Putting the “war” back into Star Wars pays off in more mature, adult-oriented (and timely) film
It’s been a year since J.J. Abrams restored the Star Wars franchise to its former glory. It’s been a year of losses. Nothing in 2016 has been encouraging. From wars in the Middle East to devastating wildfires, from senseless violence around the world to an election that left a majority of Americans whistling past the graveyard, it’s been a tough year for hope.
So it makes a sort of sense that this year’s Star Wars tale (which will continue in perpetuity, every year, forever) tells the story of the Rebellion’s most desperate hour. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story might just be the film we needed to end the year.
It is a darker tale, one without the adventure seeking overtones of previous films. It’s a story of survival, of striking back at the darkness, of making deliberate choices in the face of overwhelming odds. Rogue One is more inspiring that its predecessors by a half because, for once, the cavalry can’t save the day. The light brigade charges, not for glory, but for freedom from tyranny.
Rogue One is a Star Wars film for adults, if there can be such a thing. It harkens back to The Empire Strikes Back in terms of tone, although even Empire failed to deal such devastating blows to its characters.
The film tells the story of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), daughter of a former Imperial Science officer. Her father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelson), left the Empire to become a farmer after creating the world’s most famous plot device. But work has stalled—the Empire can’t finish their superweapon without him and they have tracked him down to compel him to complete his work. In typical Empire fashion, they convince him by murdering his wife in front of him and his child.
Young Jyn escapes, but forever holds those images in her mind. It should come as no surprise that she is a prime candidate for radicalization into a rebellion against the Empire in her later years. After a pilot defects and lets loose rumors about the Death Star, Jyn is used by the rebellion to find information about the whereabouts of her father.
She is partnered with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a mercenary and assassin for the rebels who has his own motivation for finding Erso. Ultimately, this ragtag group of Rebels are responsible for finding the plans Princess Leia surreptitiously hides inside R2-D2 at the beginning of A New Hope.
This film ultimately succeeds for several reasons. First, it answers questions that audiences were genuinely curious about without inventing nonsense details like midichlorians and immaculate conception. Every detail revealed during the course of the film fits within the framework of the stories already told.
There’s no need for fans to fill in the blanks or create elaborate theories to explain away lazy plot holes by the writers. Director Gareth Edwards maintains tight control over the story and at no point does it get away from him.
Next, there are clear, significant stakes for the characters. Even though the audience knows where the film is headed and what the conclusion must be, the film is more than able to create tension. Given that these are new characters, not series regulars, it might have been difficult to craft personalities that the audience would identify with.
It’s exactly where Star Wars series needs to go—the galaxy is larger than Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Those are the stories that should be told in the intervening years between episodes and, in all likelihood, will be.
But beyond just the storytelling aspects, however, the filmmaking itself is exquisite. Rogue One is the best looking Star Wars film to date. Locations and special effects are blended seamlessly, while camera angles and lighting recall the original series without directly copying them. It’s a film that stands on its own, no small feat when you consider the impact the others have had on filmmaking in general.
In short, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is likely a better film than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It doesn’t rely on entirely on fan service to tell the story. The Force Awakens was a retelling of A New Hope, and while it was satisfying to longtime fans who grew up with the story, it wasn’t different enough to set itself apart.
Rogue One is.