Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a film worth seeing not once, but at least twice, joke notwithstanding. There’s a lot to take in, and the beginning is a touch rushed to introduce everyone that’s important and relevant to the plot at hand. Technical criticisms simply boil down to the fact director Gareth Edwards and cinematographer Greig Fraser were not depending on too much heavy technical special effects wizardry to make their tale come alive.
This movie has a lot of expectations, especially when nearly everyone is aware it will lead into the movie that started a massive franchise.
December 18th is the day on the Calendar Year of 2015, Anno Domini for one of this galaxy’s greatest galactic battles to return. With the next chapter of Star Wars now set, the thrills are going to be great for some, but for others, its going to be a mad rush to get this done in time, and hopefully without some hiccups along the way. Budget movies can be done in under a year, but for Star Wars, is the three year development cycle going to be enough?
Filming is scheduled to begin Spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios, and casting calls are already out looking for new hopefuls to fill in some really big shoes. At least the people involved — J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Lost, Star Trek), Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire Strikes Back) and John Williams (with a resume too huge to list) — should get it right. The world will be according to what J.J. Abrams and Kasdan are wanting, instead of what Michael Arndt is intending. In a report by Slashfilm, “The script Michael Arndt was writing (likely based on George Lucas‘ original outline) is no longer in play.”
Whatever the plot will be, fans will no doubt flock to whatever is presented up. At least this time, Star Wars will not look like a tribute to lens flare-ology — one of J.J. Abrams trademark styles, which is thankfully being retired. Mercifully, the galaxy is not looking too bright; just like the film, it should be tailored to look just right.
Like any film, television series or Broadway production, props don’t work the way actors expect them to. And actors don’t always work either. Like all human beings they make mistakes. Actors can slip, trip, stumble or occasionally flub their lines. The difference between being an actor on George Lucas’ original Star Wars or being a star on the stage is the star on stage is under more pressure not to screw-up.
Where a production company might share some gaffes and giggles, with LucasFilm there was silence…until now. Editor and author J. W. Rinzler was trawling through the Lucas archives, looking for material for his making of books on the original three Star Wars films, when what was caught in his net was a Star Wars blooper reel, it was too big to throw back. And like any normal fisherman he had to show off his monster of a catch. This catch though, he displayed at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con.
Rinzler’s find is now available on YouTube but it wasn’t made available by Rinzler himself. And readers take note, there is no sound until 49 seconds into the reel. According to fans, this is the way the reel was shown at Comic-Con.
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)