Disney and Lucasfilms prove the space opera franchise has a bright future in our Rogue One: A Star Wars Story review!
(Our non-spoiler review)
When Disney announced its first standalone Star Wars movie in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, many (including myself) didn’t know what to think. The franchise always focused on trilogy storylines, and the appetite for characters not named Solo and Skywalker was unknown. Rogue One definitively answers that question in our review of this fast paced, well written, and fun adventure.
There is so much to love about this movie. The new characters each stand out in their own way. Felicity Jones handles the role of our central protagonist, Jyn Erso, superbly. Yet her surrounding cast constantly steals the show. You’ll fall in love with the ornery K-2SO (played by Alan Tudyk), the faith filled Baze Malbus, and the pragmatic but disillusioned Cassian Andor.
Disney promised a war story, and boy do they deliver. Unlike previous entries where war is a by-product of the storyline, here its complexities remain front and center. The rebellion consists of several bickering factions: political senators, national alliances, and outright terrorists. Each fights with the others, making the rebellion’s efforts frayed and weaker against the imposing Empire. It also deftly highlights the horrors and weariness of war. Stormtroopers and rebels alike wear dirty uniforms and walk with exhausted steps. Finally, the climactic battle is something to behold. Both on land and in space, the audience gets everything it could want and more.
They also did a smashing job with the villains. Commander Orson Krennic plays the role of an ambitious science officer, hounding the rebellion at every turn. Darth Vader makes multiple brief appearances, and he recaptures the terrifying dread we fell in love with in the original movie.
For everything it does well, the movie suffers from a few minor missteps. While most of the fan service works, they wink at the audience one to many times. We get it, yes, this is a Star Wars story. Also, they use computer graphics to bring back multiple characters from earlier movies with mixed results.
However, these hiccups do not lessen the overall enjoyment of the film. More than anything else, this movie has heart. Even though most of us knows how it ends, it plays our heart strings like a professional musician. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story proves the universe is ripe with narratives still to be told, and we’re all the better for it!
What did you think of Rogue One? Rate below.