Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, & Mads Mikkelsen
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
The purpose of Rogue one was simple, to fix a plot hole that had bothered Star Wars fans for nearly forty years. How did the rebels get a hold of the plans for the death star and why was it so easy to destroy?
At a young age, Jyn Erso's (Felicity Jones), father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) was taken by the empire, to help develop the death star. Jyn was protected by the rebels before fleeing and living on her own, until one day, the rebels receive a message from Galen, saying that his daughter is the key to everything, and if they help get her to him, he can stop the empire.
What I love about Rogue one, is the fact that for this film the franchise took a step back. If you ask anybody what their favorite Star Wars movie is, inevitably you will hear A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back, but why? It's because these films didn't have massive budgets, big name movie stars, the top directors in Hollywood, complex story lines, special characters thrown in for the kids, simply put they were the greatest space adventures of all-time. Rogue one leaves in the special effects, but the actors are not very well known, the director has only two films under his belt, the story is easy to follow, the characters are extremely likeable, (much more so than the new ones in the Force Awakens), and most import of all the story is more narrowly focused and much easier to follow. There aren't a million different things going on here, there is one objective and it is being attempted by characters you can actually get behind.
Jyn Erso, very much has the Katniss Everdeen tough girl thing going for her and she is paired with Cassian (Diego Luna), who has all the charisma of a young Harrison Ford, together the pair is infectious and you can't help but like them. I didn't feel any of that with Rey and Finn, in fact, I barely remembered their names. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the scenery and special effects in the film, unlike in recent films, we see a multitude of planets, it isn't just all sand and sun. The planet in the final scene with the beaches and the energy shield in particular was just amazing.
Finally there is the ending, I won't give anything away if you haven't seen it yet, but I will say this. While controversial, in my opinion, more perfect it could not have been. Rogue One is the best Star Wars film since the original trilogy and I hope J.J. Abrams took notice. This is what the future of the franchise should be. Just because you have the largest film budget in history, doesn't mean your film has to have dozens of plots, and all these random characters we don't care about. Use that money on special effects, more amazing ships, weapons, and planets, and just make Star Wars fun again in a way that Rogue One reminded us it could be.
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