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The Art of Star Wars
The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Step inside the Lucasfilm art department and experience the creative genesis of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. A thrilling endeavour for the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One is the first instalment in the Star Wars Story series, a collection of stand-alone tales set in the same beloved universe fans have called home for decades. The plot follows an unlikely band of rebel fighters, led by the intrepid Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who must unite to resist the evil machinations of the evil Galactic Empire. Their mission is a desperate one: prove the existence of the Empire’s new super weapon and steal the plans for this Death Star before it can be used to obliterate all who stand in the Empire’s way. Directed by Gareth Edwards – from a script by Gary White and Chris Weitz – the film also stars Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Jiang Wen, and Donnie Yen.
The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is an invaluable visual chronicle of the Lucasfilm art department’s development of the fantastical sets, otherworldly machinery, and unforgettable characters found in this first Star Wars Story. This book will take you from the earliest gathering of artists and production designers through production, with unprecedented access to the filmmakers’ creative process.
Bursting with exclusive interviews and imagery, fans can revel in hundreds of stunning works of art, including production paintings, concept art and sketches, storyboards, and matte paintings. This rich visual journey is sure to delight Star Wars fans and cineastes for decades to come. The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will stand as a definitive guide to the art behind the newest tale in the Star Wars franchise.
The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is an invaluable visual chronicle of the Lucasfilm art department’s development of the fantastical sets, otherworldly machinery, and unforgettable characters found in this first Star Wars Story. This book will take you from the earliest gathering of artists and production designers through production, with unprecedented access to the filmmakers’ creative process.
Bursting with exclusive interviews and imagery, fans can revel in hundreds of stunning works of art, including production paintings, concept art and sketches, storyboards, and matte paintings. This rich visual journey is sure to delight Star Wars fans and cineastes for decades to come. The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will stand as a definitive guide to the art behind the newest tale in the Star Wars franchise.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published December 16, 2016
18 people are currently reading
476 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
August 31, 2017
Well another Star Wars film and another concept art book and yes I make not apology for it - ever since my brother came home with the coveted first edition artwork books from the first 3 films in the early 90s have I been hook on these books and film concept books in general
The fact that Star Wars are the masters at merchandising really is unfair for these books as they have always been sumptuous books to read -however they have increased the quality now that it seems standard fair for a new film to issue its "art of" book.
And rise to the challenge they have - the book is packed with artwork - both concept and production in such amazing detail the book isa lavish record of how the film was conceived and produced. As always it contains a thousand possibilities you wish they had chosen and its at this point it hits you that even though Star Wars has been going for decades now there appears to be night end in sight of the stories they can tell.
This book is a dream for any Star Wars fan - which I make not apology for and I cannot wait to see what else they add to the collection. If you enjoyed the film you have to read this book.
The fact that Star Wars are the masters at merchandising really is unfair for these books as they have always been sumptuous books to read -however they have increased the quality now that it seems standard fair for a new film to issue its "art of" book.
And rise to the challenge they have - the book is packed with artwork - both concept and production in such amazing detail the book isa lavish record of how the film was conceived and produced. As always it contains a thousand possibilities you wish they had chosen and its at this point it hits you that even though Star Wars has been going for decades now there appears to be night end in sight of the stories they can tell.
This book is a dream for any Star Wars fan - which I make not apology for and I cannot wait to see what else they add to the collection. If you enjoyed the film you have to read this book.
November 30, 2018
For my money, Rogue One is the only decent Star Wars movie outside of Star Wars itself and Return of the Jedi. This was the first film to actually *get* the ideas of Star Wars and distill them into pure gorgeous cinematic storytelling. I was incredibly impressed with not just the Star Warsian look-and-feel of the movie (which both Force Awakens and Last Jedi miss), but also the references to other movies in the same way George Lucas referenced films like Hidden Fortress and The Dam Busters.
All of that starts with the concept art. The task for Rogue One was arguably more difficult than for any of the other recent Star Wars movies, because they’d set themselves the job of dovetailing the end of the movie directly with the beginning of Star Wars. That’s not just “writing yourself into a corner” a la the prequels, but increases the difficulty a thousandfold because it has to literally look like it takes place minutes before the first movie began, which in reality was made nearly 40 years earlier. At the same time, they have to give us cool new things, such as new aliens, new droids and new spaceships, all of which fit seamlessly into the existing language of the universe.
Crazy ambitious.
But they managed it. There are plenty of rumors of the movie’s reshoots and rewrites after the initial cut was completed and, based on the fact that there are numerous shots in the trailer which aren’t in the finished film, it’s easy to believe those stories. But it’s also plainly evident that the bulk of the thing was done, even from the earliest stages. The rewrites made have pushed the film over the edge into greatness, but the original concept was solid.
At one point in this book they mention there are a million ways to take a design, and there are. When we see a movie everything seems almost inevitable, but none of it is. Everything must be designed and chosen and tweaked and created. On that point here are the designs of the new spaceships. They include innumerable sketches of shapes and patterns as they circle the idea they’re looking for, until they settle on one.
First is Cassian’s U-wing, which sort of looks like a combination of an X-wing and Y-wing with scissor/swept wings. The number of iterations before they landed on that is prodigious, and must’ve been frustratingly exhausting. The other is my favorite, the captured Imperial shuttle they use to infiltrate Scarif. In keeping with Star Wars using animals for some vehicle inspiration, it looks a lot like a robot sea turtle. It totally works, far better than the chameleon-inspired walkers of the prequels. Obvious in retrospect, but hard work in reality.
I love the way the movie leans on German expressionism for many of the Imperial scenes, particularly Vader’s castle on Mustafar. Just as Lucas used Triumph of the Will, Gareth Edwards uses The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and similar films, because of their oppressive symbolism. All of which is present in the earliest concept paintings they used to draw inspiration from.
Regardless of how accurately this portrays all the twists and turns of the film’s production, the artwork here is gorgeous and definitely worth perusing.
All of that starts with the concept art. The task for Rogue One was arguably more difficult than for any of the other recent Star Wars movies, because they’d set themselves the job of dovetailing the end of the movie directly with the beginning of Star Wars. That’s not just “writing yourself into a corner” a la the prequels, but increases the difficulty a thousandfold because it has to literally look like it takes place minutes before the first movie began, which in reality was made nearly 40 years earlier. At the same time, they have to give us cool new things, such as new aliens, new droids and new spaceships, all of which fit seamlessly into the existing language of the universe.
Crazy ambitious.
But they managed it. There are plenty of rumors of the movie’s reshoots and rewrites after the initial cut was completed and, based on the fact that there are numerous shots in the trailer which aren’t in the finished film, it’s easy to believe those stories. But it’s also plainly evident that the bulk of the thing was done, even from the earliest stages. The rewrites made have pushed the film over the edge into greatness, but the original concept was solid.
At one point in this book they mention there are a million ways to take a design, and there are. When we see a movie everything seems almost inevitable, but none of it is. Everything must be designed and chosen and tweaked and created. On that point here are the designs of the new spaceships. They include innumerable sketches of shapes and patterns as they circle the idea they’re looking for, until they settle on one.
First is Cassian’s U-wing, which sort of looks like a combination of an X-wing and Y-wing with scissor/swept wings. The number of iterations before they landed on that is prodigious, and must’ve been frustratingly exhausting. The other is my favorite, the captured Imperial shuttle they use to infiltrate Scarif. In keeping with Star Wars using animals for some vehicle inspiration, it looks a lot like a robot sea turtle. It totally works, far better than the chameleon-inspired walkers of the prequels. Obvious in retrospect, but hard work in reality.
I love the way the movie leans on German expressionism for many of the Imperial scenes, particularly Vader’s castle on Mustafar. Just as Lucas used Triumph of the Will, Gareth Edwards uses The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and similar films, because of their oppressive symbolism. All of which is present in the earliest concept paintings they used to draw inspiration from.
Regardless of how accurately this portrays all the twists and turns of the film’s production, the artwork here is gorgeous and definitely worth perusing.
February 22, 2017
4.5 Stars
A great book depicting the art of Star Wars: Rogue One. It looks like they have some artwork that depicts scenes and characters that did not end up in the finished movie. But still pretty cool that they showed what scenes and characters there could have been.
I also loved seeing the concept art for the characters and the scenes that did make it into the film.
Great for any Star Wars fan!
A great book depicting the art of Star Wars: Rogue One. It looks like they have some artwork that depicts scenes and characters that did not end up in the finished movie. But still pretty cool that they showed what scenes and characters there could have been.
I also loved seeing the concept art for the characters and the scenes that did make it into the film.
Great for any Star Wars fan!
January 5, 2017
I read The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year and I don't know why I didn't review it, because goddamn I loved that book. I actually pulled it off the shelf for comparison when Art of Rogue One came in the mail, and fell in love with it all over again. I only have a handful of concept art books (or art books in general, since I don't generally re"read" art books), but Art of Force Awakens is goddamn gorgeous. If you are someone who runs Star Wars RPG campaigns (me), and/or reads and/or writes a lot of scifi (me again), and or just really likes looking at 200 pages of weird aliens and shit (hey there!) Art of Force Awakens is definitely your book. It never gets old, even if the movie it inspired might have already worn a little thin.
Art of Rogue One is, by comparison, pretty laser-focused. If the art team on Force Awakens was tasked with reinventing the entire SW universe in order to pick and choose the spiciest bits, on Rogue One they simply went in and created the most in-depth and lavish storyboard I've ever seen for a very specific story. More than anything, Art of Rogue One suggests a reinvention for how to plan a blockbuster movie.
Indie film director Mike Figgis has talked in interviews about how he writes his scripts on music scoring paper in order to immediately establish their pacing. Somewhat similarly, Art of Rogue One describes how its director Gareth Edwards built each scene around key frames designed to evoke the feeling of static portraits and communicate each scene's mood and tone. This is probably why the finished film feels like the most cinematic (a general term I'm using to emphasize the aesthetic of each scene over the content of each scene) Star Wars entry since The Empire Strikes Back.
Obviously calling anything cinematic implies that I am arguing for some sort of intellectual/artistic superiority of Rogue One over "busier" films like Force Awakens, and perhaps I am. But this isn't a hard and fast judgment -- as a Star Wars fan, I'll pop in Return of the Jedi to groove on two hours of alien muppets over Empire pretty much any day of the week. Similarly, I think Art of Force Awakens has a lot more to offer as a volume of concept art. If the simplest function of concept art is to inspire, then, conversely, I don't think Art of Rogue One does as much in the way of flash-bang-wow! crazy ideas and visuals. However, I do think there's a value in its nuanced discussion of how to use visuals to enhance not only the way a film handles storytelling (a term which seems to mostly get used and prioritized by people who don't actually tell stories), but also how to use visuals in order to enhance a film's emotional and thematic breadth.
I think that Art of Rogue One would almost have worked better as a longform article about combining storyboarding and concept art when making films, instead of labeling itself as a coffee table art book. But it's okay for what it is, and makes a thoughtful companion volume to Art of Force Awakens.
Art of Rogue One is, by comparison, pretty laser-focused. If the art team on Force Awakens was tasked with reinventing the entire SW universe in order to pick and choose the spiciest bits, on Rogue One they simply went in and created the most in-depth and lavish storyboard I've ever seen for a very specific story. More than anything, Art of Rogue One suggests a reinvention for how to plan a blockbuster movie.
Indie film director Mike Figgis has talked in interviews about how he writes his scripts on music scoring paper in order to immediately establish their pacing. Somewhat similarly, Art of Rogue One describes how its director Gareth Edwards built each scene around key frames designed to evoke the feeling of static portraits and communicate each scene's mood and tone. This is probably why the finished film feels like the most cinematic (a general term I'm using to emphasize the aesthetic of each scene over the content of each scene) Star Wars entry since The Empire Strikes Back.
Obviously calling anything cinematic implies that I am arguing for some sort of intellectual/artistic superiority of Rogue One over "busier" films like Force Awakens, and perhaps I am. But this isn't a hard and fast judgment -- as a Star Wars fan, I'll pop in Return of the Jedi to groove on two hours of alien muppets over Empire pretty much any day of the week. Similarly, I think Art of Force Awakens has a lot more to offer as a volume of concept art. If the simplest function of concept art is to inspire, then, conversely, I don't think Art of Rogue One does as much in the way of flash-bang-wow! crazy ideas and visuals. However, I do think there's a value in its nuanced discussion of how to use visuals to enhance not only the way a film handles storytelling (a term which seems to mostly get used and prioritized by people who don't actually tell stories), but also how to use visuals in order to enhance a film's emotional and thematic breadth.
I think that Art of Rogue One would almost have worked better as a longform article about combining storyboarding and concept art when making films, instead of labeling itself as a coffee table art book. But it's okay for what it is, and makes a thoughtful companion volume to Art of Force Awakens.
February 9, 2019
The first thing I ever wanted to be - before wanting to be a book critic or a writer, the only other things I ever wanted to be - was a concept artist. My brothers would always watch the special features of movies, and seeing how artists created the worlds of The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars made me want to create worlds like those, too. This book brought that all back, brought back the excitement and inspiration for creating a story to show a world, and creating a world to tell a story. I loved learning about the process of making one of my favourite films in the Star Wars universe.
February 20, 2017
Following the same format as The Art Of The Force Awakens, this takes the story of Rogue One from the initial concept right up to the start of shooting, featuring commentary from Doug Chiang and Peter Lamont (co-production designers), Matt Allsop (lead concept artist), Gareth Edwards (director) and more. From the original John Knoll pitch (which the film appears to follow in general terms, rather than specific details), the book charts the development of characters, aliens and landscapes, whilst making it clear that everyone worked hard to stay within the Star Wars set universe but to do things themselves at the same time. Ralph McQuarrie, once again, casts a long shadow and it was his initial designs (which was exactly the thought I had when I saw the film) that inspired Vader’s castle on Mustafar and his design prowess can be seen in the films weaponry too. I did like the quote that the whole production embraced, from Edwards, where in terms of design and look the team approached ‘A New Hope’ “how you remember it, not how it was” and that’s clear to see from the imagery. This is a cracking book (I fell in love with it from about page 5 and didn’t want it to end) and it’s has several benefits over the similar Art Of TFA I read this time last year - for a start, Kushins is a better writer than Phil Szostak and doesn’t gush over everyone involved. In the same vein, Doug Chiang and Peter Lamont are much more down-to-earth (none of the pretentious ‘reaching out’ of Rick Carter to annoy me with this one) and their approach to the material is intriguing and exciting. An excellent companion to an excellent film, I would highly recommend this.
January 3, 2017
In the lead-up to Rogue One, I was cautiously optimistic. I loved the trailers (but who can ever tell anything from trailers?), I loved James Luceno's prologue novel, Catalyst, I loved the whole idea of a Star Wars movie that feels and looks different from the others. But I'd been a little disappointed by The Force Awakens, and I don't have a lot of faith in the mega-franchise machine of Disney.
But I loved it! I just absolutely loved seeing it on opening weekend, reveling in a Star Wars movie that felt like it had been specially crafted for fans.
For Christmas, my beautiful wife surprised me with a copy of The Art of Rogue One, knowing my love for Rogue One, Star Wars, and "Art of" books. What a great choice (her choice of gift and my choice of wife)! I now see that one of the reasons I loved the film is that I'm now the same age as many of the people working behind the scenes, and most of them were born and raised on the original trilogy just as I was. There's a lot of shared nostalgia and collective memory, and it really paid off for the movie.
The "Art of" book is a beautiful collection of concept artwork from some of the many artists who had a hand in designing the film. It's almost like a whole new book of previously undiscovered Ralph McQuarrie paintings. As with any "Art of" book, my only complaint is that it's too short--I long to see more, and especially to see connected series of concepts leading from initial ideas to final design. However, it's a great book, and it'll help me see the locations better the next time I watch the movie.
But I loved it! I just absolutely loved seeing it on opening weekend, reveling in a Star Wars movie that felt like it had been specially crafted for fans.
For Christmas, my beautiful wife surprised me with a copy of The Art of Rogue One, knowing my love for Rogue One, Star Wars, and "Art of" books. What a great choice (her choice of gift and my choice of wife)! I now see that one of the reasons I loved the film is that I'm now the same age as many of the people working behind the scenes, and most of them were born and raised on the original trilogy just as I was. There's a lot of shared nostalgia and collective memory, and it really paid off for the movie.
The "Art of" book is a beautiful collection of concept artwork from some of the many artists who had a hand in designing the film. It's almost like a whole new book of previously undiscovered Ralph McQuarrie paintings. As with any "Art of" book, my only complaint is that it's too short--I long to see more, and especially to see connected series of concepts leading from initial ideas to final design. However, it's a great book, and it'll help me see the locations better the next time I watch the movie.
January 4, 2021
Might as well end this crazy year with one last bit of controversy, so I'm just gonna say it: "Rogue One" is the best Star Wars movie, and C-2SO is hands-down the best Star Wars robot. There.
I've always been a fan of "mixed genres" - a detective story set in the Old West, a classic Western set in Middle Earth. And that's just what "Rogue One" is, a "Force 10 From Navarone" WWII-style thriller that just happens to be set in the Star Wars sci fi universe. So combine that with my love of art/design/creativity-in-general (I went to art school and started out - centuries ago - as a graphic designer), and you've got a 5-star winner with The Art of Rogue One.
The best way to appreciate this book - or at least the way I did it - was to borrow the movie at the same time, and then enjoy them in sync: read the first section on Lah'mu and then watch those scenes in the movie, then read the section on Yavin 4, etc...Not only does this provide a deeper visual enjoyment of all the artistic development that went into each section (both all that was ultimately discarded as well as what ended up on screen), but the excellent accompanying text provides a lot of useful background that informs both the story's overall development and the individual "feels" of the various settings and set pieces. Who would have guessed that the look and "vibe" of Jedha was based on the Nazi occupation of Paris, or that the final battle on Scarif was informed by the jungle warfare movies of the Vietnam era? (Oh, and I totally missed the now-blindingly-obvious fact that rebel extremist Saw Gerrara was a play on Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara - duh.)
Overall, this reading/watching experience just doubled the pleasure of what was already a great movie. Understanding why the Deathtroopers were designed this way (and were black instead of white); realizing that the flagship for Admiral Raddus (the fish guy) was actually shark-shaped; understanding that the progression from the overcast black sand beaches of Lah'mu to the blue sky/white sands of Scarif represents Jyn's growing clarity of her role in the grand scheme of things...just cool, cool and cool.
Also, I had totally failed to appreciate the difficulties in writing a story and creating a visual universe that had to lead immediately into the opening of "A New Hope," a movie that was filmed 40 years earlier, (and only now realized that the only appearance of a light saber in this film is in those last two minutes that set up the original trilogy).
Anyway...both a beautifully produced art book and a well-written textbook for anyone interested in movie-making or plain old story-telling. Great way to ring out shitty old 2020 and ring in the hopefully at least somewhat better 2021. A New Hope indeed!
I've always been a fan of "mixed genres" - a detective story set in the Old West, a classic Western set in Middle Earth. And that's just what "Rogue One" is, a "Force 10 From Navarone" WWII-style thriller that just happens to be set in the Star Wars sci fi universe. So combine that with my love of art/design/creativity-in-general (I went to art school and started out - centuries ago - as a graphic designer), and you've got a 5-star winner with The Art of Rogue One.
The best way to appreciate this book - or at least the way I did it - was to borrow the movie at the same time, and then enjoy them in sync: read the first section on Lah'mu and then watch those scenes in the movie, then read the section on Yavin 4, etc...Not only does this provide a deeper visual enjoyment of all the artistic development that went into each section (both all that was ultimately discarded as well as what ended up on screen), but the excellent accompanying text provides a lot of useful background that informs both the story's overall development and the individual "feels" of the various settings and set pieces. Who would have guessed that the look and "vibe" of Jedha was based on the Nazi occupation of Paris, or that the final battle on Scarif was informed by the jungle warfare movies of the Vietnam era? (Oh, and I totally missed the now-blindingly-obvious fact that rebel extremist Saw Gerrara was a play on Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara - duh.)
Overall, this reading/watching experience just doubled the pleasure of what was already a great movie. Understanding why the Deathtroopers were designed this way (and were black instead of white); realizing that the flagship for Admiral Raddus (the fish guy) was actually shark-shaped; understanding that the progression from the overcast black sand beaches of Lah'mu to the blue sky/white sands of Scarif represents Jyn's growing clarity of her role in the grand scheme of things...just cool, cool and cool.
Also, I had totally failed to appreciate the difficulties in writing a story and creating a visual universe that had to lead immediately into the opening of "A New Hope," a movie that was filmed 40 years earlier, (and only now realized that the only appearance of a light saber in this film is in those last two minutes that set up the original trilogy).
Anyway...both a beautifully produced art book and a well-written textbook for anyone interested in movie-making or plain old story-telling. Great way to ring out shitty old 2020 and ring in the hopefully at least somewhat better 2021. A New Hope indeed!
November 24, 2020
This book has some beautiful art and was pretty interesting to get a glimpse of some of the early ideas for the movie. This is the only movie that was good since the franchise was sold to Disney. There aren't too many explanations in any detail, mostly just captions for the artwork.
There isn't much to say beyond on that other than that Saw Gerrera was based on Che Guevara, which completes Lucas' apparent admiration of vicious murderers (the original rebels were sort of like the Viet Cong in his eyes and he repeatedly described the Emperor as being Richard Nixon).
There isn't much to say beyond on that other than that Saw Gerrera was based on Che Guevara, which completes Lucas' apparent admiration of vicious murderers (the original rebels were sort of like the Viet Cong in his eyes and he repeatedly described the Emperor as being Richard Nixon).
February 6, 2017
Art books. Again with the art. This is a large book containing many beautiful paintings of concept art for Rogue One. Aside for a few times where the focal point of an image appeared right between two pages, in the binding, and therefore made the entire image look sort of stupid, I really loved this book.
I tend to only get these “Art of…” books for the occasional Marvel or Star Wars movie. I like those movies, I like the mythology and feel for those worlds, so it stands to reason that I’d like the art books they produce too.
So, yay, I guess. I like the book. I guess if I hated the movie I might not like the book as much. I don’t know.
And while I’m mentioning the movie, I think I have to say that while I liked Rogue One, a lot, more than the previous entry, ‘The Force Awakens,’ which I also liked, it was made all the more sour for me because of the missed opportunities the movie had to be truly, one of my favorite movies of all time.
And I’m tempted to go over the story points one after another and point out each one I had issue with, but I’m assuming the internet has addressed my concerns, and probably made better suggestions than I could have come up with. So, whether it’s the psychic blob creature that reads minds and causes brain damage, except that I’m not sure if does either of those things, or if it’s the pig faced guy and his evil partner with their cameo in Rogue One, possibly becoming the Star Wars equivalents to Forest Gump, who now seem to show up on the periphery of historic moments in the galaxy, more or less by accident.
I mean, the pig nosed guy didn’t really bother me, the psychic blog thing did. But it’s all forgivable. What I was most curious about was the movie’s third act, which appears to have been so massively rewritten and reshot that you can almost piece together an entirely different movie using just the trailers.
I personally, and I guess I’m spoiling the movie here, so beware, if you haven’t seen it, I might annoy you with the spoiler that’s coming.
Like I was saying, I personally feel like the third act was better as I saw in the trailers than it was in the actual theater. The whack-a-mole type of dance to retrieve the data tapes reminded me of that moment in GalaxyQuest when Sigourney Weaver’s character was beside herself in frustration at how needlessly complicated the bowels of the spaceship they were in were. I was hoping for less time spent fiddling with satellite reception and more time trying to escape with the plans. I understand the decision was made for everyone to die, but the ending felt trite to me. No one really has a poignant ending. They were all coming one on top of the other so fast that there was no time to deal with the gravity of the scene before the next person was dead.
If it were me, I think I would have found a way for Jyn to have escaped the planet, and maybe have been the last man standing on the ship where Vader cut down half the Rebellion trying to get the plans back.
Whatever, I can’t be bothered to dramatize the whole thing, you’ll just have to trust me that I’ve worked out a reasonable scenario where Jyn Erso escapes Scariff with the plans and ends up getting cut down by Vader in a moment of high drama. It’s epic, and makes more narrative sense.
And it also gets to keep the scenes I saw in the trailer of her walking down the gantry with the tie fighter rising up, and her running from the AT-ACTs on the beachfront. Seriously, given what I saw, which, again, I liked, I think my version would have been amazing.
And it’s rare that I feel that there are such obviously missed opportunities like there were in this movie. But, you know, if I feel that strongly about it, I may whip up a fan-fic version of my ending at some point. I’ve been working on a super epic Star Trek fan fic which I’m pretty sure will amaze the world with it’s awesome once I get around to dumping it online in another few years.
So, in the end, to conclude, I could have made Rogue One the best movie of the decade, I for sure should be a staff writer on the new Star Trek tv show, and I also liked this art book.
I tend to only get these “Art of…” books for the occasional Marvel or Star Wars movie. I like those movies, I like the mythology and feel for those worlds, so it stands to reason that I’d like the art books they produce too.
So, yay, I guess. I like the book. I guess if I hated the movie I might not like the book as much. I don’t know.
And while I’m mentioning the movie, I think I have to say that while I liked Rogue One, a lot, more than the previous entry, ‘The Force Awakens,’ which I also liked, it was made all the more sour for me because of the missed opportunities the movie had to be truly, one of my favorite movies of all time.
And I’m tempted to go over the story points one after another and point out each one I had issue with, but I’m assuming the internet has addressed my concerns, and probably made better suggestions than I could have come up with. So, whether it’s the psychic blob creature that reads minds and causes brain damage, except that I’m not sure if does either of those things, or if it’s the pig faced guy and his evil partner with their cameo in Rogue One, possibly becoming the Star Wars equivalents to Forest Gump, who now seem to show up on the periphery of historic moments in the galaxy, more or less by accident.
I mean, the pig nosed guy didn’t really bother me, the psychic blog thing did. But it’s all forgivable. What I was most curious about was the movie’s third act, which appears to have been so massively rewritten and reshot that you can almost piece together an entirely different movie using just the trailers.
I personally, and I guess I’m spoiling the movie here, so beware, if you haven’t seen it, I might annoy you with the spoiler that’s coming.
Like I was saying, I personally feel like the third act was better as I saw in the trailers than it was in the actual theater. The whack-a-mole type of dance to retrieve the data tapes reminded me of that moment in GalaxyQuest when Sigourney Weaver’s character was beside herself in frustration at how needlessly complicated the bowels of the spaceship they were in were. I was hoping for less time spent fiddling with satellite reception and more time trying to escape with the plans. I understand the decision was made for everyone to die, but the ending felt trite to me. No one really has a poignant ending. They were all coming one on top of the other so fast that there was no time to deal with the gravity of the scene before the next person was dead.
If it were me, I think I would have found a way for Jyn to have escaped the planet, and maybe have been the last man standing on the ship where Vader cut down half the Rebellion trying to get the plans back.
Whatever, I can’t be bothered to dramatize the whole thing, you’ll just have to trust me that I’ve worked out a reasonable scenario where Jyn Erso escapes Scariff with the plans and ends up getting cut down by Vader in a moment of high drama. It’s epic, and makes more narrative sense.
And it also gets to keep the scenes I saw in the trailer of her walking down the gantry with the tie fighter rising up, and her running from the AT-ACTs on the beachfront. Seriously, given what I saw, which, again, I liked, I think my version would have been amazing.
And it’s rare that I feel that there are such obviously missed opportunities like there were in this movie. But, you know, if I feel that strongly about it, I may whip up a fan-fic version of my ending at some point. I’ve been working on a super epic Star Trek fan fic which I’m pretty sure will amaze the world with it’s awesome once I get around to dumping it online in another few years.
So, in the end, to conclude, I could have made Rogue One the best movie of the decade, I for sure should be a staff writer on the new Star Trek tv show, and I also liked this art book.
January 13, 2021
I absolutely adored Rogue One, it is probably my favourite Star Wars film. So I was incredibly eager to read this to learn more about how the film was made, for film production is incredibly interesting but something I know very little about.
The book moves through each location in the film, starting with Lah'Mu and ending on Scarif, exploring locations, characters and ship designs. It was really interesting to see what the characters started out as and how they developed into the final characters that appeared on screen, for some of them changed quite a bit. There were also comments from the team behind all of the wonderful art and design of the film running throughout the book, shedding light on how and why certain decision were made. It was especially interesting to see that while developing the film, they asked themselves what they would want to see in a Star Wars film as fans of the franchise, which was a fascinating insight into how they worked. They were able to find a balance between homage to previous films and creating something new. And of course, the artwork was absolutely stunning.
Although I really enjoyed this, I would have loved to see more of Cassian and how he evolved as a character, for he was one of my favourites in the film but he did not feature very much in this book. The book also touched on Bor Gullet, which was probably the thing I disliked most about Rogue One, as it seemed a little unnecessary and the book did nothing to convince me of its importance to the plot.
The Art Of Rogue One was overflowing with beautiful artwork and it provided a fascinating insight into the production of the film. Now I am looking forward to reading more art of books in the future.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
The book moves through each location in the film, starting with Lah'Mu and ending on Scarif, exploring locations, characters and ship designs. It was really interesting to see what the characters started out as and how they developed into the final characters that appeared on screen, for some of them changed quite a bit. There were also comments from the team behind all of the wonderful art and design of the film running throughout the book, shedding light on how and why certain decision were made. It was especially interesting to see that while developing the film, they asked themselves what they would want to see in a Star Wars film as fans of the franchise, which was a fascinating insight into how they worked. They were able to find a balance between homage to previous films and creating something new. And of course, the artwork was absolutely stunning.
Although I really enjoyed this, I would have loved to see more of Cassian and how he evolved as a character, for he was one of my favourites in the film but he did not feature very much in this book. The book also touched on Bor Gullet, which was probably the thing I disliked most about Rogue One, as it seemed a little unnecessary and the book did nothing to convince me of its importance to the plot.
The Art Of Rogue One was overflowing with beautiful artwork and it provided a fascinating insight into the production of the film. Now I am looking forward to reading more art of books in the future.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
May 4, 2019
Just stunning.
Rogue One has a very special place in my heart (and mark my words... eventually on my skin) and this just deepens that love I feel for it.
The set up is nice too. This might be the first true "Art of..." book I've read. Or maybe one before, I'm not sure. However, yesterday I started The Art of The Force Awakens after finding it at the library, and it seems to be arranged in chronological order, following the production process. This book on the other hand is divided into locations. So you get the art for Jedha in one chapter (the best I think), Eadu in another, Scarif at the end, etc. And of course that includes character and vehicle sketches tied to that location. Overall it gave a nice feeling and cohesion to the book.
If you thought Rogue One was a visually beautiful movie, I'm sure you'll like this book.
Rogue One has a very special place in my heart (and mark my words... eventually on my skin) and this just deepens that love I feel for it.
The set up is nice too. This might be the first true "Art of..." book I've read. Or maybe one before, I'm not sure. However, yesterday I started The Art of The Force Awakens after finding it at the library, and it seems to be arranged in chronological order, following the production process. This book on the other hand is divided into locations. So you get the art for Jedha in one chapter (the best I think), Eadu in another, Scarif at the end, etc. And of course that includes character and vehicle sketches tied to that location. Overall it gave a nice feeling and cohesion to the book.
If you thought Rogue One was a visually beautiful movie, I'm sure you'll like this book.
April 18, 2020
J'ai adoré Rogue One, et j'ai retrouvé tout ce que je voulais dans ce artbook. Le livre est divisé par planète, ce qui donne les grandes étapes du film donc j'ai trouvé ça plutôt sympa que ce soit structuré de cette façon, ça permet d'avoir un vrai fil conducteur tout au long de l'artbook. Même si c'est un artbook et qu'il n'y a pas énormément de texte au final, j'y ai quand même trouvé beaucoup de réflexions super intéressantes sur les couleurs, les personnalités des personnages et comment les exprimer artistiquement, sur comment certains éléments ont été décidés. Moi qui avais été un peu déçue de Tout l'art du Réveil de la Force, j'y ai trouvé mon compte ici !
November 23, 2020
I have always been fascinated by the art of rogue one and rogue one is actually my ALL TIME favourite movie, I loved seeing the art and reading about the ideas. The art is INCREDIBLE and I really want to read more about rogue one!
October 22, 2020
Todo hermoso el arte de principio a fin. No tiene ni una sola página que desmerezca.
December 4, 2024
Filled with so much stunning concept art!! It's incredibly fascinating to read about the inspiration behind the designs of this film.
March 21, 2017
It took me weeks and weeks to finish this book because I read it piecemeal and digested each and every beautiful piece of art. Thoroughly recommended for Star Wars fans as well as movie and art fans.
February 19, 2017
I love to see art in motion, and the art that creates the Star Wars universe. This book has wonderful drawings, and wonderful creative insight into how Rogue One was made.
February 6, 2017
I've always loved Star Wars, and this book went in depth on the new movie they just made. The pictures and little excerpts were excellent. I learned that they had to draw a million ships in order to get the perfect ship. I knew that it took lots of money time and effort to make something like a Star Wars movie, but I never would've guessed how much time it took just to develop the characters.
I suggest this book to any Star Wars fan who wants to see the making of characters and locations set in the movie.
I suggest this book to any Star Wars fan who wants to see the making of characters and locations set in the movie.
February 2, 2017
Great details on the development of the film with visually stunning art spreads. I really like how they mentioned gender equality throughout the Star Wars universe. That was really interesting to read about. I was also amused at how they wanted to make the AT-AT's in this film 'sexy'.
February 1, 2021
I just love Star Wars so much. I ate up every word and image in this book and I loved seeing the variations of things we saw in the movie, and what might have been. art is awesome and Star Wars is awesome so this one was a no brained.
January 21, 2017
The world of Star Wars has such a plethora of beautiful and different worlds. From lush greens to dusty desert browns to serene (and not so quiet) wintry snows. This book has it all! and more.
January 22, 2017
Great book. It has always been incredible to me to see how much work is put into each single frame of a movie.
July 19, 2019
When Rogue One came out in late 2016, I fell for it so badly that I immediately decided it was my favourite Star Wars movie. A rewatch of Episodes I-VI and the release of The Last Jedi put it somewhat into perspective, but it was still the first Disney-era Star War that I loved, and it remains my second-favourite. Reading The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story helped me to figure out that the design of the film is at least part of the reason why.
Rogue One took us back, for the first time in thirty years, to the Civil War era of the galaxy. While the Prequel and Sequel Trilogies offer very early stages and much later development of concepts from the Original Trilogy, Rogue one was right there, with the Empire and the Rebellion, X-Wings and TIE Fighters and so on - but more! Perhaps key among these is K-2S0, the reprogrammed Imperial security droid, who combines the aesthetic of the Empire with being an actual hero I can root for, but the outfits of Jyn, Cassian, Chirrut, and Baze are all spectacular, too. I did sometimes feel like Rogue One added a little too much to the original look of A New Hope, but in the Art Of I found I had more insight into why that was.
There's also some fascinating insight into the making of Rogue One. It's a Lucasfilm produced book, so it's relentlessly positive, but that's fine; I can add my own snark. For example, on page 63, Kushins writes: "Rogue One would depict a galaxy with a gender balance more reflective of Star Wars's real-world audiences and fans, showcasing a wider population as the beloved property deserves" - this 'gender balance' is precisely one woman, Jyn, in the main cast, . Nevertheless, the discussion turns to the importance of populating the Civil War era galaxy with a more diverse population, something Rogue One does, albeit imperfectly, that I really like.
As with all of the Arts of Star Wars since Revenge of the Sith (that I've read), I find the way these images are created less interesting than the hundreds of character sketches that make up the Arts of the original Trilogy and The Phantom Menace. And yet, there's still plenty in here to love. Indeed, the way the landscapes of planets and moons like Jedha, Mustafar, and Scarif make me want to watch the film again to fully appreciate how they were developed. Rogue One always struck me a quite a busy film; the places visited may have been interesing, but more for the people in them and the action that took place than for their landscape (in contrast to, for example, Naboo, Crait, or Bespin). Overall, this book is a great companion to an imperfect film that I love; and for that, I appreciate it.
Rogue One took us back, for the first time in thirty years, to the Civil War era of the galaxy. While the Prequel and Sequel Trilogies offer very early stages and much later development of concepts from the Original Trilogy, Rogue one was right there, with the Empire and the Rebellion, X-Wings and TIE Fighters and so on - but more! Perhaps key among these is K-2S0, the reprogrammed Imperial security droid, who combines the aesthetic of the Empire with being an actual hero I can root for, but the outfits of Jyn, Cassian, Chirrut, and Baze are all spectacular, too. I did sometimes feel like Rogue One added a little too much to the original look of A New Hope, but in the Art Of I found I had more insight into why that was.
There's also some fascinating insight into the making of Rogue One. It's a Lucasfilm produced book, so it's relentlessly positive, but that's fine; I can add my own snark. For example, on page 63, Kushins writes: "Rogue One would depict a galaxy with a gender balance more reflective of Star Wars's real-world audiences and fans, showcasing a wider population as the beloved property deserves" - this 'gender balance' is precisely one woman, Jyn, in the main cast, . Nevertheless, the discussion turns to the importance of populating the Civil War era galaxy with a more diverse population, something Rogue One does, albeit imperfectly, that I really like.
As with all of the Arts of Star Wars since Revenge of the Sith (that I've read), I find the way these images are created less interesting than the hundreds of character sketches that make up the Arts of the original Trilogy and The Phantom Menace. And yet, there's still plenty in here to love. Indeed, the way the landscapes of planets and moons like Jedha, Mustafar, and Scarif make me want to watch the film again to fully appreciate how they were developed. Rogue One always struck me a quite a busy film; the places visited may have been interesing, but more for the people in them and the action that took place than for their landscape (in contrast to, for example, Naboo, Crait, or Bespin). Overall, this book is a great companion to an imperfect film that I love; and for that, I appreciate it.
January 23, 2020
A collection of concept art from Rogue One, featuring buildings, vehicles, characters, creatures, droids, and planets. There are brief explanations and behind-the-scenes details on the artistic side of the movie-making process.
This book had less about the story than The Art of Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones; I wish it had more of that.
I really liked several of the full-page or 2-page illustrations, as well as many of the smaller ones.
Notes
For The Empire Strikes Back, Ralph McQuarrie imagined a nightmare castle for Vader. The lava hellscape was later included in Revenge of the Sith.
This book had less about the story than The Art of Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones; I wish it had more of that.
I really liked several of the full-page or 2-page illustrations, as well as many of the smaller ones.
Notes
For The Empire Strikes Back, Ralph McQuarrie imagined a nightmare castle for Vader. The lava hellscape was later included in Revenge of the Sith.
… what [Vader is] looking at through his window is the location where his duel with Obi-Wan took place. The fact that he'd chosen to build his living mausoleum here is a nod to the conflict in him—that he would go back to this place to reflect on what happened to the man he once was.
The driving mantra for the film—not just in the art departments, but across all areas of production—became 'how you remember it, not how it was,' promoting the notion that remaining true to the feeling of the original movies did not necessarily require draconian fidelity to visual details four decades dated. It was a tricky balance between nostalgia and innovation, guided by emotional memory as much as rigorous research."If we copied that [A New Hope's] style, I think it would feel out of place in today's cinema—a little bit slow and a little bit too classical."
March 14, 2017
Abrams continues their line of “Art of” books with The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The book is very similar to The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in both size and layout design. With a large swath of imagery with varying styles, it presents a look at the concept art for the film, the characters, the locations and the ships. Along with the imagery is behind the scenes snippets with quotes from the creators revealing the creation process and some of the stories behind the images. While this book won’t reveal all of Rogue One‘s secrets, it does shed some light on how the story came about and how it changed from John Knoll’s original pitch to what we finally saw on the screen.
For book fans who already have The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on their shelves, you’ll be happy to know that The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will sit nicely side-by-side as it’s the same size and format. Looking at the stats, both books are hardcovers with 256 pages, however there is a difference in regards to content. After reading through The Art of Rogue One, I couldn’t help but feel The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was better somehow. Part of that could be the difference in illustrations. The Art of Rogue One has 300 illustrations whereas The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens had twice as many with 600 illustrations. There’s also a difference in the written content included in this book. While there is a sneak peak at the creation process and some of the behind the scenes work, it’s not as much as what we got in The Force Awakens book. There is a difference in authors between the two as this one is written by Josh Kushins and the previous one was done by Phil Szostak. Comparing the two, The Force Awakens book is the better of the pair.
That said, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is still a good book with some neat content. There’s some gorgeous concept art as well as some eye opening images at what could have been. There are forewords by Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont, Gareth Edwards, and throughout the book there are quotes from the creators and concept artists who worked on the film such as Doug Chiang, Gareth Edwards, Neil Scanlan and Kathleen Kennedy. It provides some insight into the aesthetic direction of the film as well as how the story started and changed. There’s a very intriguing summary of John Knoll’s initial story idea which was very different from the final film. However the content is in no way a thorough look at the behind the scenes development of the film. Instead, it’s a tantalizing glimpse.
The book is a quick read as I was able to finish it in just two evenings. While it’s not the best art of book, it’s still fairly nice with some good content. I give it a four out of five.
For book fans who already have The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on their shelves, you’ll be happy to know that The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will sit nicely side-by-side as it’s the same size and format. Looking at the stats, both books are hardcovers with 256 pages, however there is a difference in regards to content. After reading through The Art of Rogue One, I couldn’t help but feel The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was better somehow. Part of that could be the difference in illustrations. The Art of Rogue One has 300 illustrations whereas The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens had twice as many with 600 illustrations. There’s also a difference in the written content included in this book. While there is a sneak peak at the creation process and some of the behind the scenes work, it’s not as much as what we got in The Force Awakens book. There is a difference in authors between the two as this one is written by Josh Kushins and the previous one was done by Phil Szostak. Comparing the two, The Force Awakens book is the better of the pair.
That said, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is still a good book with some neat content. There’s some gorgeous concept art as well as some eye opening images at what could have been. There are forewords by Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont, Gareth Edwards, and throughout the book there are quotes from the creators and concept artists who worked on the film such as Doug Chiang, Gareth Edwards, Neil Scanlan and Kathleen Kennedy. It provides some insight into the aesthetic direction of the film as well as how the story started and changed. There’s a very intriguing summary of John Knoll’s initial story idea which was very different from the final film. However the content is in no way a thorough look at the behind the scenes development of the film. Instead, it’s a tantalizing glimpse.
The book is a quick read as I was able to finish it in just two evenings. While it’s not the best art of book, it’s still fairly nice with some good content. I give it a four out of five.
June 27, 2020
While it probably seems as though these reviews are largely "cut and paste" from one to the next, in truth, all of the recent "Art of ... " books for the latest "Star Wars" films are generally similar in tone, approach, and format. This is not a criticism - the balance of imagery and light commentary on the influences and inspiration behind the design of each film has worked very well. The selection of imagery, here, is attractive, well laid out, and easy to appreciate.
If you have enjoyed art books before and since, this one is absolutely up to the high standards that have been previously set. Even though the film is very much tied to the design style of the original "Star Wars", there was a great deal of "new" content developed here, and that it still feels as much a "piece" to the Lucas trilogy as it does, is another testament to the skill involved with the technical crew at Lucasfilm.
If you have enjoyed art books before and since, this one is absolutely up to the high standards that have been previously set. Even though the film is very much tied to the design style of the original "Star Wars", there was a great deal of "new" content developed here, and that it still feels as much a "piece" to the Lucas trilogy as it does, is another testament to the skill involved with the technical crew at Lucasfilm.
October 17, 2020
The Art of Star Wars books have always been interesting to me. Its so fun to see a concept for a movie you love go through transformations, and changes, to become what ends up on screen.
The chapters in this book corresponded to places in the film, Scarif, Mustafar, Yavin IV and others. Each location showed concept art for the people, places, ships, and the planets themselves. Scarif was one of my favorites, seeing how the idea for the Imperial base, and the planetary shield evolved.
In addition to the art, the text really brought to life what the creators of this movie wanted to accomplish, both visually, and with the plot. One of the passages that really stood out discussed how this movie had no Jedi. That powerful symbol of peace and hope was gone. This movie was about average people trying to better their lives, and others lives.
An in depth, enlightening look at Rogue One.
The chapters in this book corresponded to places in the film, Scarif, Mustafar, Yavin IV and others. Each location showed concept art for the people, places, ships, and the planets themselves. Scarif was one of my favorites, seeing how the idea for the Imperial base, and the planetary shield evolved.
In addition to the art, the text really brought to life what the creators of this movie wanted to accomplish, both visually, and with the plot. One of the passages that really stood out discussed how this movie had no Jedi. That powerful symbol of peace and hope was gone. This movie was about average people trying to better their lives, and others lives.
An in depth, enlightening look at Rogue One.
February 12, 2017
Excellent book! Back in the day (meaning the late 70s, early 80s) The Art of Star Wars launched a whole new genre of book that explored the sketches, designs, and concepts that go into filmmaking. And I'm happy to say The Art of Rogue One continues that tradition with a compelling collection that reveals all kinds of great artwork, much of which would look awesome framed and up on the wall.
There are awesome stories and explanations of why certain designs were chosen, and why others were abandoned. Beautifully presented artwork. It gave me a real appreciation for all the talented n' skilled folks who are contributing to the world of Star Wars these days.
Every time I turned the page, I was like "aw hell yeah, wish I could draw like that!"
December 19, 2017
It’s a wonderful book for fans of Star Wars: Rogue One, and fans of the Star Wars universe in general. I greatly enjoyed reading about how the concept art and the writing of the story narrative and character arcs were so intertwined, where the art really drove the narrative. It is an immersive read and probably will take a few more read through to fully understand and find all the little secrets hidden within the words, but in that, it is just like watching the movies itself.
My only gripe is the lack of information on Cassian. For a movie that is so character driven, there is not enough of the character development art for me to be extremely satisfied. I am still happy nonetheless to learn about the creative process.
My only gripe is the lack of information on Cassian. For a movie that is so character driven, there is not enough of the character development art for me to be extremely satisfied. I am still happy nonetheless to learn about the creative process.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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