Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/767061
maltatoday, SATURDAY, 24 DECEMBER 2016 36 This Week THE Star Wars franchise is, without a doubt, one of the largest and most glittering cogs in the corporate Hol- lywood machine. One of the shiniest baubles in Dis- ney's newly-expanded empire – its parent company, Lucasfilm, having been bought off Star Wars creator George Lucas for a princely $4 bil- lion – the saga that has been trans- porting several generations to galax- ies far, far away occupies a unique space in contemporary history. To wit: it is both a cynical exercise in dollar-raking, merchandise-ena- bling profiteering while also being a richly expansive universe whose child-like charm and pin-sharp grasp of the fundamentals of mythic storytelling make it a cornerstone of our cultural memory. Lucas, work- ing off Joseph Campbell's ground- breaking comparative study of the figure of the Hero in various world myths, crafted a timeless tale of the orphan farmer boy rising up to top- ple an Empire – while discovering the darkness that lies in his path and saving a princess along the way. Combining these classical sources with pop culture artefacts like Flash Gordon serials and more elevated cinematic cues like the films of Japanese maestro Akira Kurosawa (borrowing heavily from 1958's The Hidden Fortress in particular), Lu- cas created an appealing melting pot that just worked. Trouble was that while the man was an excellent imaginer and ini- tiator, it seems as though Lucas's gifts at executing an effective film- as-a-film left much to be desired. Indeed, while he is credited as both screenwriter and director of the first Star Wars film to grace the screens – Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) – he passed the buck to others for the saga's soon-to-follow sequels, as the Empire Strikes Back (1980) was di- rected by Irvin Kershner off a script by Leigh Bracknett and Lawrence Kasdan; and The Return of the Jedi (1983) taken up by director Rich- ard Marquand, with Kasdan shar- ing scriptwriting duties with Lucas (who, we should add, did in fact sketch out the overarching story of both films). The idea that Lucas couldn't quite live up to the promise of the fanta- sia he had dreamed up for an eager world to lap it up appeared to be tragically validated when he in fact returned to tell the first part of his trilogy. The much-maligned pre- quel saga – encompassing Episodes I to III of his ambitious, sprawling story and gracing the new millen- nium with a momentous block- buster disappointment – appeared to miss the mark on various levels; and it was only after J.J. Abrams fi- nally took the leap to restore the saga's reputation with Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year – a rebranding exercise to end all re- branding exercises – could Star Wars fans breathe a sigh of relief. Here was a film by someone – or a carefully selected team of indi- viduals painstakingly aware of what makes their corporate machine tick – who appeared to understand Star Wars even better than its creator, and which gladly gave fans what they wanted, nevermind that upon closer inspection, its bare bones are pretty much a replica of 'A New Hope'. But now, with Disney keen on getting the most out of its golden goose, apart from having Episodes VIII and IX to look forward to in 2017 and 2019 respectively, we will also be getting 'anthology' mov- ies spliced in between. Ostensibly, these films will be set in the same Star Wars universe but tell stories that are off the beaten track to the 'main' trilogy. The first of these is Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards (Mon- sters, Godzilla) and letting us in on the story of how the Death Star plans – so crucial to the climax of a New Hope and to young Luke Skywalker fulfilling his own Hero's Journey – were actually acquired. Coming as it does from the upper echelons of the corporate machine that rules the box office – and a merchandise line that keeps on giv- ing – with an iron fist, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that, by actually telling a bona fide war film, Edwards's movie is something of a radical gem: a rough diamond in a sea of blindingly glittering block- busters. Our heroine is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a wandering criminal try- ing her best to hide the fact that her father, Galen Erso (Mads Mik- kelsen) is a reluctant Imperial engi- neer press-ganged into completing the Death Star when Jyn was just a child. But the Rebel Alliance has fi- nally tracked her down, and is keen to tap into her family history to get the upper hand over the Empire, whose new super-weapon threatens to entrench their hold over the gal- axy once and for all. Thing is, Jyn's family history in- cludes a truant adoptive parent, of sorts: the extremist rebel leader Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whitaker), who raised Jyn until her past was too much of a liability, and who is now holding a compelling hostage, the defecting Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), who claims to have seditious instructions from Galen Erso himself. While on paper, the Alliance ap- pears keen to let Jyn simply tug at her father's heartstrings so that she may bring back something useful about the Death Star, rebel Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) has more sinister – and covert – orders. With frayed nerves and nary a hint of trust between them, Jyn, Cassian and Bodhi set out on their mission, picking up the not-Jedi blind fighter Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) and his trigger-happy sidekick Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) along the way. To say that Rogue One doesn't ex- actly feel like a Star Wars movie is to pay it the ultimate compliment. After all, what is the point of these 'Anthology' films if they're not al- lowed to let loose a little bit? Hap- pily, Edwards – working off a script by Tony Gilroy and Chris Weitz – is allowed to craft a bona fide war film (it has an opening that echoes Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and a cast of rag-tag char- acters to match) while also revealing that sustaining a rebellion is hard – and often morally compromised – work. Where the original trilogy ex- celled at crafting an operatic sense of childlike wonder and awe and fist-pumping thrills (something The Force Awakens riffs off of mas- terfully), Rogue One is allowed to smear on some grime and show us the consequences of going to war: be it through the brutal, on-the- ground skirmishes in jungles and beaches, the family-destroying ideo- logical ruptures or the brittle ground on which the rebellion treads, with Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) struggling to give the whole move- ment a united front. All heavy stuff, surely, and all han- dled in a way that doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. And though some fans keen for a more typical Star Wars experience may bristle at the comparatively dour mood of Ed- wards's stab at the saga, there is cer- tainly enough action to keep every- one on their toes – and remember, these characters are all expendable – while a dose of (admittedly cyni- cal) humour is piled upon generous- ly by Cassian's catty droid sidekick K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). But what will almost certainly help bring the hardcore fans into the fold, is, in fact, Edwards's treatment of the dark side. Apart from resur- recting a beloved actor for a key role through a shockingly effective use of CGI, this critic can report that Lord Vader himself more than gets his moment to shine. Thankfully, voice- master James Earl Jones is still with us, and his fathoms-deep timbre returns in full force to send shivers down our collective spines… to say nothing of Vader's pulse-pounding performance in the film's coda… but the less spoiled of that, the better. But it's a new character who shines brightest in the dark corner above all. Eminently hissable for the most part, Mendhelson's Krennic gains poignancy and nuance as we see him raked over the coals of the cal- lous, House of Cards like power in- terplay that the fascist Imperial elite are engaged in, and his fate arguably attains the apex of tragedy during the frenetic battle sequence that rounds off this, arguably the most full-bodied and satisfying film to bear the 'Star Wars' stamp. IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A) 10:30, 14:30, 18:00, 21:00 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 10:25, 14:15, 17:45, 20:45 Bad Santa 2 (15) 16:15, 18:25, 20:50 Moana (PG) 10:35, 13:45, 16:10, 18:35, 21:00 Allied (15) 20:30 Ballerina (U) 10:00, 12:10, 14:15, 16:20, 18:25 Passengers (12A) 10:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Moana (PG) 11:25, 13:50, 16:15, 18:40, 21:10 Arrival (12A) 11:30, 13:55, 16:20, 18:50, 21:15, 23:50 Office Christmas Party (15) 11:35, 14:00, 16:20, 18:40, 21:00, 23:20 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A) 11:40, 14:30, 15:30, 17:30, 18:20, 20:30, 21:15, 23:15 Bad Santa 2 (15) 11:45, 14:10, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55, 23:00 Ballerina (U) 12:00, 14:20, 16:25, 18:25, 20:30 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 13:10, 15:50, 18:30, 21:15, 22:35 Allied (15) 13:30, 16:00, 18:35, 21:10 Doctor Strange (12A) 13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:05, 23:35 Passengers (12A) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:45 Sully: Miracle on the Hudson (12A) 14:05, 16:15, 18:25, 20:40, 22:55 Trolls (U) 14:10, 16:20, 18:25, 20:35 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Office Christmas Party (15) 11:15, 13:35, 16:05, 18:30, 20:45 Moana (PG) 10:50, 13:35, 16:00, 18:30, 20:55 Passengers (12A) 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A) 10:35, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Ballerina (U) 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 18:30 Allied (15) 18:30, 21:05 Sully (12A) 11:15, 14:00, 16:05, 18:30, 20:45 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 10:45, 14:00, 21:00 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ROGUE ONE ★ ★ ★ ★ THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ★ ★ ★ THE FORCE AWAKENS ★ ★ THE PHANTOM MENACE ★ ATTACK OF THE CLONES FILM By Teodor Reljic ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (12A) ★ ★ ★ ★ A rough diamond in a sea of garish orbs Clockwise from left: Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Jiang Wen, Donnie Yen and Felicity Jones complete the rag-tag bunch that is 'Rogue One' Mood board: While Luna's Cassian Andor (left) and Riley's Jyn Erso struggle to maintain trust, Cassian's trusty droid K-S2O keeps us entertained with sarcastic zingers