Star Wars: Rogue One

4 / 5

IMDb Rating: 8.2

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Bodhi Rook, Mads Mikkelsen.

Plot Summary: Jyn Erso, a Rebellion soldier and criminal, is about to experience her biggest challenge yet when Mon Mothma sets her out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. With help from the Rebels, a master swordsman, and non-allied forces, Jyn will be in for something bigger than she thinks. (IMDb)

Rogue One is the first of the spin-off anthology films to be released, sitting between The Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) and A New Hope (Episode IV). The prequels are as divisive as the original trilogy are masterful, and with Rogue One planted in between the two eras of Star Wars film-making, this film resembles the better of the trilogies more acutely than the lesser. The advanced CGI that was brilliantly captured, combined with the well developed characters made for a film befitted the franchise’s name.

“Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire”, were the opening lines of Lucas’s original 1977 film. “During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star”. The writers of Rogue One were given a slender source material which to create a story out of, but the writers manage to spin a surprisingly solid tale in which the heroes and villains battle in a fantastic fashion.

The bulk of the movie is primarily concerned with Jones’s Jyn as she goes from rebellious save-her-own-skin girl to a leader of the resistance in search of those Death Star plans. Jones I felt was exceptional in the lead role, and was ably supported by her merry band of rebels who were all willing to give their lives for a cause greater than themselves. The witty banter between them all, especially K-2SO, provided some decent comic relief as well as forming stronger friendships between characters that well generally all strangers to one another.

The battle scenes evoked a strong sense of iconic images from war scenes typically scene in films such as Saving Private Ryan, but the focus of the action was predominantly placed upon Jyn and her crew, whose actions are critical to the stealing of the Death Star plans.

The film will be known and praised for a number of things, and deservedly so, the brilliant way the Star Wars franchise has been produced for a twenty-first-century audience, the fascinating and excellent performances of all the cast, but especially Felicity Jones’. And there is also the varied cast, male and female, black and white, English, American, Mexican, Hong Kong and Chinese. Rogue One will be very much a Loved One among the Star Wars fans, and it has been a Good One among the film critics.

The Humpo Show | Richard