I love war films. To the core. I love them so much that I made them my main topic on my final project at university. Which is why it doesn’t come as a surprise that I LOVED Rogue One.

It was gripping. It was like nothing I expected. To be fair, what I expected, coming into the theatre, was a movie that would resemble much of the others in the saga. After all, they reshot some stuff to make it less war-like.

But oh my, it was so powerful! I’m not just talking about the action and the photography and the music and oh everything else, but about the characters as well: Jyn Erso is just the zenith of powerful female leads in the Star Wars universe, and the diversity of the cast was so welcomed that I wanted to cry: Diego Luna as the male lead, Cassian Andor (I had a massive crush on him when I was thirteen, crush that might still linger), Riz Ahmed as the adorable pilot Bodhi, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen as everyone’s new favourite bromance, Forest Whitaker, everyone’s husband Mads Mikkelsen and Alan Tudyk as the voice of the sassiest droid in the galaxy, K-2SO.

It was a delight, and I am sure that true Star Wars fans won’t be disappointed. For starters, we finally get to know the truth behind the Death Star’s weak spot, and the cameos and references to other films made it just perfect.

But you know what made it absolutely brilliant? (SPOILERS) The final sequence, when everyone dies. It is something you don’t expect, because they are the heroes of the story, but at the same time, this is war, this is sacrificing yourself for the greater cause. Personally, when K-2SO died, I thought, “everyone is going to dieee”, which was reinforced when Bodhi is blown up and all the others start falling. But then I thought Jyn would be saved, with Cassian probably dead of a broken back. BUT then Cassian showed up and saved her! So I assumed they’d live happily ever after in some nice warm planet. But the Death Star showed up and ruined my dreams. And as I was clutching my chest (which I had been doing for half an hour by then), I accepted that this was the end for them. They had filled their purpose, and they were ready to die. That final moment where Cassian tells Jyn her father would have been proud of her and then they embrace their fate together was pure poetry. Also, in my head, they had definitely made out ealier when they were going down in the elevator.

And when you think it can’t get any better…. Darth Vader and Leia!!!!!! (END OF SPOILERS)

I will be going to Spain in a couple of days and I plan on watching it again there. You know, just so that I can learn how they dubbed “The force is with me and I am one with the force.”

My favourite moments

-Everything K-2SO said, I mean, “the captain said I had to.”

-Bodhi was the silent MVP of the movie.

-When Cassian is about to help Jyn fight some Stormtroopers and she beats them without his help. That was the moment he realises what a tough girl she is and you can see how much he respects her.

-So. Many. Cameos.

-Seriously, that work with the late Peter Cushing. I need to know how they did it.

-“I have so much to tell you.”

-Bail Organa’s “I trust her with my life” gets me every time.

-But also, Bail, DON’T GO TO ALDERAAN, YOU IDIOT!! NOOO!!

-“I have a bad feeling about…”

-The music was on point. It was similar to the Star Wars themes but stood out on its own, like a different, darker world.

-No rolling introduction. I think that was an excellent idea.

-The whole end at the beach was D-Day, with the Allies arriving to defeat the Nazis. Don’t lose sight of that.

-Why is Felicity Jones getting paid more than the others news? She is the first name on the bill, of course she gets paid more. If this were a man, no one would be surprised at all.

You can read my other review on Rogue One here.