spunking a trillion dollars of budget on trying. 🙂

It would take months to agree on any of the pronunciation for the culture!

Saw it last night, liked it better than TFA. As said, proper sense of being at war and having to do some bad stuff. CGI Tarkin and Leia good but no chance of passing for real – Tarkin being in it so much just hammered that home for me.

Favourite bit for me was when the rebel ships pop out of hyperspace (or whatever) and the empire fleet is right there, properly took me back to how much I loved that bit at the end of Return of the Jedi. The whole space battle bit was awesome, much better than the X-wings in TFA which just didn’t move like real things.

Didn’t really get the bit about the need to hook up the cable, it was a bit clunky but I was happy to go with it in the end.

Lastly Vader just slaughtering his way on the ship at the end made me look at him in a bit of a new light, like an actual properly bad guy rather than just the enemy – that hasn’t really come across in the other films IMO.

mikewsmith – Member

It would take months to agree on any of the pronunciation for the culture!

Marain has a welsh ll in it so that’s me screwed.