On April 7, 2015, the first trailer for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" debuted. The movie, set to hit theaters in December, stars Felicity Jones as Gyn Erso, a rebellious fighter recruited to steal plans to the Death Star. The movie takes place between Episode III and Episode IV and basically serves to tide Star Wars fans over until the much-anticipated Episode VIII comes out in 2017. And don't get me wrong, the trailer for "Rogue One" is exciting (what about those AT-ATs?!), but still I can't help but feel extremely nervous for this film.
Many of you are probably thinking, "Weren't you more nervous for 'The Force Awakens?'" But no. I really wasn't. For one thing, "The Force Awakens" had a projected budget of $200 million, proving that Disney and Lucas Films were willing to put every single penny into this movie to make it good. Although a budget for "Rogue One" hasn't been publicly released yet, one can guess that Disney and Lucas Films were a bit stingier with their money when it came to this movie. That's because it's only a stand alone, and its main purpose is basically to keep fans entertained until Episode VIII. If less money was put into this film, should I expect it to stand up against "The Force Awakens?"
Another thing that scares me is the casting. Felicity Jones carries this film as Erso, and I'm sure she'll do a great job, but I'm afraid she may be a bit too famous. Star Wars is known for casting unknowns in its lead roles; that's why we were blessed with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. The movie franchise does this so that viewers aren't distracted by the actors. Just think how different it would have been to see a celebrity like Jennifer Lawrence as Rey! Audiences wouldn't have gotten lost in the story as much because they would have only seen J-Law in a Star Wars movie. Now, Felicity Jones doesn't have a huge background of major-grossing films. However, she garnered an Oscar nomination for her role in "The Theory of Everything" in 2014. Because of this movie's success, people basically saw her everything for all of that year. I'll probably just have to hold on to the fact that Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver delivered captivating performances in "The Force Awakens" despite their previous popularity.
"Rogue One" doesn't strike me as nostalgic as "The Force Awakens" either. For one thing, it doesn't have the beloved original trio in it: Luke, Leia and Han. Their inclusion in "The Force Awakens" was part of the reason why the movie is so spectacular. So how is "Rogue One" going to make audiences feel three years old again? There are some inklings of its attempts in the trailer. For example, actor Genevieve O'Reilly plays Mon Mathma, a character introduced in "Return of the Jedi." However, Mathma isn't a character I feel as personally connected to as Han or Luke. One could point out that the Death Star is in this movie, too; one could even argue that the Death Star actually serves as a major character in the original trilogy. However, it's just not the same as the original trio showing up and making me feel all the feels.
Perhaps my greatest fear though is ... Where's the Force? "Rogue One" is set in a time in which the Jedi have been long gone. We know that Obi-Won is somewhere alive in Tatooine, but he's not set to appear in the movie. And we have the Empire who's building the Death Star, but our main cast has seemingly no Force abilities. I'm scared to see how this changes the dynamic of the movie. Certainly, it's going to feel a lot different than the others. Maybe Erso has Force abilities, but that would make the plot feel a little bit too much like "The Force Awakens." Both Rey and Erso are already both female protagonists who have been abandoned to fend for themselves. Adding in the Force factor to Erso would scream Rey to me. Hopefully, though, the Force isn't completely nonexistent in this movie. It's got to be somewhere ... right?
Don't get me wrong, I am totally pumped to see "Rogue One." It's just that after the success of "The Force Awakens," this new movie has a lot to live up to. All I can hope is that the makers of this movie didn't see it as just a silly way to keep us Star Wars fans satisfied until Episode VIII. Yes, more Star Wars is good, but good Star Wars material is what we're looking for. And I guess we'll just have to wait until December to see if "Rogue One" is good, but for now we'll just hope.
