It's a Star Wars movie but it's not a Star Wars movie. You know the opening scrolling text, the "...in a galaxy far, far away..." bit? The rolling titles of A New Hope are now otherwise known as Rogue One. It's gone rogue in some senses, but the heart of the Star Wars story remains. There are stunning space scenes, expanding galaxies, kick-ass action heroes, and oh - Vader's back. It's an inter-galactic feast and Christmas present come early. 

Dun, dun, duun, dunnn, dun, dunn, dunnn, dun, dunnnn. Whilst it may not be an exact copy of the iconic music, it honours the original score and puts a new edgier spin on it. Just like the soundtrack, Rogue One brings us back into familiar ground after 2015's The Force Awakens except this time it's the prequel not the sequel. In case you ever thought George Lucas's first trilogy and second trilogy were a mis-match of sorts, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story should hopefully bridge the murky gap whilst providing an entertaining story for old and new fans alike. In a Jedi-free time, the Rebel Alliance are battling the evil Empire who have an evil planet-destroying masterplan: the Death Star. But wait, there may be a way to save the day!

A few years ago, Disney bought the rights to Star Wars and we all went ballistic. "Six films weren't enough!?" "What about Georgey Lucas?" "What a cash cow...now they want standalone films too?" "Boo Star Wars, you're dead to me." These are all things I imagine we/The Internet said or thought at one point. Having grown up with I definitely wasn't convinced. However, The Force Awakens was pretty cool and now we can fawn over Rogue One whilst looking forward to the next film and the Han Solo prequel. It is far more original, though still carries over-familiar plot points like an all-important hologram, searching for a missing character, family issues and separation, a lonely childhood and vengeance.


Jyn Erso (played by a brill Felicity Jones and yes it is pronounced 'gin') is the token leader and a natural hero despite her ex-con background; she's thrust into the limelight without more than a second glance and you know she's capable of holding her own. Jyn and Jones, that is. I had reservations about her being a bit too similar to Rey (Daisy Ridley) but that thought never cropped up during the film. The nearly-English accent was slightly off-putting, however - yep I'm just being picky now. Joining Jyn is Diego Luna's Cassian Andor who is quite a prominent rebel with a less obvious agenda. It's a straight-forward partnership, but the only emotional weight is that towards Jyn's character and her father (Mads Mikkelsen) so everyone else is cool but you may have forgotten their names by the end of it. However, you do get memorable one-liners and humour from deadpan droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), and the show is practically stolen by Donnie Yen's character. Chirrut Îmwe is one who is one with the force; he may be blind but that doesn't stop him from kicking ass and being the bravest character on-screen. Thanks to the Force, obvs...a definite welcome surprise. 



Baddie-wise, it's not like there is one big villain focus who everyone should fight against, and this is where it diverges from the Star Wars diagram. Instead, the opportunity is taken to highlight the continued rise of the Empire, and some slimy Imperial guys like Grand Moff Tarkin, plus there is some Darth Vader for good measure. He isn't as scary as I remembered as a kid, but the menace is there, and he even gets to deliver a cracking pun. Finally, there are triumphant digital resurrections which celebrate the kind of technology we get in 2016. Lucky us!

2016 also brings about near-flawless special effects and complete transportation to whichever galaxy we're in at the time. Star Wars was always ahead of its time, CGI-wise, and the beauty of Rogue One's visuals is that we never question or doubt where we are. I love any films with space because we get utter spectacles that just get better with time.Composer Michael Giacchino also does a stellar job with the music. Director Gareth Edwards was at the helm of 2014's Godzilla reboot so he isn't afraid to cause large scale chaos and destruction to the planets featured.

Going back to how Rogue One is essentially a few paragraphs of text in A New Hope, it's fair to say we most likely know what will happen. However, the way the cast and crew bring that to life must be admired, and I don't feel like we're ever struggling for a story or for script. It's risky but in safe hands at the same time. The 'rebel' theme could be seen as quite political, but in the grand scheme of things it makes total sense amongst the Star Wars saga. You can still rebel against rebels, as it turns out. Lots of people have also been buzzing about the film's final act, which, with its last battle on the beach, could be mistaken for a regular non-spacey war film. Ignoring the silly "BIG RED BUTTON, PRESS HERE" (or thereabouts), it has lots to get you talking about.

Before Rogue One was released, we were promised a "grittier" Star Wars, and with some conscious risks, it delivers. This time it is a firm standalone episode, but it has enough familiarity to feel like a part of the SW family and journey. I think the fact that it had much less hype than the Star Wars release last year means it gets to slide under the radar as a surprise triumph, and will carry on building momentum. I'm not going to say it's the best one, or is namedrop which films it's better/worse than, but it is up there as a very entertaining film. Actually, that's a lie. It's much better than 1, 2 and 3.



Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now.