Rebellions are built on hope.
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" has hit movie theaters this month, and is the first side story of the new canon that Disney is creating. Just in case you aren’t familiar with the term ‘canon,’ it refers to the universe in which we are dealing with. When Disney bought the rights to "Star Wars," they decided that any side story would be erased and written off as myths to the legend -- leaving us with the only truth in the universe being the two trilogies, "Episode VII," the animated series "Star Wars Rebels" and "The Clone Wars," and now "Rogue One." I recently went and saw "Rogue One" because I was simply curious of how the universe could be expanded (sadly, I saw it the night before Carrie Fisher had passed away -- R.I.P.) and I had some very mixed feelings about the movie. I will try to not expose any spoilers in my review, but some plot lines may be exposed to get the point across.
The story is told between the fall of the Jedi in "Episode III," and the movie ends with the Rebellion obtaining the Stolen Death Star plans, thus starting "Episode IV." The story follows Jyn Erso, a nomad that is not aligned with either the empire or the rebellion at first, but starts to realize that her father is actually building the Death Star against his will for the empire. She then tries to reestablish a relationship with a man who used to raise her after she was separated from her parents. Jyn then realizes that the Rebellion, while not always in agreement with one another, is the best option to end the tyranny that forced her father into slavery. Against the rebellions will they sneak into an imperial base and retrieve the data layout of the Death Star, only after finding out that her father rigged the Death Star to be blown up (as we find out in "Episode IV").
The movie itself was an amazing spectacle. Great characters and a very nicely paced film, but the nagging notion I had in the back of my head was, “I just paid 10 bucks because George Lucas didn’t fill in his plot hole.” But I still ate it up because I am a shameless devotee to things that interest me.
Overall, I would highly recommend going to see "Rogue One" because of its sheer lore for those who have a sad devotion to the ancient religion that is "Star Wars." It has everything you need to make a quality film: tense action, witty comic relief, and solace that the plot hole of the exhaust shaft in the Death Star was designed on purpose. Even though this may not be a full-force "Star Wars" film, I have embraced the fact that a two-hour, big budget film is a cool way to expand a universe. I hope that there is more to come for the "Star Wars" fan base, and I am already excited to revel in "Episode VIII," which comes out in less than a year!
