Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Jeremy Werner
December 14th, 2016
The good folks at Disney would probably like it if I tried to stay away from spoilers in ROGUE ONE as much as I possibly could. But if you’ve seen all the other STAR WARS movies, then you basically know what ROGUE ONE is about and what’s going to happen. But very little has ever been said in the film series about the ragtag bunch of rebels that found the plans to the Death Star.
You might sometimes hear people misattribute the line, “Many Bothans died to bring us this information,” to A NEW HOPE when it’s actually from RETURN OF THE JEDI. That’s usually the closest a casual STAR WARS fans has come to understanding the sacrifice of the fictional brave men and women, albeit incorrectly. So the folks behind ROGUE ONE had quite a bit of wiggle room; maybe too much.
When we first meet Jyn, she’s a preteen living with her parents on the quiet, unassuming family farm. A visit by the Galactic Empire shatters her world as they seize her father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen). Galen’s technical and engineering skills are highly valued by the Empire because his expertise and flawless ideas are needed to finish the Death Star. Jyn goes into hiding and much like her father, disappears into the boundlessness of space.
Years later we’re reacquainted with Jyn, who’s now stoic and quietly searching for her father. Enter the Rebellion. An Empire deserter speaks of a message from one of the architects of the Death Star and Jyn may be the key to unlocking the message and finding the plans to the Death Star. While I can’t say too much more, in fear that Disney (and rabid STAR WARS fans) would crucify me, I don’t really know if there is much more to say.
The story is fairly basic and there isn’t any new flavoring or characters (outside of a reprogrammed droid voiced by Alan Tudyk) that add much to the vast STAR WARS universe. I found myself thinking that this is a movie I could have taken a few dozen smoke breaks during without fear of missing anything. For a movie that’s well over two hours, it feels about as empty as space, at least when there’s not state of the art CGI effects screeching and blasting for my attention.
I also have to mention that SOUTH PARK may have spoiled the magic for me. The TV show, along with dozens of other critics before them, pointed out that THE FORCE AWAKENS coasted on rehashing and recycling content that induced nostalgia instead of creating something exciting and original. While I don’t fully agree with that sentiment when it comes to J.J. Abrams vision, it may hold truer for ROGUE ONE.
There are a lot of moments that feel shoehorned in. There are a nauseating amount of winks and nods to the audience that seemingly replaced barren storytelling. I should feel something for the rebels on screen, but I really don’t. I should be excited and cheering that the rebels are dealing their first blow to the empire, but I felt numb. The writers populated ROGUE ONE with one dimensional characters and by-the-books tropes.
Jyn, the key to the movie, is the only person with depth, but the character deserves a lot of credit. Jyn has the most genuine connection with the audience because she’s an indirect key to Rebellion. The Rebellion is made up of political figureheads and mercenaries with their own personal needs and wants. So Jyn’s reluctance to join because of trust issues at ROGUE ONE’s beginning births a natural transition into doing the right thing. Jyn’s progression highlights a powerful parental bond of forgiveness and love triumphing over hate.
Outside of her powerful emotional impact, she plugs up some of the nagging logical plot holes that have haunted A NEW HOPE for years. Jyn is a wonderful addition to the STAR WARS canon, but the majority of her counterparts are disposable. I have no doubt that ROGUE ONE will make a billion dollars, entertain millions, and help greenlight dozens of more STAR WARS scripts. I just hope the studio grows past the urge to feed into cheap nostalgia and take a risk next time.
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