Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – Review

‘Ignorance is bliss’ is a phrase I love and one which I try to use as much as possible when it comes to movies. Of course I’m not talking about not knowing history, but about that wonderful feeling when a movie manages to surprise you, wow you and make you enthusiastic. Stepping into a cinema without any knowledge about what you are about to experience for the next two hours is a feeling I cherish, even if the movie ends up being disappointing and doesn’t meet expectations. Before seeing Rogue One I knew very little: it’s a Star Wars prequel about the rebels and has something to do with the Death Star. As this is a Star Wars movie though it came with certain expectations. When I got to the cinema early in the morning to see the film it was still closed and you could sense the feeling of anticipation in the air. Would this movie be able to surprise me as much as The Force Awakens did last year? You can find out in my Rogue One review..

Director Gareth Edwards has been a good choice for this movie. Previously he was responsible for films like Monsters and Godzilla and has a lot of experience working on special effects (he’s able to create solutions that look good for the fraction of the cost) and proved with Godzilla that he’s able to direct a big budget film. Rogue One revolves around Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who was separated from her parents as a child. Her father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) is the main technician working on the infamous Death Star, which in this movie is about to be finished. She is asked by the rebels to fight with them against the Empire. Although she doesn’t really want to she decides to join the shady Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his robot K-2SO (which strongly reminded me of The Iron Giant design wise). Together they try to get into contact with the man who once was part of the rebels, but has broken off. Will the rebels succeed in finding him and the Death Star plans?

 Rogue One is set right before the start of Episode IV. This means that as a viewer you already know its destination, but have no idea what the journey towards it will look like. The movie introduces many new worlds and characters, of which many are memorable. Because there is a link with Episode IV it was necessary to show a couple of characters from that film. Those not wearing masks were recreated digitally, but unfortunately it is very clear that we still haven’t crossed the uncanny valley. The characters don’t look convincing and are a minor flaw in a movie which is able to deliver a lot of action and entertainment. The usual humour is mainly delivered by K-2SO (who fortunately isn’t as annoying as C3PO). The way this movie connects to the rest of the saga is also very well done. This is a smaller chapter in the franchise (that’s also the reason the title doesn’t have a number) and might not be essential viewing, but despite that it’s a solid film which offers entertainment in a well-known universe which references the other movies regularly (one of the planets seems to be an anagram of a very important character).