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Thomas Soliz

Professor Collins

ENGL 1301

13 February 2017

Double Take: Rogue One

With Star Wars being rekindled for the modern generation, the newest edition to the

franchise has arrived. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was created for the enjoyment of the fans

and the new comers to the Star Wars universe. The first major Star Wars movies came from the

mindset of George Lucas who later founded Lucasfilm. In recent years, Lucasfilm made a

decision to sell its rights to Disney which decided to bring back the notable franchise. The two-

hour and thirteen-minute film was released on December 16, 2016 according to IMDb.com. With

the variety of writers working on the project, director Gareth Edwards merges these ideas

together for the final product. Cast and crew members assembled to produce the natural effects

and acting of the movie. The visual effects are the main focus in these type of movies, so it is

crucial for the production to create something unique. I will be reviewing Rogue One: A Star

Wars Story based on the plot, characters, and effects to determine if I recommend this film to

other fans of the Star Wars franchise.

The plot of Rogue One has to grasp the ideal manner of the audiences mindset which

relates to the development of the film. It is the main reason why people go see movies in the first

place for the story that is going to be told. Rogue One has the factor in which the plot is actually

moving in a direction that makes the audience feel as if they are invested into the film. Rogue

One is a prequel to the main franchise and tells the plot of how the rebel alliance obtained the

empires plans for the death star. It also has that mixture of characters that learns how to ban
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together as a team for a greater cause. It lays down the framework for the first trilogy that came

out and created the background information that was much needed for the other films.

In Rogue One, the cast of personalities that the film is based on is a central point for the

whole production. With the list of characters from the star Jyn Erso to the sarcastic droid K-2SO,

the foundation of their backstory was carefully thought out. The reason why they spend so much

time on the growth of the characters is because of the emotional investment they want the

audience to have until the ending of the film. In the serious moments the film has it still handles

the lighter side of it perfectly with the way the characters adapt to the situations. From the first

minute to the last second, the transition of the personality that each character has is nothing short

of astonishing.

The effects for Star Wars have always been a major role for any film released due to the

amazing work the production crew puts in to it. From the set production to the computer-

generated imagery (CGI), it needs to be perfect to have that impact to the audience. In the movie,

it does have a handful of CGI movements that are necessary for the film just because of the

futuristic setting it is in stated StarWars.com. That does not take away from the fact that the

effects more traditional was still impressive when it comes to the costumes, scenery, and location

that they laid out. With the mixture of the two it creates the most unique visitation possible for

the audiences eyes. Nothing was missing with the effects it showed off it was outstanding to that

degree alone.

I am going to give Rogue One: A Stars Wars Story an eight point five out of ten, but

overall the film was great and fun to watch with anyone. From the beginning to the end the

movie kept me intact with the plot, characters, and effects that was displayed throughout it. It

was engaging in how they brought a piece of history back to life with the building upon of this
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idea. With all the positives that I have over the film there is some negatives that are apparent. In

some circumstances it seemed that the movie tried too hard to be a fan base type of film with the

overused amount of references from other Star Wars movies. There were also some minor plot

holes and uncomfortable CGI moments in there, but it did not ruin the film for me. With the

excitement around this movie and the possibility of letting the audience down I believe that this

film is a must see for anyone that wants to enjoy an outstanding experience at the theater or at

home.
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Works Cited

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. IMDb, Dec. 16 2016, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528/.

Accessed Feb. 8 2017.

Rogue One. StarWars.com, Dec. 16 2016, http://www.starwars.com/films/rogue-one.

Accessed Feb. 9 2017.