Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! where I will talk to you about all sorts of things in the world of Geekdom!
Today I am going to address something on the tip of everyone's tongue: Star Wars. This will be my review of the recent anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! Sit back, buckle in, and get ready to punch the light-speed because: Here We Go!
The first Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope) was released in 1977 and since it's release I think it's fair to say that the franchise has grown to be quite possibly the most influential piece of media for the past 3 generations. Light saber duels, and epic use of the force have been staples of the franchise that have drawn people to it, but there is so much more that this universe has to give, and Rogue One is the first film to tap into that rich material.
Often it is very easy to lose the scope of the words "A long time ago in a GALAXY far, far away.." but this film tries to bring that scope in full focus. Star Wars has focused on the struggle between the light and dark side of the force, and while that is certainly a HUGE part of Star Wars, it narrows down the focus to Jedi and Sith. However, the struggle of Rogue One is that of the people. The rebellion's struggle in the face of the ever growing Galactic empire in particular. For those who have not yet had the chance to see Rogue One and care about spoilers, it's time to close out or skip a few paragraphs because SPOILERS AHEAD!
Rogue One a Star Wars Story follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a daughter of an Imperial Scientist brought up by Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whitaker) to fight the Empire. After seemingly being abandoned by her former cohorts, she is sprung from an Imperial Labor Camp by the newly formed Rebellion to act as a contact to her former mentor. It appears that her father (Mads Mikelson) has sent Saw a turncoat Imperial shuttle pilot with message about an upcoming weapons test that is imminent (the ever notorious Death Star from the original Star Wars films) and the rebellion hopes to find out more about this weapon. She is sent to accompany handlers, a rebellion Intel officer Cassian Andor and his re programmed imperial tactics droid K-2SO to Jedha City where Saw has headquartered his operation and holds the Shuttle Pilot in custody. While in Jedha, Jyn discovers her father's involvement in the creation of this "Death Star" was a way for him to secretly build weakness into the Empire that could lead to it's downfall. Reinvigorated by her father's sacrifice, Jyn goes head first into spear heading a mission to steal the Death Star plans. Throughout they pick up more companions to take on the Empire with from across the Star Wars universe. This film has almost no connection to Jedi and Sith (barring a few minutes with Darth Vader) and as such has the ability to focus on the war between the Empire and Rebellion. What we get is something that I personally found surprising, a film that realistically shows war as a time of moral compromise for the grander mission.
Since Disney Acquired the rights of Star Wars, there has been an overall concern that Star Wars would become too light of a franchise that wasn't willing to delve into the deep and dark places the original franchise did. However, Rogue One should put ALL of those fears to bed. All of these characters have been scarred and tarnished by the Empire in some way or another and the Rebellion is, at this point so early in it's founding, so fragile and desperate that they are willing to walk some very murky lines of morality to fight the Empire. What this does is give us a sense of reality in it all. As I said earlier, the conflict of the Jedi and the Sith have been the ultimate focus of this franchise (as far as the films are concerned) and this fantastical element makes it very easy to forget about the grand scope of things. It allows us to disconnect from a universe that exists in a state very much like the one of our own, a world of larger grays than stark black and white. Moments of Cassian's duplicity throughout the first two acts of the film are great examples of how far the Rebellion is going to fight the Galactic empire. Cassian has a brilliant dialogue with Jyn when confronted with secret orders to execute her father:
We don't all have the luxury of deciding when and where we want to care about something. Suddenly the rebellion is real for you? Some of us live it. I have been in this fight since I was six years old. You're not the only one who lost everything, some of us just decided to do something about it.
While the film has some minor flaws (could have done with a few less comedic one liners, and maybe delve a bit deeper into the characters of the leading cast) ultimately Rogue One stands out as an instant classic addition to the Star Wars story. It serves as a Dirty Dozen story with heart and grit that lights the fuel of the rebellion brighter than any of the previous films. The third and final act of this movie will have you cheering, sobbing, gasping for air from suspense, and leave you with a hope for the future that you already have seen. If this is the standard Disney plans to achieve for their vision of Star Wars, then there is a bright future for a galaxy far, far away indeed.
May the Force be with you, this has been Comic Relief!
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