Review: Rogue One, A Movie Worth Seeing And A Franchise Worth Critiquing

Let’s start with this: Rogue One is good. I already wrote about how even I, someone raised in the Star Trek fandom, am excited for this movie. Now that I’ve seen it, let me double down on that. This is the plot-driven space opera (with delightful elements of a space western) that I wanted needed. The story expands the universe we’ve come to know and love from the movies beautifully. If you grew up with the (original) franchise, then there are enough nods, throwbacks, and homages to keep the little kid in you giddy the whole way through – some subtle mirroring of iconic shots and other not-so-subtle inclusions that will have the entire audience doing that good quick gasp. The attention to detail throughout is evident. The ships and uniforms that we have known for decades are here and screaming out “Welcome home!” [divider type=”space_thin”] The care that is taken with the special effects alone deserves a standing ovation. We expect the CGI to be impeccable and believable based on the speed with which technology has evolved since Episode 4 premiered in 1977… and it is. But Rogue One is absolutely faithful to the aesthetic of the original and contributors spent time in the Star Wars archives looking not only at the ships we see in this installment in greater detail, but also at seemingly innocuous details like the colors of clothing. There is no gap between this movie and Episode 4 in terms of look and feel. But you don’t need to be awed by the care taken with setting to find so…