Netflix Daily Pick: A Long Time Ago in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)
May the Force Be With you in this latest installment of the classic series.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a 2016 sci-adventure about the Rebel Alliance making a risky move to steal the plans for the Death Star, setting up the epic saga to follow.
Today’s Netflix Pick is an epic sci-fi adventure that harkens back to an old one while trailblazing the next. Remember the days when you used to flip through Netflix and complain there was nothing to watch but old B-grade action movies? Well those days are over as the service continues to beef up its streaming with some truly big titles, thanks a lot to a deal with Disney. Now we get something like this. It’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and it’s what you’re watching tonight. Here’s why.
THE STORY: Directed by Gareth Edwards, this stand alone film in the franchise predates the first film in the series timeline, following a group of rebels led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the daughter of the man building the Death Star for the Empire, though he does so under duress. Trying to rescue him at first, their plans fail and against orders from the Alliance, decide to take on an even more dangerous mission. Meanwhile, the Death Star grows close to use under the watchful eye of weapons developer Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) who seeks notoriety as much as completion. A race begins to stop Krennic and Darth Vader as the small band of rebels fight to save the galaxy.
WHY YOU NEED TO WATCH: A much darker tone than most Star Wars film, Rogue One is a terrific action adventure that takes the series in a new direction. Featuring some tight direction and visual effects, the film, like any good Star Wars movie, is held together by the characters. Jyn is a great addition to the massive cast of players in the franchise, a powerful and important female lead that is made all the better by Jones’ great turn in the part. Kudos to the ensemble cast in fact, including Donnie Yen and Forest Whitaker for some strong support. Most likely you’ve already seen this movie, but now’s the best chance to see it again and relive this sensational thriller. It’s streaming on Netflix right now.