Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Due to a soon-to-expire gift card found in the back of a drawer, I was provided with an opportunity to have a night off from parenting duties. A quick glance at the movie program and my decision was made – Star Wars!

Firstly, be warned – this may contain spoilers. I’ll try to not give too much away, but as someone who is in no way qualified to review movies, I’m really not sure what is important and what isn’t. Remember, this is written from the perspective of a father escaping the house for one night.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t read anything about the movie and had only vaguely heard that it filled in some of the storyline from the original movies. I was also aware that it wasn’t, strictly speaking, part of the Star Wars series of movies – that is, no Skywalker (other than a few cameos by Darth Vader). I was okay with that.

I used the gift card to buy my ticket online – a surprisingly easy process (duh, says everyone who still has a life and already knows such things). Going to the movies by myself was going to be an entirely new experience for me, so I attempted to book a seat in what I called my ‘circle of solitude’. That is, as far away from anyone else as possible, while still having a decent view of the screen. As a side note – cinemas are on to a winner with gift cards. They have found an easy way to make $30 from a $25 movie!

I had booked a ticket for a 6.30pm session. Having not at all accounted for the Christmas shopper traffic entering the shopping centre, I found myself madly trying to find a park at 6.25. Thankfully I have a never-fail part of the car park and, sure enough, there was a spot waiting for me. I rushed through the crowds and joined the queue for express collection. Again, this was an extremely easy process and I soon had my ticket.

I ignored the strict instructions to only consume food purchased at the cinema and hurried downstairs to the supermarket to buy snacks. Due to the lack of time (it was now 6.30) I made the rushed decision of extra strong mints. On reflection, this was a poor choice of movie snack. I had begun to regret it even before the trailers had finished.

I settled into my seat, slightly dismayed that my circle of solitude had somewhat diminished. Happily though, there were still a few seats between me and other people. I watched some interesting-looking trailers for some movies I doubt I’ll ever see and already can’t remember the name of, then the main event began.

Immediately the movie felt somehow familiar – a throwback to the original Star Wars. I liked that very much. It helped me to really relax into the movie a re-live some fond childhood memories. Not that I was ever a massive Star Wars nerd. It occurred to me the other day that I have never even watched all of The Empire Strikes Back in one sitting.

The basic premise of the movie is that some bloke, who’s name escapes me, is captured and forced to work on the construction of the Death Star. His daughter, Jyn, escapes when her farther is captured and she is raised by a fanatic terrorist. His half-hearted attempts at parenting culminate with her full-scale abandonment at the age of 16. This leaves Jyn jaded, apathetic and with serious trust issues. Eventually the Rebel Alliance somehow cotton on to Jyn’s true identity and rescue/kidnap her. She is not too impressed by that, but with little option, she decides to help the Alliance steal the plans for the Death Star and reveal its one weakness.

Jyn is partnered up with a Rebel Alliance guy named Cassian and his wisecracking droid, and adventures ensue. Along the way they make some more friends and form a motley crew.

The film is full of nods to the original trilogy, most of which I was no-doubt oblivious to. The one that made me most happy was the appearance of Darth Vader. The action scenes are also pretty great, without being over the top.

Overall I found the whole thing thoroughly enjoyable, and a worthwhile way of spending rare alone time. If you had any interest in the original Star Wars films, you will probably enjoy this one.