The Rebel Alliance attempts to steal plans for the Empire's Death Star in ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.
Set just prior to STAR WARS EPISODE ONE: THE NEW HOPE, ROGUE ONE follows a different story in the STAR WARS saga, the story of Jyn Erso, an orphan played by Felicity Jones, who fled her home as a child following the death of her mother and the capture of her father, Galen, at the hands of the Empire. Jyn is found by Saw, played by Forrest Whitaker, an independent rebel and ally of Jyn's late mother. Years pass, and the rebel forces learn of an Empire device, the Death Star, that can destroy entire planets. Although Galen has been with the Empire for years, he's been working internally against it, building a fail safe within the Death Star.
After reuniting with his daughter, Galen reveals to Jyn that there's a way to detonate the Death Star. Jyn wishes to work with rebel forces to defeat the Empire, but the Rebel Alliance questions her motives as her father worked with the Empire.
Where THE PHANTOM MENACE was more in touch with STAR WARS child-like nature, sometimes to nauseating effect, ROGUE ONE is rather grim, dull and often lifeless. The performances are stoic with Jones and co-star Diego Luna rarely revealing any personality or little emotion. Their characters are workmanlike in nature, much like the plot, focused on the mechanics of what their characters are discovering, rather than revealing any soul.
The story amounts to gathering information and relaying a message, not exactly groundbreaking storytelling. The infusion of the force is heavy-handed, and reverts to repeated sermonizing from Chirrut Imwe, a blind warrior, who continues to iterate the phrase, "The force is with me and I am one with the force".
ROGUE ONE is not without its successes. The special effects have never been better, the cameos are wonderfully sprinkled throughout and the conclusion is a refreshingly dark, yet meaningful testament to the lead characters faith in their mission.
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY does well with the secondary aspects, but falters with the most crucial parts. I don't recommend it with a "C".
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