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Movie Review - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
No reason to fear this new branch of the old family tree. It delivers the goods.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ***½ (out of 5) (PG-13) Most of you already know whether you’re going to see this eighth, or so, feature in the Star Wars franchise. It serves up a mostly new cast in sort of a sidebar adventure, occurring somewhere during the period of the original trilogy. It’s not intended for those first dipping their toes into the affairs of this galaxy far, far away. Devotees will not be disappointed in the plot or the splashy special effects that have always driven these epics.
In this opus, The Empire is building a planet-killing weapon, needing the smarts of a scientist (Mads Mikkelson) who wants no part of it. He’s been hiding from them for years with his wife and daughter, Jyn. They get found; he gets coerced; his wife gets killed; Jyn escapes.
Fifteen years later, there are two rival rebel factions opposing the You-Know-What, and the weapon is almost operational. The larger group tries to use Jyn - who has developed admirable street-smarts and fighting skills - to reach the more violent sect and help prevent the weapon’s deployment. The rest lies in the execution.
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Just to let you know what you’re in for, without giving away too much, here are some viewers’ tips:
Orientation takes a bit of time, but be patient. You’ll learn who’s who, and when’s when.
You will see some familiar faces.
None of them are Jar Jar Binks. Breathe easy.
One welcome addition is a blind monk/martial arts master who seemingly wandered onto the set from a nearby Hong Kong action film shoot, and got himself written into the script.
The Force is mentioned, but not central.
The film’s look and mood are darker than most of its predecessors.
Don’t expect much charisma from the new humanoid characters. They’re basic, fungible types. Most of the comic relief comes from the androids.
The film is considerably closer in overall quality to the original trilogy than to the three prequels.
The film runs over two hours, but seems shorter - always a good sign.
More entries in this series are on the way. (12/16/16)