Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Release Date: December 16, 2016

Watch Date: June 16, 2024

“From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars stand-alone films – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.”

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   Before I liked Star Wars, which I think I can safely say that I do now, I loved this movie.

   Mostly I loved K2. Write a good droid and I’ll fall in love with a movie, apparently. We can only hope that the television shows contain more good droids, because ‘The Clone Wars’ is supremely lacking at this moment. Beyond like…evil droids. Those are pretty good. K2 is the best character in this film, and you can’t dissuade me from that. He lives life out loud, he’s not afraid to share his opinions, and he’s just the right level of pessimistic. He’s also big, intimidating and can take a hit. He’s not in the Andor show either, so I’m already feeling less excited about getting to that series.

   This movie, if you squint, doesn’t have to be a Star Wars film for most of the run time. Sure, there’s similar ships, and Darth Vader and the Death Star will show up – but it could have been any film about an oppressed space people fighting against oppression. It feels grey. It feels dark. It feels like a depiction of a rebellion against a fascist dictatorship. Life is hard. These characters lives have been hard. They’re doing what they’re doing out of desperation. They’re willing to sacrifice everything in order to stand up for freedom and what’s best for the majority.

   And they don’t all agree on how to do it. The Alliance as a whole doesn’t agree with the violent tactics of Saw. They’ve been acting in small ways, sabotaging and spying instead of coming into direct conflict with the Empire. It’s very smart. Bob would point out that America would employ some of these own tactics in their fight with an oppressive regime. If we can link something back to the American Revolution, an American will find a way to do so.

   If, like me only earlier this month, you had no attachment to the Star Wars franchise, this is just a good sci-fi movie that can be appreciated for the story it’s telling on a base level, and for the characters it introduces. If you’re a fan of Star Wars, you’ll enjoy how this deepens the lore in a respectful way. If you’re trying to get into Star Wars, I would suggest not watching this film first because I don’t think the following trilogy stands up half as well, simply due to age and the more traditional story it’s trying to tell. Get a little invested into the world first, before you spring into this one, if you have any intention of investing in the franchise.