I know, we got a female lead in “The Force Awakens” and Rey is amazing. I love her…and to that I say another, It’s about damn time.
But here’s the thing, here’s the poster for “The Force Awakens.”
So, so close, but just barely edged out by Kylo Ren. And before anyone points out the shadowy Darth Vader in the “Rogue One” poster…just give us this one. It’s a huge, much appreciated moment. Now, on with the review…
For those less familiar with the “Star Wars” canon. “Rogue One” takes place just before “Star Wars: A New Hope.” (For those really unfamiliar that’s the fourth movie in the series, but the first that was released…Mr. Lucas did not make it easy on his fans…to explain their beloved universe to non-fans…that is.)
This epic tale, begins, of course, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…A very young
Here we find a young Jyn Erso ( Beau Gadsdon,) on the day she lost both her parents to the Empire—her mother (Valene Kane) killed, her father (Mads Mikkelsen) taken by force to design the ultimate weapon.
If you don’t immediately know what that weapon is, don’t worry, you don’t need to have memorized the original films to enjoy this one.
Years after that fateful day, Jyn (now Felicity Jones) who after being raised by her father’s friend (and part cyborb) Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) spends much of her time trying to avoid the Rebels and the Empire until she gets caught and partnered up with Rebel pilot
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his cheeky droid sidekick K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) to find her father.
It’s on this fateful mission that we discover the origin of a certain bit of data, that may be a bit familiar to the “Star Wars” fans out there. One that I will not reveal here, because it’s kind of the point of the whole movie.
Now let’s talk about the computer animated character in the room. I won’t say which one, but an actor who was in the original film and was unable to appear in “Rogue One” for corporeal reasons, still manages to feature in much of the movie, and a lot of people are finding it off-putting. I have to say, that if you don’t know, you might not notice…which is incredibly impressive. This character isn’t the only one who got the CG treatment, but I’ll let you figure out who the other one is too.
The detail with which these filmmakers have interwoven this new tale and made it an integral part of the original film is truly spectacular, and above all you can tell what fans they themselves must be. So thank you to them for the time, the care, the geeking out, and the incredible story.
…bi-daily smile…