Movie Monday: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Two weeks ago, my husband and I went out to the theater to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We don't often get out to the theater, but this is one we definitely wanted to see on the big screen. It didn't disappoint. Rogue One is an excellent addition to the Star Wars canon, and we both enjoyed it very much.

First, let me explain something that took me a while into the movie to figure out: when Rogue One takes place in the Star Wars timeline. The events in this movie take place immediately before the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope (that would be the fourth episode, but the first one to come out, in 1977). So, it is kind of like Episode 3 1/2. Once you see it, you understand that the events in the original Star Wars movie occurred just after this.

OK, now that that is out of the way, here is a brief overview of the plot set-up. A scientist named Galen Erso is kidnapped in the first scene by Empire stormtroopers and forced to work with them to complete building the Death Star. Galen's little girl, Jyn, successfully escapes and hides from the stormtroopers and is then rescued by Saw Gerrera (played by Forest Whitaker), a friend of her father's. Saw brings Jyn up and when she is a young woman (played by Felicity Jones), she meets up with Cassian (played by Diego Luna). Eventually, she decides to join the Resistance with him. They are accompanied by an old Empire robot named K-2S0 and an old, blind man named Baze (played by Wen Jiang) who knows how to use the Force.

After joining the Rebel Alliance, they go off on their own on a rogue mission to steal the plans for the Death Star from a heavily armed Empire data facility and name their ship (you guessed it) Rogue One. As I'm sure you know if you've ever seen any Star Wars movie, this is a great simplification of a very complex plot. Suspense builds, with good versus evil, their rogue mission, and a great battle scene at the end.

My husband and I both enjoyed Rogue One and found it to fit nicely into the Star Wars canon, with all of the elements you would expect: interesting characters, nasty bad guys, a noble but seemingly doomed mission, and massive battle scenes. I was a bit hesitant to see this one because I had heard some reviewers criticize it for a lack of humor, pervading darkness, and too-lengthy battle scenes (something I don't have much patience for). I didn't find any of this to be true, though! We both thought the tone of the movie was well-balanced and that it had a nice sense of humor (much of the humor comes from the robot, K-2S0). As for the battle scene at the end, it was just right - exciting and suspenseful, not at all boring, and just the right length. Bottom line: we both enjoyed it very much and liked seeing what led to the events in the original Star Wars movie.

You can still find Rogue One in a few theaters, but it is on its way out, so hurry! It is due out on DVD in April 2017 and should be available via streaming sometime before that (TBA) - you can use the Amazon link below to pre-order.

Have you seen Rogue One yet? Which is your favorite Star Wars movie?