Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Review

     There are only a few long running film franchises that have truly transcended generations, and "Star Wars" is certainly one of those franchises. The first installment in the series, "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" (simply known as "Star Wars" at the time of its release), came out in 1977 and took the world by storm. It became the highest grossing film of all time and held that title for several  years. The following two sequels, "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," were also massive hits and ensured the franchise as one of the all time greats. At the time people thought the franchise was done, but creator George Lucas assured fans years later that more was on the way. What resulted were three prequels released between 1999 and 2005, and they were utterly disappointing. For years fans once again though the movies were done, with only some animated shows to feed their hunger, but when it was announced that Disney bought the rights to "Star Wars" we learned that they were relaunching the series. While sequels to the original trilogy were expected, we also learned that anthology films would be released in between the major installments; and the first one on the chopping block is "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Taking place right before the events of "A New Hope," it tells the story of the rebel squadron Rogue One, who we learned about in "Episode IV." Some fans were nervous when it was announced that a new "Star Wars" movie would come out every year, but if "Rogue One" is any indication of what's to come, it's clear that Disney knows what they're doing.

     For years, rebel groups have been tirelessly combating the evil Empire. It seems like a losing battle, until the Rebels learn that an Imperial pilot is defecting; unfortunately for the Rebels he's been taken by a rebel extremist. The only way to get to this extremist is to have someone he knows approach him, a young woman and Imperial prisoner named Jyn Erso. After seeking out, and finding the pilot, they learn what he had to say; the Empire is almost finished building a weapon of unparalleled mass destruction. So this tiny band of rebels sets out to steal the weapon’s plans; if they fail, all is lost.

     Going into "Rogue One," I had high hopes and low expectations; I'm always excited for a "Star Wars" film, but I had my doubts about the director. The film was directed by Gareth Edwards, a fairly new filmmaker. Up to this point his biggest movie was 2014's "Godzilla;" which, in retrospect, isn't that great. But with "Rogue One" I think he knocked it out of the park, doing a great job bringing a huge sense of scale to "Rogue One." He's managed to produce what many will call one of the best in the franchise. I think what I liked most about this movie was that it was an actual war movie. All the other films in the franchise were action adventure movies that took place during a war, but "Rogue One" felt different. The stakes were higher, the battles were more brutal, and death came hand over fist. Whether it is the battles on the ground or in the sky, the action sequences were grand and brutal. As with a war movie, the tone was darker and grittier; for the Rebels, this was the end of days. If they failed, there would be nothing left; and you can see that in their desperation. While that was my favorite aspect, "Rogue One" hits on many of the great points of its predecessors. The film's score is beautiful, reminiscent of the classics but new at the same time. This was the first film in the franchise that wasn't scored by john Williams, but if you didn't know that you probably wouldn't be able to tell. As always, the movie is well shot. While it may not have broken ground, the cinematography is well done and features several beautiful scenes. And as always, the latest "Star Wars" film features impressive visual effects, great make-up and costume design, and beautiful visuals. Both the CGI and practical effects are top notch, putting almost every other movie from 2016 to shame. The make-up for the various aliens was extremely well done, with a variety of costumes that feature old and new. And the overall visual design of the film is beautiful, from the settings to the props, everything looks great. Getting to the meat of the, let's talk story. The film's plot is interesting to say the least; it tells a story that fans have known about for years, but it's nice to put the visuals with the story. And lastly I want to talk about the new characters. While some classic characters make a return, there are several new ones that take center stage. From the main cast to the main antagonist, many of the new characters will be loved by many and new favorites for some. I will say some characters are a bit underdeveloped, but that's likely a result of there being so many characters in a movie that's only two hours long. One of the bigger complaints lobbed at the movie would be the lead character, Jyn Erso. While not a bad character, she's far from the most interesting member of the core group. Felicity Jones did a fine job in the role, but the character herself could have been handled better. This movie has a lot to like, but as with most films it's not perfect. The movie has got a few corny lines that may make you roll your eyes; granted, every "Star Wars" installment has a few of those. But the film's biggest problem has to be its pacing; the first half of the film has some issues in that aspect. The first hour is a bit slow overall; it introduces a lot of characters and a lot of back-story in that time. At a certain point you just wish that they'd movie on and get to the good stuff; fortunately, the second half of the movie delivers that in spades. From the beginning of the second hour to the final minute, there's non-stop excitement at every turn. Despite these issues, I loved "Rogue One." It exceeded my expectations in almost every way. If I had to stack this movie up to the rest of the franchise, I'd say that this was the third best film behind "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back." A new "Star Wars" film every year is exciting and worrying, but "Rogue One" shows that there is little to worry about.

Pros: Several interesting new characters, impressive visual effects, interesting plot, beautiful visuals, great make-up and costume design, grand action sequences, strong direction, darker/grittier tone, an actual war movie, beautiful score, huge sense of scale, well shot cinematography.

Cons: Pacing issues, a few corny lines, some characters weren't developed very well and are less interesting.

4.5/5 Stars