There are times when every movie reviewer feels out of their depth.
For me, it’s when I’m watching the latest science fiction film, as was the case when I attended a screening of ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.
I’m not opposed in principle to sci-fi. Indeed I remember fondly in 1977 lining up for the midnight opening showing of the first Star Wars movie at the Capitol 6 on Granville Street and being excited as the adventure rolled out across the screen.
However, I must confess that after having dutifully seen every one of the films in the franchise, as well as a host of similar ones, I find myself more confused than entertained by what unfolds.
This was certainly the case for the opening 20 minutes of ROGUE ONE, where the action leaped from one planet to another, none of it explained, while a number of events took place, all of which seemed to warrant far more information than provided to really understand what was going on.
True, as the film continued the general outline of the central conflict became reasonably easy to follow, although even here I was still unsure of what was really happening.
I was able to grasp that the evil Empire had developed a weapon to destroy the planet on which the Rebels were gathered, led by a Queen and involving several beings, some of whom reminded me of the denizens of the famous bar scene in the 1977 release.
However, there were other characters whose significance I didn’t get, such as a robot which seemed to be friendly to the young heroine, although was apparently acting against someone’s orders. Whose, I had no idea, but I was able to follow the plot as the heroine set out to obtain the plans for the Death Star so it could be disabled.
Various complications eventually and inevitably led to a massive battle involving various groups of rebels. And here, once again, I was plunged into confusion as the heroine, assisted by a few noble companions, went about the task of stealing the Death Star plans while a space battle took place around the Imperial headquarters
At this point I resigned myself to a multitude of special effects, innumerable explosions and a staggering death toll until, as one could be confident all along, virtue triumphed. Though even here I remained puzzled as familiar figures from the past, including Darth Vader and Princess Leia, made totally unexplained appearances.
I can only conclude that I must be in a small minority as, at the end, the audience burst into prolonged applause. Clearly they had had a totally different experience than I.
At the risk of horrifying fans of such films, I must admit that I do get hopelessly puzzled by the ongoing succession of such entertainments, so that I cannot remember the difference between STAR WARS and STAR TREK and even The AVENGERS.
They simply become a blur of images and a rotation of characters, almost all of which are either good or bad – no shades of gray permitted.
They all seem to take place on planets which (despite an oasis in the latest film) have barren landscapes with rare signs of vegetation; this is presumably OK as none of the characters ever have to stop to eat – or sleep for that matter.
They all speak English, even the oddest looking of aliens. After all, the few times when subtitles appear are rather annoying. And, of course, at the explosive end, the good guys triumph, the universe is saved from annihilation, and everyone is safe until the next film is released.
In a sense, I don’t mind that at times I am confused when watching such films; at least it manages to engage me while I am trying to sort things out. Perhaps, too, I am entirely missing the point. Others may be equally confused, but as long as there are lots of impressive special effects, lots of explosions, innumerable deaths, and the good guys win, that is all that one should be looking for.
To demand that there should be clarity of narration, especially in a film such as ROGUE ONE which has been widely advertised as a “stand-alone” film, is perhaps to ask for more than the average fan expects.
Or perhaps one has to be an average fan, truly dedicated to the genre, and therefore conversant with all the planetary sites and completely familiar with the names and identities of all the characters in order to appreciate any of these films.
In any case, I do not seem to have acquired the necessary knowledge, so I remain in a state of confusion, with the result that I left the theatre without applauding what I had just sat through.
