My first memories include "Star Wars." I was Queen Amidala for Halloween by the time I was five, and I’ve been Padme during the "Battle of Geonosis" twice since then. My family dresses up for movie premieres. There are more collectables than can be counted. My mom has a license plate frame that says “Jedi Family” and stickers that show where her allegiance lies.
"Star Wars" is in my blood. I am a Star Baby.
You can bet your bottom dollar we had tickets for the early showings of "Rogue One" on December 15. While I still intend to see it a few more times to get my full feelings sorted, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it.
This was not part of the franchise I anticipated loving as much as I did, but I am also the person who holds JarJar Binks in her heart. Listen, he was made for me. He was created for my age demographic when "Phantom Menace" came out. Hate him all you want -- I get it -- but maybe he’s just not your cup of tea. I can’t stand the "Hangover" movies, I don’t think "South Park" is funny whatsoever, and I perpetually fall asleep during movies my boyfriend wants me to watch. I’ll let you watch "Ted" for the sixth time if you let me have JarJar.
From this point on, I will be talking about the plot in "Rogue One." Things will get ruined for you if you have not seen the movie, and I will be all over the place. If you want to know, read on. If you still want to be surprised, stop now. Last chance. Turn back now. These are not the droids you are looking for.
So it opens up with no story crawl. No yellow text against the stars. Just opens up in space with a ship soaring through the sky. I’m not mad about that -- it’s just a "Star Wars" story, not part of a trilogy.
We’re given a flashback scene introducing some of the main characters. Of course, mother dies because the mother is always dying in a galaxy far, far away. Regardless: Hell yeah, female leads! Finally we are getting women I would have looked up to when I was in a car seat.
The three main characters (Jyn, Cassian, and droid K-2SO) resemble Leia, Han, and a clever combo of our two favorite droids: C3-PO and R2-D2. K is easily one of my favorite characters potentially ever in a "Star Wars" film. He made me actually laugh out loud and has some of the best moments. When he gets shot down protecting Jyn and Cassian, I was trying to convince myself that they could just pick him up and bring him back. He’s a droid; they just need to fix his parts. It’s happened to C3-PO like a million times. He’ll be fine!
Then there is Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe, a Rebel warrior and a blind monk with faith in the Force, respectively. We grew to love this duo. Chirrut can’t see what’s going on around him, but listens for movement. He wields a staff and takes down Stormtroopers with ease while Baze, a brute of a character, backs him up with large guns strapped to his back. I’m not sure what exactly the point of their characters were, but I still loved them and felt sad to see them go.
This main bunch of comrades come together to get the plans for the Death Star so the Rebel Alliance can take it down. After a long battle-on-the-beach finale, they succeed (of course), but at great cost.
"Rogue One" has many nods to their predecessors. From quips such as “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” to Grand Moff Tarkin making a CGI comeback, this felt like home. Darth Vader came on the screen and the audience was pumped. C3-PO and R2 appeared for a split second, bringing tears to my eyes. This was a movie built for the fans. It requires prior knowledge for it to make sense.
Is that necessarily a bad thing? With one of the largest, most dedicated fanbases in the world, why not give us a movie that will make us feel like we’re back to the beginning?
