My handle is Han Shot First, my avatar is a cartoon of Han Solo wasting Greedo... and I have an 11 year old son. Of course I went to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on opening night. I even kept my kids up past their bedtimes to do it. Did I let them stay up for them or for me? I'm honestly not sure. But I'm very glad I did!
My 11 year old son loved this movie. He would see it again right now. I really liked it (but I can't possibly love it as much as an 11 year old). I would take him to see it again right now. My wife liked it and would rent it again. My 9 year old daughter was too tired to make it through the entire movie so her grade is an "incomplete".
This movie is made for twelve year olds. That is not necessarily a bad thing. There are a ton of very entertaining movies aimed at twelve year olds. I believe this was also the case for the original Star Wars trilogy... and I will love those movies until the day I die.
In my opinion, a movie aimed at twelve year olds has a few essential elements. These include:
- A fairly simple plot
- Fun
- Action
- Great visuals
- Someone to root for
- A distinct beginning , middle, and end (This may sound odd but I mean a story that a twelve year old could explain to another twelve year old. "First this happens. Then this. Finally this..."
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story systematically checks off all of these boxes.
If you are looking for a complicated plot with no holes and a lot of twists and turns, then this is not the movie for you. The plot is very simple... the good guys must stop the bad guys by stealing their plans. (There is a bit more to it than that. However, if that is the only part you concentrated on, you would still have fun). There are a few plot holes... but who cares? The story does its job: it provides the vehicle to get the audience to the awesome final battle scene.
If you were looking for some deep character development, you might be a bit disappointed. You aren't going to fall in love with any of these characters. But that is OK. It is a stand alone movie. You are already in love with the important characters from the franchise. This movie is a side story for the side characters. I bet you will like the characters quite a bit. Unfortunately, there are so many likable ones, that there is no time to truly fall in love with any. But boy oh boy, several of them are a ton of fun!
That is the point of this movie. It's fun. It's a great appetizer to tide you over until Episode VIII is released next year. Rogue One is a delicious appetizer!
There are ground battles with blaster rifles, melee battles with staffs, air battles to support the ground troops, space battles... and a heist. What more could you want out of a "popcorn" movie? No wonder my son loved it. That sounds simply awesome to 12 year old me!
Of course the special effects were dazzling. I don't recall anything new (like the reverse time fight scenes in Dr. Strange) but they pulled off the old standards flawlessly. The space battles are amazing. In addition, the creatures and droids are perfect. The new planets are also incredible.
It takes a little while for the movie to get going, but once it picks up speed, there is a ton of fun. There are just enough jokes (especially from the droid K-2SO) to remind you that you are supposed to be having fun. More importantly, they throw in several "Easter eggs" for the older Star Wars fans in the audience.
As an adult, you really will have to rely heavily on your ability to suspend your disbelief. You will also have to accept that in this technologically advanced civilization, levers are still extremely important. There are a few times where it's essential for a character to throw a lever. After a couple of these situations, this reliance on levers caused me to raise my eyebrow... while my son cheered "Throw that lever!" On the ride home, I brought up the silly use of levers. My son quickly shut me up by reminding me that Obi Wan Kenobi had to throw several levers in order to shut down the tractor beam in Star Wars. Yep. He shut me up real good.
If you are a Star Wars fan, you must see the movie ASAP. If you are the parent of a Star Wars fan, you must take them ASAP... and if you go in with the right attitude, you will have a lot of fun.
As far as the appropriate age for this movie... as always, that depends on each individual child. The movie has WARS in the title so there are going to be quite a few deaths. None of them are graphic. The following line will be the only spoiler. If you aren't worried about kids, there is no need to read the following sentence. The movie opens with Jyn Erso, the main character, as a young child. Her mother is shot and killed by a blaster bolt in front of her. Then her father is taken away. My daughter was sad but not devastated. She was FAR more traumatized by The Good Dinosaur (which happens to be one of the worst children's movies I have ever seen).
*This is typical of the battle scenes in the movie.
If your child would be scared by this, you better wait.*This movie is not suited for very young children. It relies more heavily on action than even The Force Awakens. There is no "cute" droid to distract the little ones.
One final note from the part of me that is a serious Star Wars fan. The writers didn't screw anything up... unlike the prequels. Episode III Revenge of the Sith had one job: show us how Darth Vader became Darth Vader. In my opinion, George Lucas failed miserably. I do not have the same feeling about this movie. The writers had one job (I know it's obvious but in order to avoid any spoilers, I'm not going to write what that one job was )and they did a fine job.
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0 Number of eye rolls: 1 ( I had to put at least one for all of the levers plus one bad joke) Number of face palms: 0 Number of times my kids asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0 Number of times I checked steemit: 0 Number of times I said "That's ridiculous": 0 (I was willing to totally suspend disbelief) Did my kids like it: My 11 year old son: YES!!!!!!!! My 9 year old daughter: yes? Would I see it without my kids: Absolutely. I am a Star Wars geek and I was not disappointed at all. Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Full Price (Full Price three times for my son and I)
