Review // Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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When Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012 they made the decision to erase the collection of Star Wars stories known as the “expanded universe” and create a new set of “canon” content made up of the existing films (including the dreadful prequels), TV series, and future novels. Rogue One marks the beginning of their attempt to fill in the gaps in the timeline with new characters and adventures on the big screen, and it results in a film that is both a successful diversion from and elaboration on the main Star Wars saga.

Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, a young scoundrel who is rescued from Imperial custody by a Rebel intelligence officer named Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his droid companion K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). They’re there to recruit her for a mission to locate an Imperial scientist who is spearheading the design of a new super weapon capable of destroying entire planets (you know the one). The scientist happens to be Jyn’s father Galen (Mads Mikkelson), who was more or less kidnapped by Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military. Their mission takes them to a number of planets including Jedha, a former holy site of the Jedi Order that is now under occupation by the Imperials, and the balmy beach shores on Scarif where the Death Star plans are located. Along the way they pick up a rag-tag group of allies: the defecting Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), a Force-sensitive warrior named Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen), and his bodyguard Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen).

Director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) was pretty open about his intentions to make this film into a war movie, even going as far as having his team photoshop Star Wars vehicles and characters into old war photos as a way to visualize the film’s many battles. The effect largely works; scenes on the occupied planet of Jedha feel like they were ripped from a modern film like Black Hawk Down or American Sniper, while the multi-layered battle on Scarif resembles a WWII assault in the Pacific theatre.

The most satisfying thing about Rogue One is that it has an actual ending. Whereas most recent blockbusters are being made with an eye towards future franchise opportunities, this film is truly a stand-alone feature. You know before the film even starts that the mission is successful, the plans are retrieved and eventually find their way inside R2-D2 in the first scene of A New Hope. And it gives me renewed hope that Disney will be able to create their own expanded universe in the years to come.

Reviewed by Kyle Miller.