Rogue One, And How to Revamp a Series (No Spoilers)

Rogue One is the latest in a potential line of Disney-run Star Wars movies, and it is the first full length film to not focus on the previous main characters. Where as all previous Star Wars films had a direct connection to each other, this film is unique in that it's story features all new characters with their own brand new stories.

                                             (Just a few members of the Rogue One cast)

The characters are fantastic and share a perfect chemistry with each other, while also maintaining their own special individualism. The key thing that Rogue one gets right is that it captured the Star Wars universe while still staying it's own movie. In order to explain that a little bit here are some examples.

                 
                                    

These are just a few examples of movies that completely missed the mark while attempting to create a successful remake. In the case of the Fantastic 4 and Tarzan, they were both fairly new and different in comparison to previous titles of the same series', but they failed because they didn't recreate the universes that audiences knew. Without that original atmosphere the only thing that links these movies to their past is the characters. With Zoolander 2 it was the exact opposite, a movie with a similar atmosphere and style of humor to the previous title and no new content at all.

Rogue one manages to be an untold story with brand new characters, while also capturing the sheer magnitude and beauty of the immense Star Wars universe. The landscapes are beautiful and vibrant, and they scream "Star Wars" even though we've never seen them before.
    
              (A lush green canopy of trees on a  tropical beach is destroyed by familiar AT-AT's)

It isn't just the environments that make it believable, but also the minor details. Weapons, star ships, clothing, background characters - they all are undeniably from the same universe as A New Hope. The soundtrack perfectly captures sounds from the previous films but in an all new score that is both fresh and nostalgic at the same time.


                                      (Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO run from Storm troopers)

Rogue one is a perfect example of properly remaking a series. It is a fresh, exciting take on a classic series and truly a diamond in the rough of recent remakes. It even manages to make last years The Force Awakens look more than a bit recycled in comparison.