"Rogue One": The Prequel "Star Wars" Deserved

First and foremost, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is a fast-paced adjunct to 1977's "Star Wars" -- a visually handsome movie that focuses on action and keeps needless exposition to a minimum.

It is not a "reboot of the past" like J.J. Abrams "The Force Awakens." 

Rather, it is its own concoction and serves as more of a tribute, careening its way around the galaxy, adding depth and texture to the franchise.

It is the movie equivalent of a kid's adventure created with Kenner "Star Wars" action figures back in the 1970s and 80s. 

Those of you who have seen various World War II "men on a mission" movies (like "Force 10 From Navarone," "The Dirty Dozen," and "Where Eagles Dare") will recognize the direction "Rogue One" is headed. 

The story focuses on Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a girl whose father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) is the scientific mind behind the Death Star. She is forced to fend for herself as a small girl when her father is forcibly taken by Imperial Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) to complete work on the planet-killing weapon (Jyn's mother is killed in the process). 

Jyn ends up being raised by a band of revolutionaries, led by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). 

Fast forward 15 years. Jyn is being held captive by Imperial forces. She is freed from captivity by the Rebel Alliance with the hope that she can track down her father, so they can put a stop to work on the Death Star. 

She is teamed up with rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and a reprogrammed Imperial droid called K-2SO (voiced by "Firefly's" Alan Tudyk) for the mission. 

I won't give you a blow-by-blow rundown of what transpires next, but you can see where the story is going -- tracking down clues and bits of information in an attempt to find Galen Erso in order to thwart the Death Star from wreaking havoc on the galaxy...

"Star Wars" aficionados will find a number of "Easter eggs" strewn throughout the film. Casual observers likely won't notice, and generally won't have the "depth of knowledge" to see all the trinkets that tie into the next movie. 

"Kyber Crystals" are also referenced in the movie (Jyn has one on a necklace). I first read about them in Alan Dean Foster's 1978 SW novel "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" (although they were spelled differently). 

Some of the other attempts at continuity between movies are less than effective. 

For example, there is a CG version of a long-deceased actor who appeared in "A New Hope." We've seen that technique employed in movies like "Tron: Legacy" (to create a young Jeff Bridges) and "Captain America: Civil War" (to create a young Robert Downey Jr.). 

The tech behind such additions is better than it used to be, but is still not quite lifelike. 

Darth Vader also appears in a couple juicy scenes (as shown in pre-release trailers). The moments with Vader worked well, and filmmakers even included red-tinted eye lens on his mask, as they did in 1977's "Star Wars." 

The challenge with any prequel -- especially one bookended on both sides by other movies -- is the fact that there is little wiggle room for filmmakers to tell a story. 

To be honest, part of what made 2015's "The Force Awakens" so intriguing was the fact that it presented mysteries for viewers to chew on -- something that was done to great effect in 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back." 

Disney/Lucasfilm is set to start filming a story focusing on the early life of Han Solo in 2017 -- which has the potential for a bit more space to breathe in terms of plot/character development. 

Overall, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is an entertaining entry in the "Star Wars" saga. While it might not be the best film of the franchise, it is the best prequel story, and has a pounding pulse that should please ardent fans and casual holiday moviegoers alike. 

Rated PG-13, Runtime: 2 hrs, 14 min

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