Star Wars: Rogue One Review

Warning: There may be minor spoilers in this post

When the Star Wars spin-off films were first announced, I greeted them with a fair amount of scepticism, but following on from Episode VII successfully rejuvenating the franchise I headed to the cinema with the excitement for a new Star Wars I’d not really had since before Phantom Menace.

Rogue One is not your typical Star Wars film, from the off we’re introduced to location like many other Sci-Fi films do, but the likes we don’t usually get in the normal “Episodes”. Likewise there a flashback driven story elements that we’ve not really seen before – though there were minor parts along these lines in the Force Awakens they weren’t really story critical.

Considering the outcome of the story has been known since 1977, this is still a very compelling and engaging film. We get a far greater sense of an oppressive regime than the original trilogy showed us, with battles that felt harsh and almost a lost cause from the start.

Cast wise, it’s strong. Felicity Jones’ Jyn is excellent and an almost accidental hero; driven more by her own goal initially – but not in a Han Solo way – it is far more emotional, with the opening scenes forcing us to invest in her from the offset.

K-2SO adds a bit of comic relief to proceedings, but it wasn’t over done. He (it?) was more likeable than C3PO for me, but I wonder if over time (on the 100th watching) his occasional one liners will become more tedious.

One note against is Cassian Andor. His character felt a little incomplete in that in parts he was placed a sort of anti-hero, doing what must be done for the greater good. I’m not entirely sure what his motivation to change was come the end. Perhaps that’ll become clear when I next watch.

There’s plenty of little (and massive) nods to characters of old, all aiding the sense that this was a “Star Wars Story” in the same universe that we are familiar with.

The climatic scenes are what stand this out, however. With Vader called upon to retrieve the stolen plans. By this point we can see where we are going – almost to the very start of A New Nope. But the way it is achieved is not only a very good visual piece of cinema, but more over shows everyone’s favourite Sith Lord to be genuinely evil and relentless in serving the Empire.

Overall, this film an excellent story, tied in with just the right amount of nostalgia to a galaxy far, far away.

9

Outstanding

An excellent outing for Star Wars that shows that the universe can hold it's own with barely any indication of the Force - but the Force is certainly strong with this one.