Rogue One started as an idea. Director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) and Lucasfilm took a question, "how did the rebels get the plans to the Death Star?" and turned it into 2+ hours of one of the best war movies of the last few years. It catches the rebellion at probably its lowest point since the Emperor came into power. Systems are falling. Rebels are floundering, and there is no hope in the galaxy. Couple that with the soon-to-be finished Death Star flexing its terrifying muscle and you have a galaxy devoid of human (or alien) spirit. (It's also hard not to draw a parallel between what is happening in this film to where we could end up in the coming years in this country.) Enter Jyn Erso, daughter of the chief Death Star engineer (played with full piss and vinegar by Felicity Jones), who is conscripted into the battle by the rebellion. She was essentially orphaned by her father when he was forced back into the Empire to finish his work on the Death Star. Her father, though working on a ship of great destruction, has purposely left it vulnerable (see Episode IV, A New Hope for full details), and it's up to his estranged daughter to convince the rebellion to go after the plans to destroy it. This ultimately leads to a full scale assault on an Empire base (one of the best battle scenes in the last decade).
What separates this film from the other Star Wars films is it's brutality. Lives are sacrificed, and not everything colored in the bright-eyed optimism of Luke Skywalker. In order to gain an advantage, many must make the ultimate sacrifice. Actions have consequences. That's not to say that Rogue One is a completely lifeless movie. It has some genuine humor sprinkled throughout to keep spirits lifted during times of trouble. The real star of this film is the battle sequences. The storming of the base by our rag tag group of rebels is a sight to be seen.
Rogue One is not a perfect film, either. It (like a lot of big budget ensembles) struggles with character development at times. For every strong character (Jyn Erso, the power hungry Director Krennic, and the humorous droid K-2SO), there are a few characters that don't get the same treatment. I realize that there's only so much that can go into development in a two hour movie, but major characters need a little bit more development for me to get invest in (like Forest Whitaker's wasted character, Saw Gerrera).
Overall, I still really enjoyed this film and it will almost certainly make my top ten of the year list. It was amazing to see Darth Vader on screen again (albeit in a limited role), and the fact that they were able to make a lifelike CG character of Grand Moff Tarkin from the first Star Wars film was amazing to see (the actor who originally played him died in 1994). There are Easter Eggs to the original film sprinkled throughout this one, but they don't distract from this film in any shape or form.
This will also certainly be a stand alone film, as it leads directly to the events of A New Hope. It also has me excited for future "A Star Wars Story" standalone films. I hope they can fill in the blanks in the large, endless canvas that is the Star Wars universe.
I'm giving Rogue One 3.5 stars out of 4. It has a great, multi-ethnic cast with a strong female lead. It has something for everyone... Star Wars fans young and old. Go see it!
