Original Star Wars plot threaded in movie

After the release of The Force Awakens, Star Wars received a major revival in its fanbase and popularity. The Force Awakens left many people wishing for episode eight and made Rogue One seem more like a consolation gift than a stand alone movie. However, this movie has proved to be far more than a filler and has managed to become a success in its own right. 

The story focuses on Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a young drifter who is recruited by the rebellion to contact Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) a rebel militant extremist. She is accompanied on this trip by Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a rebel Captain and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) , a reprogrammed Imperial droid.

On their way, they meet Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) a blind monk who follows the force and his close friend Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), a soldier. After a skirmish with imperial stormtroopers the group is captured by Gerrera’s men and brought to his base. While imprisoned at Gerrera’s base, Captain Andor meets Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) an ex-imperial pilot who has information critical to the Rebel Alliance.          

One of the things I liked about this movie was that it managed to fill some of the plot holes from the original movie. I also liked all the references to the other Star Wars episodes. Some of them were direct while others were subtle. _They were done in a good way that did not alter the plot.

A second thing I liked was the characters. It was refreshing to see that the characters were not picked from a pool of popular actors but were rather unfamiliar. 

I also enjoyed the humor that was displayed, something that has not been seen much in a Star Wars movie. This humor was shown in a number of forms mostly in K-2SO’s dialogue with the other characters. Thankfully, it was done in a way that did not make him a cheesy comic relief character, like Jar Jar Binks.

A third thing that I liked was how they put Saw Gerrera, from the Clone Wars animated series, (not the 2003 version), in the movie. It was cool to see a character transfer from an animated series to a real life movie. This being said I wish he had a larger role in the movie.

Video editor and journalist Clark Zhu, who is a major fan of Star Wars, was excited to watch Rogue One. 

“Generally speaking, Rogue One is very well done,” said Zhu. “The story burns slowly in the first two acts but the third act, the forest battle, truly paid off with everything a Star Wars fan can ever expect. It leaves room for every character to grow and demonstrate their ability and courage to the full extent.

“Also, I think the best part of the movie is the ending,” Zhu continued. “It precisely connects Rogue One with the beginning A New Hope, the first Star Wars movies made in 1977. When I watched the sequence, I felt that a strong fist of nostalgia punched on my chest. It brought back the memory of watching the first film when I was a child.”

However, if I could change anything in this movie I would change some parts of the ending. Overall,  I enjoyed the movie a lot. It was well worth the money spent for it and I would definitely watch it again.

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For showtimes check for Rogue One visit, Fandango.

For more reviews, please read Fantastic Beasts or Reflection review.

This writer can be reached via email: Matthew Sue.