Being a movie fanatic, Star Wars is a touchy subject for myself to discuss. My favorite genre of a film is definitely science fiction, but that does not mean that I value the Star Wars films to be the most spectacular movies of their kind. Not being biased toward the Star Wars series, just a guy who has a passion for cinema, I do enjoy the movies for what they are. Judge me, but growing up with the second trilogy, (the first three episodes), I enjoy them. I do favor the original trilogy more so because you just cannot beat their style, period. However, this film review does not interact with either trilogy or "Episode VII". In 2012, Disney acquired LucasFilm for 4.1 billion. Almost immediately, Disney announced that they would be continuing the series with a sequel trilogy. A year later, the studio released a statement addressing the "Star Wars Anthology" series, saying that the first film in this series would fit in between "Episode 3" and "Episode 4". This particular movie is "Rogue One". Without comparing this stand alone movie to the other Star Wars films, I am convinced it holds its own.
"Rogue One" is the story about a girl being recruited by the rebel forces to assist in destroying the Empire's new superweapon. The main character is played by Felicity Jones. I remember reading about the casting of Ms. Jones, and pondering how well she would play this type of role. Of all the characters I have seen her play, they have never been as action driven as Jyn Erso. There were some other big names in the movie, but no one that played a major character. One thing I will say about all Star Wars films, they do a very good job with casting small actors and adapting them to become a talented worker.
R1 is different from the other seven films for a reason. Yes its a stand alone, but it truly shows that it deserves to be in the franchise. The filmmakers did a great job with making the audience fall in love with the characters and becoming invested in their trials. The first act of R1 is a slow lift-off, but as the second act begins to kick in, the action starts to pick up. That is a lot of the reason I thoroughly enjoyed R1, the story. It reminded me of the original trilogy in the sense of not a ton of action, but an energy filled story with an explosive finale. Another aspect I really liked was the score. Composed by Michael Giacchino, the music was the same style John Williams brought to the episodes, but it also had its own flare of tenacity that stays in your ears.
Going into the "Rogue One" many people told me that it was average, but I went it with a blank mindset. The key to watching R1 will also be the same to future Star Wars movies. Do not compare what is out currently to any previous film and there will not be any problems. For "Rogue One", the story was compelling, the score was outstanding, and the effects were beautiful. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Overall, I give "Rogue One" a 9 out of 10.
