Star Wars: Rogue One was released in theaters December 16, 2016. Personally, because of school and work I didn't get to see it until a few weeks after it came out.
While The Force Awakens continued the story as Episode Seven of the movie series, it didn't quite fulfill that classic Star Wars feeling while watching Episodes Four, Five, and Six made in the 1970s. Surprisingly, Rogue One, which takes place in between Episodes Three and Four, gives more of that nostalgic feeling. My one big complaint or critique: there is no scrolling yellow words placed on the backdrop of the stars telling the audience just where we're at.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
Because I'm writing this from memory and it's been a couple weeks, all of the locations and details may not be included.
The movie opens with the Ersos family (father, mother, daughter) in a pan scan scene reminiscent to the showing of Luke Skywalker's home in Episode Four. True to Star Wars story lines, the mother is killed trying to protect her daughter, Jyn (Felicity Jones), and her husband, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), from being taken to work for Galactic Republic/Empire. Galen is taken, and Jyn manages to escape. It then flashes forward to approximately ten years later, and the audience is introduced to Jyn as a young woman who is incarcerated for petty crimes.
When the Rebellion, notably Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), hears from a rogue Republic pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) rumored to be sent by Galen to deliver the message that the Death Star is nearly completed, but it can be destroyed.
The Rebellion frees Jyn from jail and promises her freedom if she will use her name and contacts to locate her father, who as a research analyst and scientist, has been instrumental in the construction of the Death Star. Of course, along the way, Jyn builds a relationship with Cassian and his lovable droid sidekick K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) who provides the comic relief throughout the 133 minutes of the movie.
The entire story provides an amazing background on how the Rebellion would later destroy the Death Star. The glitch that can cause a cascade of explosions to the Death Star entirely destroying its structure was intentionally designed by Galen. He sent Bodhi with this message and the hope that his daughter, Jyn, is still alive and has a great deal of fight in her in order to destroy his work. Jyn and Cassian, with the vital help of K-2SO, obtain (AKA steal) the blueprints of the Death Star and send them to Rebel headquarters via satellite. Huge spoiler, everyone dies...like EVERYONE.
While I continue to stand by my opinion that this movie is amazing, and again, feels more like the classic first three Star Wars made (IV-VI), I was not emotionally prepared for the story line itself. The villain being classic Darth Vader rather than emo Kylo Ren was a big attribute, as well as the digital recreation of Tarkan and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia when she was younger. On that note, the CGI was very well done. One of my friends who didn't know much about Star Wars, didn't even realize Tarkan was digital rather than an actor. I've recommended it to any Star Wars fan who loves the nostalgic feeling of watching this amazing story created by George Lucas, and I will continue to do so. Even those who haven't seen all of the previously made stories can enjoy this amazing movie. If you haven't seen it, you definitely should.
