Rogue One: Is the latest Star Wars addition a good one?

Star Wars over the past almost 30 years has become a classic movie, going as far as some preaching the idea of, “If you haven’t seen it, you haven’t lived.” Star Wars: Episode IV originally was released on May 25th, 1977 with the The Empire Strikes Back: Episode V  in 1980 and Return of the Jedi: Episode VI  in 1983, standing as the original trilogy that would awe young minds everywhere, with many praising young Luke Skywalker and his crew of Princess Leia, Han Solo, and almost everyone’s favorite Chewbacca while both, despising and respecting one of the greatest villains of all time, Darth Vader. The original trilogy focused in on Luke Skywalker’s path to becoming one of the greatest Jedi’s on the Resistance against Darth Vader, as well as overcoming personal battles like finding out who his true father is. Almost fifteen years after these films were made the franchise’s creator George Lucas, went on to create the prologue or the beginning episodes of the original trilogy, turning it into a saga. This second wave of Star Wars including episodes one (1999), two (2002), and three (2003) (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith)  focused more on the demise of the Jedi world and the rise of the Sith as well as how Darth Vader came to power; establishing the ongoing battle between good and evil. After another fifteen years almost a third generation, families sat down to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 which focused on a young woman as the protagonist (yay, feminism and equality in film!) named Ray, who embarks on a journey to discover who she is and who she can become all the while fighting her nemesis, Kylo Ren which reignites the long battle between good and evil. What made many fans excited about this new addition to the Star Wars franchise were former cast members reprising their roles such as, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher (may the force be with her) as Princess Leia, and Harrison Ford as Han Solo. Many exercised the idea of contentment and sheer happiness with the film as it was not directed by the franchise’s beloved George Lucas as the franchise also having been bought by Disney but directed by, Star Trek’s J.J. Abrams. It seemed that all was well in the sci-fi world; older generations could share the excitement they had when watching Star Wars at their now children’s age…then came 2016’s Rogue One directed by 2014’s rendition of Godzilla, Gareth Edwards. Granted that 2016 was not the best year for some, many have vocalized their controversial opinions on it. While it did repeat the concept of a female protagonist trying to find her way many, are wondering…Did we really need another Star Wars?

Contrary to disbelief, Rogue One provided buoyancy until the latest Star Wars edition is set to be released in late 2017. Mimicking the ways of George Lucas, Gareth Edwards had the story rewind prior to the majority of the franchise onto exactly how the Death Star or, Darth Vader’s beloved planet-ship was created. Accredited sources rank the film as one to watch with Rotten Tomatoes giving it 85% and Rolling Stone rating it at a 3.5 out of 4, with all due respect the film seemed to fare very well in the eyes of the entertainment business and seemed to do exceedingly better than Edwards’ previous film, Godzilla which ranking a full 9% less than Rogue One. Opposed to some of it’s younger fans Variety describes Gareth’s stab at the Star Wars franchise as “…finally [having] made the first “Star Wars” movie for grown-ups.” Variety goes on to note there are no “excessive” cuddly-comical characters such as the small bear-like creatures called, Ewoks, and “…more like a down-and-dirty war movie…”. In this perspective, Gareth can be applauded in overlapping Star Wars and much heavier topics. Moreover, yes the Star Wars franchise has been around longer than most of the millennial generation it has come to form a great portion of entertainment culture and yes, the second trilogy of the franchise may not have been amazing, but Rogue One may not be a bad movie…it just might not be for you…but, it will still be beloved by Star Wars fans and families.