Review - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

We don't expect to come out of a Star Wars movie sobbing, but we did - Rogue One is the fantastic and surprisingly emotional tale of the Rebels who stole the plans to the evilllllll Death Star and who gave the Rebellion "hope". It's thrilling, massssove and with enough cameos and funny creatures to keep Star Wars fans and newbies happy. It's also about doing brave things when the odds are bad and standing up against tyranny - it's certainly a film for our ages.
The adorable Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, daughter of Galen - the scientist behind the Death Star (a man-bunned Mads Mikkelsen). A young Jyn is looked after by Rebel Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) after Galen is forced back to work on the Death Star and her mother is killed by the Empire. Fifteen years later, she then finds herself on a quest to find her father again and to stop the Empire with a band of merry Butch and Sundance characters who all have a shared motive. Cue lots of spacey antics and a huge war on the Empire's version of Love Island. It looks really dreamy there, it does, except when we go all Full Metal Jacket.
Rogue One is extremely violent - this is not a film for kids really - and Act III turns into a great war movie. The odds are stacked against our Rebel protagonists but the message is never give up and stand up for what you believe in. At all costs.
There's a bit of dodgy acting - Riz Ahmed's Empire pilot defector Bodhi isn't strong, and yep that's a Rizzle Kick playing one of the Rebellion, plus we're not a fan of CGI resurrection - but the thrills of the film and the heritage of Star Wars make it a great watch. It's epic and so much darker than The Force Awakens. Enjoy.
3/5 AT-AT the beach
Watch it for: The special effects are mindblowing
Watch out for: That heavy breathing. Still gives the chills

Comments