ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY
Director: Gareth Edwards
Cert: 12A 134 mins
‘A rebellion built on hope.’ That’s the tagline for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Similarly, Avengers director Joss Whedon once said: ‘The best form of rebellion is joy.’
As a stand-alone Star Wars film, Rogue One nevertheless leads into Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and others trying to steal the plans to the Death Star.
It’s a story of broken people finding a team and a purpose; somewhat like the church. It’s more serious in tone than the other Star Wars films, but is lent a nice sense of humour by the entertainingly forthright droid K2-SO (Alan Tudyk). Nearly all of his lines are comedy gold.
Walking by faith
There are also plenty of little references and cameos, tying the film in with the larger Star Wars universe, as well as some entertaining action sequences.
Donnie Yen plays a blind warrior who literally walks by faith and not by sight. He repeats something like: ‘I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.’
He tells another character: ‘There are many different kinds of prison. Your prison is inside you, and you carry it around with you wherever you go.’ (c.f. John 8.34-36.)
Also, when Jyn Erso is freed from the Empire, she instinctively starts fighting her rescuers. K2-SO tells her: ‘Congratulations. You are being rescued. Please don’t resist.’ This is a great reminder of God’s amazing grace.
Rogue One is a grittier Star Wars film than most, with a heroic yet tragic ending, that’s lent greater significance by the bigger picture of the whole saga. However, it’s heartening that, literally, the last word is ‘Hope’.
