There are reasons I decided to do this challenge and it was to see epic films and there was an ultimate goal that I wanted to achieve besides hitting number 366. That goal was to be at this very point where I am reviewing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for today’s film. The film takes place some twenty somewhat odd years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III. The Imperial Empire has taken over the galaxy with Emperor Palpatine firm in control. The Rebel Alliance with their backs against the wall discover that an Imperial pilot has defected from the empire with information on a weapon that the empire is creating from the lead engineer himself in Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen). After learning this herself, Galen’s daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones) will risk it all along with a group of rebels to retrieve the info to help the Rebel Alliance. The film also stars Diego Luna (Milk) as Cassian Andor, Alan Tudyk (Zootopia) as K-2SO, Donnie Yen (IP Man) as Chirrut Îmwe, Wen Jiang (Chinese Zodiac) as Baze Malbus, Ben Mendelsohn (Australia) as Orson Krennic, Forest Whitaker (Arrival) as Saw Gerrera, Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler) as Bodhi Rook, Genevieve O’Reilly (Glitch) as Mon Mothma, James Earl Jones (Star Wars: A New Hope) as Darth Vader, and the film was directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla).
Spoiler Alert: There is going to be some information leaked in this paragraph that could give away some details or all the details in the film. So either proceed with caution or do not read any further, but you were warned. First off, I am going to star this by saying that I really and truly enjoyed the film from beginning to end. I thought it was a great stand alone film that was made to explain some details leading up to episode IV that many of you may have wondered about. Now was it better than Star Wars: A Force Awakens? While it may be a valid question, I find it a little unfair because they are two different films. I loved a lot of the individual performances in this film from people like Donnie Yen who was funny and awesome all at once. Felicity Jones was terrific in the film as Jyn and while Diego Luna may not be Han Solo, he was still very cool as well. This film had Darth Vader and even though his appearance was brief, it gives this an edge over F.A. I have to admit that his entrance was pretty bad ass. This film may have had too many quick hard cuts during a lot of the scenes which would be my only criticism. The story was great and the acting was great and it injected humor right in the perfect spots. The battle scenes were pretty amazing as well and it reminded you why you loved Star Wars. I did think it was very awesome to see the late Peter Cushing in the film once again even though he is not listed because it was a CGI version of him. Wait till you get to the end for the surprise visit that comes then. I think there is very little to criticize about the film, but I’m sure others will find the flaws. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.
Shark Week has finally come to an end or at least on my blog it has come to an indefinite end. So, for the last day, I wanted to once again check out a film that I hadn’t seen and so I chose the Australian film Bait for today’s film. Everything seems to be going as usual in a coastal Australian supermarket, but in reality it’s far from the truth. During a hold up in the supermarket, something terrible in the form of a tsunami is about to hit the coast and it floods the supermarket trapping everyone inside. That however isn’t the only problem that these people are about to face today. They are apparently trapped in the store with great white sharks and now they’ll have to fight for their lives if they want to live to see another day. The film stars Richard Brancatisano (Power Rangers Mystic Force) as Rory, Xavier Samuel (The Loved Ones) as Josh, Sharni Vinson (You’re Next) as Tina, Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four) as Doyle, Phoebe Tonkin (The Originals) as Jamie, Alice Parkinson (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Naomi, Daniel Wyllie (Chopper) as Kirby, Damien Garvey (Daybreakers) as Collins, and the film was directed by Kimble Rendall (Cut).
You are probably going to surprised by what I’m about to say when it comes to the film, but it’s how I felt. I thought that this was actually a very good film despite a little confusion in the beginning, but after that it was smooth sailing for the most part. The story was actually a very well structured and the acting was superb from almost everyone. I was very surprised to see the better Victor Doom (McMahon) in the film who plays a robber with a conscious who realizes that he has done wrong, but he had a good reason for it. The film had plenty of suspense with the sharks (yes plural), but don’t mistake it for scary. The film wasn’t scary per say, but it had its moments. Usually these films prey on your fear of shaark attacks since we all pretty much are afraid of these gigantic beasts. The only thing that was typical and predictable to see was the love story aspect. You know the kind, guy was in love with girl, something tragic happens, they don’t see each other for years, she moves on, and they run into each other again. Running into each other strikes up the emotions again and they end up failing in love again. That was the only part that was so predictable about the film, but you have to expect it because it’s a good subplot. Alright with all of that being said, I am going to give the film an B-/C+ for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 