Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Spoiler-Free Review

{Consideration provided by Walt Disney Studios}

I went into the early press screening of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with an open mind, allowing the film to unfold without any presumptions about what it should be. I’ve been watching the Star Wars film series since I was introduced to the galaxy by my father as a child, and my kids have quickly followed suit, now captivated by these epic stories. Unlike Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we didn’t find ourselves hypothesizing about the details of these characters. We didn’t binge watch the first six episodes. We simply sat back and immersed ourselves in the first in a new series of stand-alone films set in a galaxy far, far away.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Filling in the Gaps

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, takes place before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The film tells the story of Jyn Erso, daughter of scientist Galen Erso, who’s banded together with an unlikely group on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star. Together with Rebel Alliance Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor, Rebel-owned Imperior enforcer droid K-2SO, freelance assassin Baze Malbus, and warrior Chirrut Îmw, the team embarks on a dangerous mission where loyalties are obscure and trust isn’t assumed.

The idea for the Star Wars stories came from George Lucas, who dreamed of “standalone stories that lived and breathed inside the Star Wars universe” (Director Kathleen Kennedy). The new Star Wars Stories will introduce new characters, explore a variety of genres, and occur anyplace on within the timeline of Episodes I-VII.

The inspiration for Rogue One came from the opening of A New Hope

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

The question begged…who were these rebel spies and how did they manage to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon? Thus formed the premise for Rogue One, which occurs “after Episode II and the purge of the Jedi where all of the remaining Jedi have gone into hiding” (John Knoll). Ordinary citizens (Jyn, Cassian) will have to step up and show their heroism.

From the familiar opening Star Wars crawl until the closing scene, Rogue One is exciting, gritty, compelling, and visually engaging. The film answers as many questions as it asks and you’ll walk away feeling both content and wanting more. The cinematography is breathtaking and from start to finish, there is no doubt you are in the Star Wars universe. While the story and most of the characters are new, there is enough familiarity to appeal to longstanding fans.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuts in theaters December 16th in 3D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D!

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.