When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released in December 2016, it was intended to be the first in a series of standalone Star Wars films that would expand the universe beyond the central "Skywalker saga." The box office failure of 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story effectively put an end to that project, but Rogue One still stands as the strongest example of how to build a different kind of story on Star Wars foundations.
The franchise's focus has since shifted to TV, and Rogue One returns to IMAX theaters this week to promote a new Star Wars TV series, Andor (which premieres Sept. 21 on Disney+). The series serves as a prequel to Rogue One, bringing back Diego Luna to reprise his role as the titular Cassian Andor. The Rogue One rerelease includes a preview of Andor, but no matter how compelling that footage may be, it's unlikely to match the cinematic grandeur of Rogue One. The film has a sense of scale that's missing from Star Wars TV projects, combined with a level of grit and toughness that never quite makes it into the main Skywalker movies.
Rogue One opens by immediately dropping the audience into danger and action alongside engineer Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen). He's a fugitive from the galaxy-spanning Empire, forced back into service to develop the weapon that would become the Death Star. Years later, his daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones) joins with Andor and other members of the Rebel Alliance to steal the plans for the finished Death Star, in which Galen has installed a secret flaw.
All of these events essentially fit into the margins of the opening text crawl of George Lucas' 1977 Star Wars, but the genius of Rogue One is that it never makes the outcome seem inevitable. The mission that Jyn, Andor and the rest of their crew undertake is elaborate and dangerous, and while Rogue One won't be mistaken for Saving Private Ryan, it takes the "Wars" part of the franchise title seriously. In the chaotic, intense finale, the characters storm the beaches at Scarif, ready to put their lives on the line for a cause they believe in.
Before that, director Gareth Edwards and the team of screenwriters establish distinctive characters with meaningful relationships, whether that's the frayed father-daughter bond between Galen and Jyn or the mutually supportive connection between warriors Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen). These are the grunts of the Rebellion, without the chosen-one destiny of Luke Skywalker. Chirrut believes in the power of the Force even though he's blind and isn't able to access its powers like Luke and Princess Leia can. This team accomplishes a nearly impossible task that turns the tide of the battle against the Empire, but they're eventually reduced to a few lines in a leader's introductory remarks.
There are cutesy continuity references and cameos in Rogue One, although at least the appearance by a vicious Darth Vader brings back some of the menace he lost in Lucas' prequels. Like every Star Wars production since Disney acquired the franchise, it functions as a brand extension, but within those parameters, it's a remarkable creative achievement, one that should have launched more successful careers.
Edwards was partially sidelined during production, and co-writer Tony Gilroy, who directed reshoots, is the person Disney turned to as creator and showrunner of Andor. Jones, who gives possibly the best performance in any Disney Star Wars project, has yet to find another vehicle worthy of her talents. Even as Rogue One returns to the biggest screens available, it's still a bit of a scrappy underdog, just like its main characters. Maybe now is the time for them, and their movie, to get the recognition they deserve. ♦
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story screens in IMAX at AMC River Park Square 20 starting Fri, Aug. 25
