Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

9/10

Starring

Felicity Jones

Diego Luna

Ben Mendelsohn

Donnie Yen

Mads Mikkelsen

Alan Tudyk

Directed by Gareth Edwards

If you are still waiting for incentives to see this movie let me add some for you since the idea of a Star Wars movie is not enough to move you to the cinemas.

The movie has Donnie Yen in it. Forty minutes in I see Donnie Yen do some skills that made want to yell, “everyone please let us beg the controller to rewind that.”

This movie is a dark addition to the Star Wars ways and it is a great introduction to the upcoming Star Wars standalone films. Set between what happened after Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and the beginning of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977).

The movie leaves behind the myths and story-line gridlocks of the other Star Wars movies and focuses of charting a new path with different tales and addition of new characters whose stories start and end here. It was great seeing something that had a new breed of heroes, instead of the focus the star wars franchise seems to have on the Skywalker family.

This is such a great thing because it means they can make more tie-ins based in the world of Star Wars.

The movie however introduces too many new characters for us to be able to keep track of (my only snag), the movie’s pace was also very fast which means not a dull moment. First, we are on a planet, then we are involved in aerial battles, armored combat vehicles, grenades, laser battle, blind martial art monks and much more. When nothing is happening, we get to meet new characters.

Other than the Donnie Yen intro fight, my second favorite part in this movie is when Darth Vader steps in to show us that the force is still in this movie.

This is one of (if not the best) movie in the franchise.

The movie plot is simple and straight forward. A research scientist named Galen was hiding from the Empire when an Imperial weapons developer comes to capture him as an aid to help complete the unfinished Death Star.

If you have been watching Star Wars you will know the Death Star is a space station-based weapon capable of destroying an entire planet.

Galen was captured and his wife was killed, but his daughter Jyn escapes and is raised by a Rebel extremist named Gerrera who lives on the desert moon Jedha.

Gerrera abandons Jyn and she grew up being a lone fighter until she was called in by the rebels to help get information which was believed to have been sent by her father on the weakness of the Death Star.

Now Jyn with a new team in a ship they named Rogue One, must find the Death Star plans and get it to the Rebels.

Awesome movie and there is no reason not to see it, and I hope further standalone projects are this good.