Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

What has made Star Wars into the internationally recognized genre that it is today? Two things in particular - original material and a touch of humor/wit. Rogue One is a plethora of both. In addition, even in an area where previous Star Wars may have lacked (perhaps even overlooked, understandably), the acting is superb, top of the line. Forest Whitaker may be the most recognizable name in the entire cast, and he kills it every moment as his brilliant, rebellious character, Saw Gerrera. But he is merely the tip of the iceberg in what becomes an epic, near-perfectly written plot that connects episodes III and IV. It is haunting, it is funny, devastating, cheesy, and it is wonderful. It IS Star Wars.

Rogue One feels like a serious and grounded movie, with a plot that weighs a ton, that feels important on every scale from the very beginning and as the movie progresses it shows that it's on another level, much higher.

The plot is very well written. It's simple, but direct, without fillers or unnecessary diversions. The levels of politics are reduced to the minimum so that it remains a factor to consider, but from the farthest box possible. It has impressive action sequences supported by flawless visual effects, such as the battle of Scarif, the battles of the ships and the devastating power of the Death Star. As if that were not enough, the film has cameos that have a very important presence.

On the technical side, the soundtrack is very good as usual, but the sound editing also stands out tremendously. Photography is beautiful! Even from the first introductory scene of that ringed planet. The editing is also very efficient and its highest point is in the last third of the film, where there is a very fast pace as we get into the battles.

The few negative points are found in specific decisions regarding the performances and the non-existent development of some secondary characters.

This is a work that makes even those who most resist the fury of this old saga (like me) turn their eyes to this great action and science fiction show.

I have watched this movie 2 times already and can say that I really enjoyed it. This movie takes a little time to get going, but once it gets going boy does it impress. The second half of this movie was brilliant and was on the edge of my seat to the very end. I respect Gareth Edwards for some of the choices made in the end of the movie which mainly landed. One of the bigger issues with this movie is the pacing of the movie as I have said that the first half of this movie is very slow but eventually gets going and thats why really I really it up to and 8/10 for me. So I would definitely recommend it, and check it out immediately.

Rogue One is the movie we didn't asked for - but what we got was beyond any expectation. Excellent pacing of the movie. As the movie progresses it gets better and better. Culminates in one of the best finales seen in any of the Star Wars movies.

CGI on the past main character seemed odd. But worked well on pilots and scoundrels. Many Easter eggs trough the whole movie are appreciated. Humor from Alan Tudyk's K-2SO was spot on.

Empire Strikes Back is still king of the hill as the best SW movie till date. But Rogue One comes damn close near it.

A scientist is forcibly recruited by the Empire to help build the Death Star.

In my opinion Rogue One is (to date) the best Star Wars movie produced in the Disney era and one of the strongest entries in the overall franchise. I enjoyed it for its darker tone, excellent performances and in particular how well it fits into the overarching narrative of the Star Wars universe.

There are a number of memorable scenes, particularly in the final act which packs a double emotional wallop with the fate of the main characters and what we know is to come in events portrayed in the original 1977 Star Wars movie.

The action sequences and visuals are fantastic throughout, with a strong combination of great cinematography, sensible computer generated imagery and effective fight choreography. It's difficult to go into detail about the best bits without major spoilers so I'll just say they get the fan service spot on with a great blend of the old and the new.

All performances are solid with Felicy Jones, Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk all compelling as the main antagonists. Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen give great support. The standout performances for me are Ben Mendelsohn as a memorable villain and Forrest Whitaker in a slightly unhinged cameo.

Any fans of the original trilogy should enjoy this one, particularly when compared to the prequel and sequel movies which largely miss the mark.