ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY: 4 STARS
Thereâs no scroll at the beginning of âRogue One: A Star Wars Storyâ but that doesnât mean this isnât a âStar Warsâ movie. Call the new Gareth Edwardsâ movie what you willâa standalone, a spin-off, a prequelâbut there is no denying that the DNA is pure Lucas.
To avoid spoilers Iâll give only the sketchiest of synopsis. Set after the formation of the Galactic Empire, shortly before the events of âEpisode IV: A New Hope,â âRogue Oneâ sees the Rebel Alliance recruit Jyn Erso (Oscar nominee Felicity Jones), the daughter of scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), to collaborate with a crew, including Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), to retrieve the blueprints of the Death Star, the Empire's armoured battle station capable of destroying entire planets. âYou are asking us to invade an Imperial stronghold based on hope?â asks Senator Pamlo (Sharon Duncan-Brewster). âRebellions are built on hope,â replies Jyn.
Thatâs it, fuzzballs. Thatâs all you get. The plot is so laced with character photobombs and cameos itâs almost impossible to say more without squashing some of the fun. Know that it is a classic space opera latched to a primal story of good vs. evil. Add to that some stuff you expectâbig battle scenes, quippy droids, a classic Vader entrance (not a spoiler, itâs in the trailer!)âand some stuff you donâtâno spoilers here!âand you have a movie that simultaneously feels familiar and fresh. Down and dirty, it has more grit than the other filmsâthis is not a slick sci-fi world, itâs a place that has been dinged up and lived inâbut maintains the heart and soul of what came before.
Director Gareth Edwards amps up the action. He knows that, âtravelling through hyperspace ainât like dustinâ crops, boy!â The filmâs final third is a smash âem up that gives The Battle of Hoth a run for its money but never allows the characters to get lost in the bombast. Itâs a morally complex war film that knows the audience must be invested in the characters to care whether or not they are successful.
So who are the characters?
At the helm is heroine Jyn. She is an everywoman thrust into a dangerous situation after a lifetime of hurt. Sheâs rough and tumble, an impetuous scrapper fighting on an impossible mission. No gold bikinis for her. Jyn is the catalyst for much of âRogue Oneâsâ action but her relationship with her father Galen is the filmâs emotional core.
For lack of a better analogy, Rebel Alliance Intelligence Cassian Andor is the filmâs Han Solo. Scruffy and an outsider, his best friend isnât a 200-year-old Wookiee, but a fast-talking reprogrammed Imperial droid. Heâs an experienced rebel and fighter who moves beyond the traditional image of a hero. Heâs not as funny as Hanâthatâs left to his droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk)âbut does provide the same kind of swashbuckling joie de vivre.
Assorted other rebels include blind warrior Chirrut "I fear nothing. All is as the Force wills it." Îmwe (Donnie Yen), freelance assassin Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) and Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whitaker as a lion in winter, a stately fighter whose body is more machine than human, but whose humanity is intact.
With a title like Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military you just know Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) is going to be a bad man. Heâs a cog, an Imperial baddie eager to please is bossâi.e. Darth Vaderâand the definition of the ordinariness of evil.
It is the most diverse casting of any âStar Warsâ film. It ushers the franchise into the 21st century in terms of make-up, reflecting not only the world we live in, but also the world the film takes place in.
âStar Warsâ über fans will geek out at some of âRogue Oneâsâ surprises but nonfans need not worry. You donât need to know that Poggle the Lesser turned over plans to the Death Star to Count Dooku or that the Ultimate Weapon is powered by a cavernous hypermatter reactor encased in radiation insulator plating. Just know the Death Star is huge and, as the name suggests, deadly, and youâll be fine. The force is strong with this one.