By Edward Baillargeon
Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars, the franchise has resurrected to the big screen thanks to the massive $2 billion success of Episode VII: The Force Awakens. So, as a Star Wars fan, I was really excited to get the chance to see the latest film and the first spin-off film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
I’m keeping this review briefer because I don’t want to spoil a lot from this movie so you can see this movie for yourself to find out.
Taking place before the events of Episode IV, the film follows the Rebel Alliance recruiting Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and a team of rebels to steal the Death Star plans.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a great film that is unlike any of the previous films in the saga with a darker tone and no opening scroll at the start of the movie. The story is engaging right from the start and takes advantage of the development of the characters and its intense & fun action scenes in its 130-minute run time. The characters are also very interesting. There are even a few scenes with famous Star Wars villain, Darth Vader, that are very intimidating. Some of the actors give fantastic performances like Diego Luna as Captain Cassian Andor, Alan Tudyk as the funny droid K-2SO, Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, and especially Donnie Yen as blind believer in the force, Chirrut Îmwe.
If you are a Star Wars fan, this is, of course, a must watch. It is worth paying the extra money to see this in IMAX 3D, as well as buying it when it comes out on Blu-ray and DVD next spring. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story gets a solid 8/10 and may the Force be with us for a bright future for the Star Wars franchise!
