The highly anticipated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with the tagline “A Rebellion Built on Hope” finally hit theaters much to the delight of millions of Star Wars fans, including my husband Mike, our nine year old daughter Addie, and myself. Even though the film is rated PG-13, Addie, who has seen the other seven movies in the Star Wars saga, would have been devastated if we went to see it without her, and we were confident enough that she would be mature enough to enjoy it.
One of the most unique things about the Star Wars saga is that the movies were not released in chronological order. The first movie of the saga was simply billed as Star Wars when it was released in 1977 even though it was technically Episode IV. Before seeing Rogue One, Mike reviewed the series with me, reminding me in simple terms what happened in each episode:
- Episode IV – A New Hope (1977): Luke meets Obi-Wan. They both meet Han Solo. Vacation to Alderaan cancelled. Death Star goes boom.
- Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980): Taun-Tauns are gross, but warm. Inappropriate sibling affection. Yoda makes soup. Billy Dee Williams is cool. Frozen Han. No more high fives for Luke. Daddy issues/minds blown.
- Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983): Jabba the Hut. Gold bikini. Defrosted Han. Ewoks. Death Star, Part II goes boom.
- Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999): Jar-Jar = most annoying character ever. Little Anakin doesn’t have a dark side. Big-haired Natalie Portman. Functional Senate. Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills . . . Jedi Master. Darth Maul.
- Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002): Anakin hits puberty. Everyone is supposed to forget the age difference between Anakin and Padme from the previous episode. Boba’s dad is essentially a wet Gremlin. Yoda kicks you know what.
- Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005): Jedi Council. Order 66. After losing his job as a preschool teacher, Anakin gets all fired up. Unhappy birth-day.
- Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015): Rey. Kylo Ren. Finn. Luke is M.I.A. Dark side of Princess Leia and Han Solo’s relationship.
After brushing up on the previous episodes with Mike’s succinct and snarky summaries, I wanted to know where Rogue One falls in the Star Wars’ story line, especially since Rogue One, unlike all the other Star Wars movies, doesn’t have an Episode number. Mike explained that Rogue One is essentially Episode 3.5, with its story taking place in between Episodes III and IV.
In the beginning of the very first Star Wars movie, Princess Leia gives R2D2 the plans to the Death Star, and all that viewers know is she acquired the information from brave Rebels who risked everything to steal those blueprints. In Rogue One, viewers learn the story behind the development of the Death Star as well as how those plans came into Rebel hands.
Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, daughter to an Imperial engineer who lacks job satisfaction. She neither considers herself to be a follower of the Imperial regime nor someone who’s remotely interested in fighting or even caring about the Rebel alliance. All that changes, and soon Jyn finds herself facing some hard decisions about where she stands. Will her indifference dissolve when she learns an incredible truth that shakes her childhood recollections?
With non-stop action mixed with some hints of humor throughout, Jyn transitions from loner to leader, forevermore changing the destiny of the galaxy. The film tells the story of those whose actions made Episode IV possible, and even though many of the characters in Rogue One are new, there are familiar faces who connect the dots between Episodes III and IV.
I loved this movie, and, as the mom of a young daughter, I especially appreciate how the Star Wars saga continues to portray strong female lead characters. (I suspect next Halloween to see a lot of little girls trick-or-treating as Jyn.) Mike said, “This story needed to be told. The attention to detail the director showed to keep the story consistent from 1977 was remarkable. The Death Star in Rogue One looks exactly and feels exactly like the Death Star in A New Hope.” Addie, who clutched my arm and even shed a tear at one point (she’s not the only one), loved it too, and we have no regrets that we brought her with us.
Rogue One emphasizes that no rebellion comes without sacrifice and collateral damage, and that everyone who believes in the cause has a part to play and price to pay. “I am the Force, and the Force is me.”
Movie times: click here
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Director: Gareth Edwards
Actors: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen
Rating: PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action
Running Time: 2 hours 14 minutes
