We’re doomed! Star Wars creator George Lucas has apparently given Rogue One his enthusiastic approval, but is that a good thing? And what does it mean for the plot and tone of the movie?
“I don’t want to put words into [George Lucas’s] mouth but I can honestly say I can die happy now,” director Gareth Edwards said — according to the Sunday Morning Herald — and added: “He really liked the movie.”
George Lucas telling Gareth Edwards he approves of Rogue One could simply be a perfunctory and professional gesture. But, if read as genuine, what does Lucas’s praise mean? Star Wars fans the world over have an uneasy relationship with George Lucas’s vision. True, without him, none of this would exist, but even those who like the infamous prequel trilogy would admit Lucas’s tonal departure from his own material was downright bizarre. So, if Lucas loves Rogue One is he loving it because the movie is in-line with his vision or something else? Notably, last year Lucas gave The Force Awakens what can only be described as back-handed compliments.
A cameo from Jar Jar Binks is probably out of the question in Rogue One, so locating what George Lucas liked about the film is probably impossible right now. The easy money is on the idea that Rogue One connects to the roots of Star Wars by being about … war itself. During early rough cuts of the original 1977 film, George Lucas substituted WWII dogfighting movie footage in place of the special effects. In some ways, Rogue One looks like it’s bringing that specific atheistic back to Star Wars. Meaning, George Lucas is probably seeing more of Platoon in Rogue One and less of The Phantom Menace.
Rogue One opens on December 16.
