Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – G. Edwards

Enjoyable genre movie-making that answers the question “How did the rebels get the Death Star plans?” and thus serves as a prelude to Episode 4: A New Hope, which most of us know to be just Star Wars (1977).  Indeed, we are treated to cameos by Princess Leia (young Carrie Fisher, digitally), C3PO & R2D2 (briefly) and Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) as well as some guy in Peter Cushing make-up.  (Jimmy Smits is here but I don’t know why, since I gave Episodes 2 and 3 a miss).  The real focus here is on new characters however.  It seems Mads Mikkelsen’s Galen Erso designed the Death Star for the Empire, under pressure, even after they killed his wife and sent his daughter into hiding (with Forest Whitaker, of the Rebels).  As revenge, he put “the flaw” into the machinery that the plans reveal. Years later, his daughter, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), becomes convinced to get those Death Star plans along with Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Riz Ahmed and a deadpan robot named K-2SO.  Aussie Ben Mendelsohn is the chief baddie (apart from D. V.). It’s all action from start to finish, with the typical Star Wars blend of smart-ass dialogue, bonding and sentimentality, and good vs. evil shoot-em-ups.  There are attempts to create distinct characters but they are not much more than pieces on the chess board here, totemic though some may be. In the end, the film looks good (CGI) and director Gareth Edwards keeps things moving at a good pace (however, like many films today, it is probably a bit too long).  Conclusion:  if you like the franchise, this is well worth your time.