It is an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. In less than two weeks, Disney and Lucasfilm will be releasing "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." The movie is the franchise's first "anthology film" — a stand-alone story within the Star Wars universe.
Back in 2005 when “Revenge of the Sith” was first released, we all figured the doors were closed for good on Star Wars. Then in 2012 those doors flew wide open when Disney bought out Lucasfilm with the intention of making brand new films. Some were skeptical at first, but when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was released in 2015 any doubt that Disney would ruin our beloved galaxy far, far away was quashed.
“The Force Awakens” was an enormously big hit, and it would seem that there's plenty more where that came from.
“Rogue One” is set directly before “Episode IV: A New Hope” (1977), and centers on a group of rebels intent on stealing the schematics to the Empire's new weapon: the Death Star. As far as plot goes, that's about all we know... and that's all we should want to know (more on that in a bit).
The film looks to have an impressive cast. Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, a newcomer to the Rebel Alliance. Jones has had basically modest roles up to this point, and it looks like she's poised to really show off her acting chops as Jyn. Diego Luna plays Cassian Andor, a Rebel Alliance intelligence officer. Ben Mendelsohn plays Orson Krennic, who would seem to be the film's main antagonist. You may remember seeing Mendelsohn in “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” Other notable actors are Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker. The film seems to have elements of a war film and a heist film, which make it unique for this series. There are some cool things to look forward to in this film.
Firstly, everyone is really excited that Darth Vader will play a role in this film (though we're not sure how big). What's even cooler than that? The fact that veteran actor James Earl Jones is returning to reprise his part of doing Vader's iconic voice! There is no other actor alive that could do Vader's voice justice. Vader isn't the only established character who is returning. Jimmy Smits and Genevieve O'Reilly are returning to their roles from “Episode III” as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, respectively (though O'Reilly's part was ultimately cut from that film, several scenes of her performance can be viewed in the deleted scenes on the home video release). The trailer for “Rogue One” (which you can see below) looks like it's going to be quite a thrill-ride. The trailer boasts a lot of action, both in space and on the ground. There are new locations that look really cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing the original and the prequel trilogies tied more closely together.
I strongly urge anyone intending to see “Rogue One” in theaters not to read too much about it online. As a self-proclaimed “uber-geek,” I subscribe to a lot of geek related news pages on Facebook and Twitter. Many of these news pages offer little insights and revelations into “Rogue One.” While this can be tempting, it should be avoided. I know many people who made that mistake with “The Force Awakens.” They wanted to know all they could and when it came time to see the film it wasn't nearly as exciting as it should have been because they were foretold of too many details.
Don't do this to yourself.
As a Star Wars fan, even a fan of film in general, the best thing about seeing a movie is the experience of seeing it for the first time, not knowing what's going to happen. I often wish I could forget I'd seen certain movies so I could watch them again for the first time. (Perhaps there's a reason to look forward to senility in old age. I'm sure my Blu-ray collection will be quite expansive by that point too.)
To be honest, about half of the information out there isn't accurate anyway. A lot of it is just speculation. Instead of reading all you can about “Rogue One,” re-watch episodes two, three and four in the Star Wars series to refresh yourself on the events that will be crucial to the new movie. Heck, if you're really hardcore re-watch ALL the movies! Try to pick up on everything you can regarding the Death Star and the beginnings of both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. You'll see little nods to all the films, I'm sure. And once you've finally seen “Rogue One,” don't ruin it for others! I know it's exciting to talk about, but some people won't be able to see it right away. Be patient, young Jedi.
“Rogue One” lands in theaters on December 16. Go see it! Try not! Watch or watch not! There is no try!
