Any true “Star Wars” fan should have seen the latest installment to the series. If you are one of those who haven’t, spoilers ahead.
The film starts out with the usual “Star Wars” logo and theme song blasted on the screen, but with a major difference. “Rogue One” does not include the classic scrolling text intro that many “Star Wars” fans have grown up with. This change of pace set the tone early that this film was not part of the trilogy franchises that I am used to getting.
A quick-paced sequence starts the film out on a somewhat “dusty” planet. A young girl, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), is on the run to her family Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) and Lyra Erso (Valene Kane). The Empire is on the hunt for Galen Erso as he is on the planning team for the Death Star, a planet destroyer. Within the first ten minutes of the film the mother is killed, the father is taken, and Jyn is on her own in the world — erm Galaxy.
Jyn is taken in by a friend of the family but the next scene open with Jyn in jail. While being transported for work duties, she is broken out of her imprisonment by a crew of Rebels wanting her assistance.
The story goes on with an elaborate story line that introduces the audience to a motley crew of characters along the journey. I enjoyed getting to know this crew of characters, as all of the main characters are new to the “Star Wars” franchise. My favorite characters, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) and Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen), kept me pulled in throughout the course of the film.
Providing a balance of comedy and solid acting, both characters stole the show. K-2SO is a droid from the Imperial Army that has been restored to help the Rebels in their battle. K-2SO now takes place of my favorite “Star Wars” droid, replacing C-21 Highsinger from the “Clone Wars” series.
A few old characters from the franchise make a cameo, however they are at no point the focus of the film. The directors for “Rogue One” did a great job on selling the characters of the film.
The story line in this film, however, is lacking.
The goal is simple, get the plans for the Death Star. That’s it. That’s the entire film.
The focus of this film is the war aspect we see in the “Star Wars” franchise. There are a few battles throughout that sell the classic laser beam of red and explosions that capture the attention of those watching.
It is the ending scene that really got me though. Once again I can’t emphasize enough, major spoilers ahead!
One by one the major characters in the film get killed. At first I thought “wow, they decided to kill and important character.” Then one by one we see the characters we grew to love in this film get killed off.
I commend the directors for this choice though. This is a big “screw you” to the film industry. Who’s to say that a film can’t be successful if it kills off the most important people?
The plans for the Death Star are retrieved and this is where the film ties into the original trilogy. After a beautiful scene where Darth Vader struggles to get the plans back, the plans are successfully delivered to Princess Leia. Although Leia is not played by Carrie Fisher, the special effects used in the film create an almost clone of Carrie Fisher’s beloved character.
And that is how I want to end this review, with an ode to Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher is more than a space princess. Fisher is an inspiration to so many men and women across the world. She admitted to her mental illness and she owned it. She was and will always be a legend. Carrie Fisher, rest in peace.
Stars: 4.5/5
The Huntingtonian 