REVIEW: ‘Rose Tico: Resistance Fighter’ by Jason Fry
Star Wars: The Last Jedi split die-hard Star Wars fans seemingly down the middle. The Rian Johnson-directed film had some juicy bits of franchise fun, but some of the side plots confounded loyalists — perhaps none more than the visit by Rose Tico and Finn to the casino planet of Canto Bight.
On this new world, which displays unhinged capitalism, the rich get richer, while the poor are exploited for their cheap labor. The morals and ethics that are brought into the discussion because of Canto Bight are welcomed; the problem with this casino planet rests with the semi-controversial character of DJ, played by Benicio Del Toro. He is supposed to help the Resistance (hence the trip taken by Rose and Finn to Canto Bight), but when he becomes a turncoat, the entire foray to this casino Mecca seems almost extraneous.
Now comes Jason Fry’s new book: Rose Tico: Resistance Fighter. This children’s book, which features pull-out pages and plenty of awesome illustrations, was probably not created to placate fans who were upset over the seeming frivolousness of Canto Bight in the movie, but it serves that purpose. By offering a deeper backstory on Rose, her family, her upbringing and her ultimate trip to Canto Bight, the reader is able to piece together details and see the relevancy for The Last Jedi’s trip to the casinos. In many ways, this little book elevates its cinematic source material and offers audiences even more of a reason to champion Rose’s cause.
Let’s start with the story: It’s told in a journal format, as if Rose were writing her feelings, opinions and actions for no one else to see. Fry honors this perspective throughout the mini tome, which can be read in one sitting. The journal-entry style allows the reader to get close to Rose and view, first hand, her love of family and fairness.
The visuals are beautiful, especially the schematic maps and blueprints that pull out in oversized pages. Rose is, after all, an engineer, so it makes sense that an autobiographical book by the character would be tech heavy.
Not too much is learned about Rose’s sister and her untimely demise, but that’s OK because Fry has a companion to Resistance Fighter: The complementary journal by Paige Tico, Bomber Command.
Fry writes for a younger audience of middle-school readers, but diehard Star Wars fans can enjoy these pages and see how The Last Jedi was pretty darn good and worthy of deeper introspection.
Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran, was awesome on screen, and now the character is fleshed out a bit and receives even more respect. Hopefully, Rose is around for a long time because she adds necessary commentary about excess, greed and honoring one’s family — all themes that can be found in Fry’s Resistance Fighter.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Rose Tico: Resistance Fighter by Jason Fry is now available from Studio Fun International. Click here for more information.
