This review contains spoilers!
The latest movie in the Star Wars universe, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opened last week. “Rogue One” takes place right before “Episode IV: A New Hope.” It is a stand-alone story, meaning it is not a sequel to the Star Wars movie that came out last year, “The Force Awakens,” nor will it have its own sequel.
I would call myself a tiny bit more than just a casual Star Wars fan. My boyfriend, Zach, is a giant Star Wars fan and he has taught me countless things about the Star Wars world. I definitely went into “Rogue One” with more knowledge than the average viewer might have. We have watched most of the animated TV show “Rebels,” that takes place in between Episode III and IV. We also watched “A New Hope” the night before we saw “Rogue One.”
You don’t necessarily have to see the other Star Wars films to understand “Rogue One.” Most of the characters are new, but there are several returning characters from the original trilogy. There are moments that only Star Wars fans will catch, though, like when K-2SO utters Han’s line, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” as well as a quick scene with R2-D2 and C-3PO. Even some familiar X-Wing pilots make an appearance during the space battle.
Since “Rogue One” is its own story, it does not have the opening crawl that has become a staple of the other films. Personally, I was fine with its absence, but I can see how it would have helped to lay the groundwork of the movie for those who aren’t as familiar with the storyline.
Felicity Jones played the character of Jyn Erso beautifully. There is a scene where she breaks down crying that is extremely powerful. Diego Luna’s character Cassian Andor also has a strong and dynamic role. But perhaps my favorite character of “Rogue One” is K-2SO, (played by Alan Tudyk) an Imperial Droid who has been reprogrammed to help the Rebel Alliance. He adds humor to a primarily serious and dark film.
I did feel like the backstories of all the characters were weak and somewhat lacking. I wanted to know more about them and why they had joined the Rebellion. However, their stories don't really matter that much. George R. R. Martin must have given some tips to the writers because none of the main characters survive the film.
If you have not seen the any of the original three movies, you might not realize that Grand Moff Tarkin is a CGI character. I thought it was pretty convincing. Princess Leia has a very short part in the film, and she is also a CGI character. It was smart to use CGI in place of finding new actors, otherwise, I feel like that would have taken away from the overall story of those characters.
Finally. Darth Vader. I have never rooted so hard for a villain as I did in this film. Though he does not have much screen time, Vader's role in "Rogue One" is epic. His red lightsaber is the only one featured in the movie and he does not use it lightly.
Overall I really enjoyed the film. I thought the story it told was key to the bigger plot of the saga. It captured the Star Wars vibe that I wanted it to have. We saw it in 3D and it wasn’t overdone at all. The use of puppets made it feel like Star Wars and the CGI elements were nicely done. I give it a 9/10 rating.
"The force is with me and I am one with the force."
