REVIEW #34 Rogue One (2016)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a film directed by Gareth Edwards, following Jyn, who’s father is abducted by the Empire and forced to design the infamous Death Star. Eventually she joins the group of resistance fighters who infiltrated the Imperial Research Facility to steal the plans for the Death Star, leading to the events in Star Wars: A New Hope.

CAST & THE ACTING (8.5/10)

Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso who delivers a strong performance. I think Jones really suited the role and made it her own, a rather emotionally conflicted character yet courageous and strong. Other cast members include Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Rhiz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook, Mads Mikkelson as Jyn’s father Galen and also Forest Whitaker as rebel extremist Saw Gerrera. It’s a really good cast and they gave great performances which really got you invested in these characters. The importance of creating such inspirational characters in this film can’t be underestimated because the whole basis of this film is the sacrifices made for the rebellion. The actors had to really connect with the audience so that the big events in this film could have such an impact on the person watching it. So a good score here!

PLOT & THE STORYLINE (9.5/10)

I really liked the storyline of this film, not only because it provided the necessary context to the events at the start of A New Hope but also because it showed the true cost of the rebellion, the sacrifices that needed to be made to beat the Imperial forces. It also provided us with one of the best scenes in the entire Star Wars film collection, the final Darth Vadar scene at the end was outstanding! The whole character arc of Jyn was well thought out and tied in nicely with the overall plot. I must also mention how much I enjoyed how the force was used in a different way to the other films, Donnie Yen’s character Chirrut is blind but uses the force to guide him as he takes down many stormtroopers with just his staff! This shows a different side of the force which hasn’t been explored thoroughly before, it was great to watch.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS (9/10)

It’s fair to say the special effects used in all the Star Wars films from the last 5 years have been incredible. With Disney taking over this is obviously expected, big budgets are always going to produce great CGI scenes and other special effects. The cinematography is great too, as I mentioned above, that final Darth Vadar scene was outstanding and that’s also down to just how well the scene was filmed. His red lightsaber piercing the black darkness, the fluent motion of the camera as he slaughtered all those rebel soldiers... It was just great and that’s the scene I hear people talking about the most, which shows how good it is. So a great score here.

OVERALL (9/10)

This is one of my favourite Star Wars films, the cast is great and they all do so well in portraying characters that the audience can get so invested in. The plot is outstanding and was a well needed piece in the puzzle! The special effects are outstanding, as you would expect from any Disney backed film but nonetheless it meant that the audience gets to watch some really fantastic scenes. I don’t think I have spoken to any Star Wars fans who dislike this film, which speaks volumes for its quality. So please give it a go if you haven’t watched it yet!

Thanks for reading.

Callan