14 | The Blue Um brella Jan- Feb
" A new st andalone f i lm i n t he beloved St ar Wars f ranchise "
Worth Seeing: Rogue One
by Sam V.
Christ m ast im e in 2016 was a season of num erous blockbust ers t hat swept t hrough t heat ers around t he US. Hacksaw Ridge, La La Land, and Hidden Figures t o nam e a few. However, one m ovie st ood out from t he rest, and a large crowd of adoring fans count ed down t he days t o it s Decem ber 16t h release. That film was Rogue One: A St ar Wars St ory, a new st andalone film in t he beloved St ar Wars franchise.
The st ory kicks off wit h viewers following Jyn Erso, beloved daught er of a respect ed im perial officer. When her fat her flees from t he Em pire t o t ry and give his fam ily a bet t er life, t hings cat ch up wit h him. He is t aken from his fam ily and forced t o build a superweapon for t he Em pire m any fans m ay recognize, t he Deat h St ar. Jyn receives a m essage t hat her fat her is alive, and t hat he has plans t o t he Deat h St ar t hat he want s t o leak t o t he rebellion. She t hen em barks on a daring advent ure t o find t he Deat h St ar plans before it is t oo lat e, and t he Deat h St ar is unleashed.
Rogue One not only sat isfied fans of t he series by adding anot her great film t o t he St ar Wars canon, it also present ed m any challenging t hem es for m oviegoers t o grapple wit h. The film cont ains m any great m om ent s where charact ers m ust overcom e bit t erness t hat t hey have t owards ot hers, learn t o forgive, and learn t o choose ot hers before t hey t hink of t hem selves.
The film was rat ed PG- 13, unlike m ost of it s PG rat ed predecessors, but it kept t he violence t o a reasonable level and kept any profanit y or inappropriat e cont ent from m aking t he cut. No need for parent s t o use t he force in m aking a decision t o t ake t heir fam ily t o see t his film. Rogue One m ade an im pressive $ 520,000,000 over t he holiday season and int o t he new year.
So if m oviegoers are int erest ed in seeing t he next St ar Wars film, st rap int o an X- wing or TI E Fight er st arship and blast off. Just keep a light saber close, for t his film m arks t he ret urn of t he great villain Dart h Vader t o t he series. Thought he was t oo old and needed t o ret ire? Think again.