1st things 1st, allow me to explain where this film actually sits within the Star Wars Universe for those who might unaware or unsure. Star Wars: Rogue One can be classed as a both Prequel and Sequel as this film sits between Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) & Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977). 

This time last year was also when Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens hit our cinemas screens and provided a box office knock out. Rogue One was a film that no one really was expecting and was surprised when the news surfaced that another yet Star Wars film would hit cinemas by Dec 2016 and not only that, but would tell a different story to what viewers were ever asking for.

Rogue One is a story about a team from The Rebellion who together make a risky choice to try and steal the plans for the new and coming “Death Star”. 

Like The Force Awakens, we a have new female lead named Jyn (played by Felicity Jones). From the start of our film, it is evident that Jyn’s family is somehow connected to the building of the “Death Star”… 

Along the way, Jyn also encounters many other characters who join her. However, within the film’s core characters, Jyn is really the only character that is equipped with any type of backstory for the audience to connect with. Many of the other key characters are on-screen with very little history of how they became who they are… This could be an issue for some selected audiences who may feel they have very little connection with core characters. For me, personally, I still found all the characters to be fun, exciting and most importantly, different from all the previous other Star Wars films. 

Without giving too much away in this review, the overall tone of this film is more gritty than some of the previous Star Wars films. Rogue One doesn’t hold back from approaching a story which can only lead to a war or perhaps a gritty battle. The tone of Rogue One is closer to “Star Wars: A New Hope”. Nevertheless, the world of Star Wars has definitely returned with many characters we once saw (and loved) in the past making a return (even if it is for a brief moment). This is truly a reward to the many Star Wars fans out there. My only distraction with the return of selected characters is how it’s done. This is not a negative but simply a distraction from the tone- selected actors/characters return in full form, but as something that clearly has been created by a computer… and it’s very obvious. For this reason, it was distraction knowing it was fake or felt like it was suddenly part of a video game. And sad to say I’m not just talking about quick moments of this occurring either…

For those who have always enjoyed the Star Wars music score by John Williams, they will also be surprised to see a change. The power of the score has now been handed over to Michael Giacchino, who to his credit, has done an outstanding job with the film’s tone of music… but you can’t beat John Williams. Fact! 

Star Wars Rogue One tells a great story, introduces great new characters and respects returning characters (even if they do look fake). While the overall story is more basic than ever and differs from our previous experiences, it’s still one mission you don’t want to miss. The Force is still ever so strong within the series.

8.0/10

Thank you for visiting! Walkden Entertainment is also available on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkdenentertainment/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walkdenentertainment/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Peter_Walkden/

Review Written by Peter Walkden