Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

There’s something about prequels that needs to be addressed. The fact is, a lot of prequels are just that. They’re sequels set in the past because the story just couldn’t go on any further. They’re not usually stories that would carry their own weight if it wasn’t for the fact that you’re already invested in the characters. When I see a prequel, what I’m looking for is something along the lines of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”. Instead of showing us the child version of favorite characters, it creates new ones, it explores the universe they’re set in and gives you a deeper understanding of why the future stories are so important.

The Galactic Empire is about to unleash a weapon that will ensure its absolute dominance. The Rebel Alliance's only hope lies in the chief engineer's daughter, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) She and a rag-tag crew (which also includes Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, the voice of Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, and Jian Wen) must face dire odds and retrieve the schematics to the “Death Star” before it’s too late.

There’s a lot to like here. New, memorable characters for you to enjoy, as well as another look at some old favorites throughout (a bit much in my opinion) It shows you things you’ve never seen in any “Star Wars” movie and, story-wise there are bold decisions towards the conclusion. The special effects are terrific and I love the score. The orchestral pieces perfectly embody what this film is like. Michael Giacchino has given us new themes that have their own identity but also fall perfectly in line with John Williams’ work. The people who have grown up with “Star Wars” will appreciate the fact that it takes some appropriately dark turns. This is a galaxy at war after all.

I’ve heard some criticize that they knew ahead of time where the story was heading due to the fact that it’s a prequel. I don’t agree with those criticisms. “Star Wars” is so big, it’ll outlast all of us. In a hundred years, no one’s going to be able to remember when which movie came out, they’ll only be able to identify the order in which to watch them by the plot. If you’re watching these films in chronological order, you WON’T have those issues. For a film like this one, I think that’s important to consider. Just as "Epic Movie" deserves extra lashings for it's incredibly dated jokes, it’s important to consider a film’s legacy when reviewing it.

“Rogue One” is a welcome addition to the franchise. As a bonus, it’s a great point to jump in if you're new to the series. I’ve seen it three times now, I look forward to seeing it again. (Theatrical version on the big screen, January 5, 2017)