ROGUE ONE REVIEW

"I' am one with the Force, the Force is with me." Is a mantra repeatedly said by one of our protagonists throughout the movie. Director, Gareth Edwards might have been chanting it the entire time while filming this picture because the Force was with him the entire time. For the first stand alone Star Wars film, apart from the saga, this movie is a triumph of epic proportions. It is proof that you can have a Star Wars movie without the Skywalker family drama, although Darth Vader was in this movie, but in a very minor role.

The film follows Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones. Raised by a rebel extremist after he father is kidnapped by the Empire to help them build the dreaded Death Star. A moon sized space station with the power to destroy a planet. Jyn is rescued by rebel agents after she is captured by Stormtroopers, and taken to Yavin 4, the planet of the rebel base you see at the end of Star Wars A New Hope. There, among the rebellion, Jyn is approached by Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna. He was ordered to find Jyn's father, Galen Erso, to validate the claim that the Empire is building a super weapon. Accompanied by his sidekick, a smart-mouthed Imperial droid named K2-SO who was reprogrammed, Cassian, and Jyn set off to Jedha. A planet that is home to one of the very first Jedi temples. It is now occupied by the Empire for the Kyber crystals that form there. Those crystals our powerful with the Force, and the Jedi once used them to power their lightsabers. Now the Empire wants them to power their technology.

In Jedha, Jyn, and Cassian meet with, Saw Gerrera. The extremist who raised Jyn when her father was taken. He has a message from her father who explains that there is a weakness on the Death Star, and that one hit will destroy the whole base. Before hand the pair also meets Chirrut Imwe. A blind spiritual protector of the Kyber crystals who is strong with the Force, but not a Jedi. He also happens to be blind, and so he has with him a friend, and protector, Baze Malbus. Together, along with Jyn, Cassian, K2-SO, and an Imperial cargo pilot who defected, and ran away from the Empire, they all escape when The Death Star mildly tests it's power on the holy city as a, "Statement," to the rebellion.

A new face of the Empire is Director Orson Krennick. He oversaw the development of the Death Star, and wants acknowledgement from his superiors, as well as full control of his new planet destroying weapon. He battles, Grand Moff Tarkin who feels he is incompetent. Recreated digitally since the actor who played him, Peter Cushing, in A New Hope back in 1977, died in 1992. The two go head to head as Tarkin looks to steal the Death Star from Krennick who is looking to prove himself. The cat and mouse game between the two could be a movie in itself, as you see the political squabble between officers of the Empire looking to gain the Emperor's, and Darth Vader's approval.

The small band of rebels take it upon themselves to infiltrate a facility controlled by the Empire, in order to steal the plans of the Death Star, and exploit it's weakness to destroy it. This movie is filled with espionage, assassin's, and fierce battles that changes the way you look at Star Wars, but don't get me wrong, it is still full of light-hearted fun, and nail-biting excitement to put a smile in your face without getting too dark. The film did suffer from major re-shoots, and at times the narrative may have felt a little discombobulated, but this disjoint does not ruin the picture as I'm sure it'll be considered a classic for many years to come.