Star Wars fans: this is the movie you are looking for. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story delivered the best Star Wars movie since the original trilogy, pleasing audiences of all ages.
The plot of Star Wars IV: A New Hope is a classic: Princess Leia acquires the plans for the planet-devastating Death Star which includes a single catastrophic flaw, which the Rebels exploit in the Battle of Yavin to blow up the weapon and save the galaxy. But how did the tiny Rebel faction get their hands on such top-secret Imperial documents?
Nearly 40 years after the franchise’s release, Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One brings the answer as the franchise’s first standalone film.
Right off the bat, Rogue One distances itself from the other Star Wars movies, starting without the iconic opening crawl. The movie is much darker than the rest of the franchise, but it only helps the Star Wars story stand out.
Protagonist Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is no princess: she was forced to fend for herself when her father Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) was taken by the Empire to build the aforementioned Death Star of Star Wars fame (and a major plot point in 4 of 8 of the franchise’s movies). She ends up in an Imperial prison, where she remains until Rebel agent Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his droid K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) rescue her so she can locate her father and the Death Star plans.
The film’s action sequences and special effects are spectacular, but some parts of the story are not up to par. There were too many characters introduced too quickly (including appearances from Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, and Donnie Yen) and were therefore not allowed to develop throughout the course of the movie.
Even though some parts in the beginning of the film drag a little, watching Rogue One is worth it even just for the final five minutes, which was easily one of the best scenes in Star Wars‘ illustrious history.
Anybody who is familiar with Star Wars knows that the Rebel insurgents succeed in delivering the battle station’s plans to the Rebel Alliance, yet that doesn’t take anything away from the thrill and suspense of the film. There is no reason to “have a bad feeling” about this movie, so go and watch it in theaters today.
By: Jack Benveniste-Plitt
Hebrew Academy Movie Rating (HAMR): 4 out of 5 Warriors.
