Star Wars: Rogue One (2016)

 

Right off the bat: this is one of the better films in the entire Star Wars-saga, hands down, no hyperbole, no bull. You know why? Because it takes the audience seriously and doesn't act all kiddie, something the prequels did do at times. Considering the nature of this story, it only makes sense that this is rather gritty and dark, seeing as it's one where almost everything goes to hell in a handbasket. 

To kick things off, we begin with matricide, as a certain Krennic kills the wife of scientist Galen Erso in order to strongarm him into continuing work on the as yet unnamed project that Galen helped spearhead. Well, it works, because Galen already sent his young daughter Jyn to a safe place, where she is eventually picked up by the rebel Saw Gerrera. 

Yes, this film acknowledges events from the animated 'Clone Wars' series and rightfully so, as that series just kept getting better and darker the farther it got. It is woefully underrated. 

So is 'Rebels', for that matter. 

Several years later, Jyn is pretty much a handful and a criminal, but she is broken out of prison by the rebellion in order to find out just what it is the Empire is working on and because she had a connection to Saw Gerrera. It all has to do with a defecting pilot, sent to Saw by Galen. Jyn is accompanied by Cassian Andor, a rebel assassin and a reprogrammed droid called K2-SO. Cassian is instructed to kill Galen, but he doesn't, but because the Rebellion already ordered an airstrike on the base, he is killed anyway. But Jyn learns that on the planet Scarif, the plans to this 'Death Star' are stored ànd that her father built in a weakness, so the Rebellion will at least have a small chance to destroy it, before they rule absolute through this piece of technological terror. 

Yes, this is sort of like a warfilm mixed with some espionage and it is great for various reasons. For one, the story is well written (a few minor plotholes aside) and there is a lot of tension and action. But maybe most importantly: they haven't forgotten to write fleshed out and memorable characters. Okay, maybe Jyn isn't the most fleshed out as our leading lady, but Cassian is a pretty interesting person. K2-SO brings a lot of levity to it all as a sarcastic droid, but that works wonders. Alan Tudyk really does make him feel very much alive. 

You may probably remember the Guardians of the Whills best, Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe, but seeing as the latter is played by the always wonderful Donnie Yen, that should come as no surprise. And yes, having Donnie Yen in your Star Wars-film means you now have martial arts and excellent fight choreography, as he is given ample opportunity to display his prowess. Oh, and he's supposed to be blind, which leads to some very funny moments. The man can be a comedian when he wants to. 

This also reinstates Darth Vader as a very imposing and scary villain, which was much needed after the prequels. He is used very sparingly, but to great effect. Heck, the scene on board of the rebel flagship in the corridor is fudging brilliant. The main baddie is Krennic, who is more of a devious civil servant than anything else and even though he is not as imposing as say Vader, he is very believable as a man who is extremely ambitious, and will either threaten or grovel to get his way. 

The special effects also look great and it feels as though a lot of this stuff was actually done in camera as opposed to everything just being CG. I have no idea if this is true, but it sure feels that way and yes: that is what a Star Wars needs in life. It is just pure eyecandy. 

Because this is the tale of what happens just before the events of 'A New Hope', this doesn't end on a high note, but it is very fitting and this story has some balls to do the things it does, which is like a breath of fresh air. 

Yes, this is wonderful. It will give you more enjoyment if you're already versed in Star Wars-lore, but even without it, you can enjoy this as a war/espionage film. It just gets better if you know what has already happened and what will happen next.